String Algae

[jjkon]

Hi everyone,

My pond is 2 years old now. The first year it is fine. Now it got a lot of string algae. How do you eliminate them? Thanks for your advices.

John

[reptar15]

i've been hearing a lot about how clay can help but not always, hopefully someone else with more experience can clarify.

[B.Scott]

I used to have terrible problem with string algae. I tried everything and nothing would knock it back for more than a few weeks. when I converted my vortex to a static Kaldnes system it suddenly died off completely. Even after my pond rebuild it still hasn't come back. I have heard the same story from several others as well. call it a coincidence if you want, I don't care. I'm just glad to be rid of it!

B.Scott

[Mike T]

Every few years, string algae will appear in one of our ponds and/or waterfeatures... I take a stiff brush and brush it off the walls, it never reappears... For uneven surfaces like a waterfall, a power washer would probably work...

Of course we live in Heaven on earth, so it may not be as easy in your area...

Aloha! Mike

[B.Scott]

Mike I made brush sandles and shuffeled about the pond scrubbing, It ALWAYS came back!. You have never suffered the stuff that grew in my pond... Be thankful for that!

[koiczar]

String Algae - Hmmm - let's see. First, let's consider the source or root cause of why it starts in the first place. An algae is a plant. Therefore, it needs nutrients to survive and grow. Those nutrients include, ultra-violet light (sun), nitrates and phoshates, just to name a few. Therefore, if you take readings of your tap and pond water for the nitrates and phosphates you'll probably find that they are unreasonably high. Also. usually, in year two of a pond's maturation, you will develop string algae. It's part of the natural cycle. So, keeping your nitrates and phosphates under control through proper water changes you can usually get it to disappear. The other alternative is while you are getting things under control, get as much of the string algae out the system as you can, then ad a product called AlgaeFix. Don't follow the label about how often to use it. You should dose it once, then three days later. Give it a week after that and it should disappear for now. Good luck. Keep us posted

Mike

[KoiCop]

AlgaeFix can wipe out your koi, too. Lots of documented incidents on various koi boards each year. Listen to the KHA's amongst us.

[keokoi]

Look at your water.. Also do more frequent water changes during the week.. Shade always helps as well. Doing all these small things helps out big time..

Joe

[mulberryjen]

Just a note from a useless dorky science teacher: algae is classfied as a protist, not a plant.

OK, now I feel better.

[B.Scott]

Mike it's not true. Back when I used to to suffer from it I tried it all. No matter how far I want to poison, treat or scrub it off it came back within a week or two. Even turning my system into what basically was flow through system with 30% water changes a DAY for a whole summer didn't help... now figure in why the guy two blocks away with a crap pond and hardly any water changes never had/has string algae. Some of us get it others do not. We can postulate all we want but as far as I can see it's a game of roulette. But like I said after installing the the static K filter it all died back to bare wall and all that grows there now is soft, short non-stringy algae. Don't care way just glad it's gone