Another Pond Question

[BuckShotJon]

I have alot of Algae in the pond. I know some is good for o2 but this is in blooms. For sure to much. When in bloom from what I have read it actually takes teh o2 instead of producing it. I also found one of my bass dead last night. It has me worried a bit now.

Does anyone know a chemical that will kill algae but NOT harm my fish? Not harm any of the other plants in the water?

Thanks-
Jon

[dogfish]

Jon
I would find a supplier (on line or local business) for pond building or farm ponds and look into a bubbler or sprinkler.  Something to airate the pond and keep the water moving.  Last resort would be to put a poison in the pond.  If you feel you have to use poison this type of business would be able to recomend a product to use.
One dead bass means nothing, fish die.  Keep an eye on it though and if you start loosing lots of fish then you have a problem.
When I worked for the forest service in South Carolina we would spray fertilizer on the ponds to promote algae blooms.  The reason was that it kept the sunlight from reaching the bottom and the macrophytes (water plants) would not grow and take over the pond.  These algae blooms never resulted in fish kills?
Eric

[kerosenecounty17]

BSJ -

Algea can be a big problem.  The blooms reduce sunlight penetration, which in turn kills the weeds and reduces oxygen production.  It's a big problem in some of the lakes in my area.  Mainly caused by nitrogen rich fertilizers being used on lawns.

A good friend of mine is big time into gardening, including water gardens.  According to her, one of the best solutions is barley straw.  It's completely natural, and won't harm the fish.  If I remember correctly, the straw itself does nothing to kill the algea, but it provides habitat for some kind of micro-organism that eats the algea.  I know it's available on-line from a bunch of different places.  I also read something recently in one of my fishing magazines that there's a company now producing liquified barley straw for algea control in ponds.  Run a google search and I'm sure you'll find something.

kero

[Little Brown Dog]

Gardener's Supply Company carries Barley balls, pads and strips.  They claim to keep ponds healthy.

[OTIS]

The Cornell Cooperative Extension web site I posted in the previous pond post, covers this topic in detail.  It also gives fish ratio's that were in question in the previous post.  It's a very informative site, give it a look.

[BuckShotJon]

Thanks for the info guys.

About Barley Straw as you mentioned Otis the Cornell site does address the barley straw. The problem is though barley straw does not help when the algae is in bloom. It helps before but from what I read not when it is actually in bloom.

I have been out to my pond and tried to rake out the algae. While it could be done when i tried this approach I just do not have the hours and hours it would take to get it out.

I also need to raise the water level. I have tried the fire department and they are a no go. Private water haulers are very expensive...and I am on a well....any other ideas to get about 36,000 gallons total.

Jon

[dogfish]

Rain Dance

[fastribs85]

ill spit 5 times for every fish you let me catch

[Fat Boy]

How about plugging the outlet or dam area until the water rises?  Seems almost to easy to me not knowing the specifics of your pond.  Can't possibly be that simple   Good luck then!

Also, planting trees and keeping light off a significant portion of the pond will reduce the chance of algae blooms in the future.  Not sure about what good that does you know though!  Gotta be a solution.  I'm sure someone will post something helpful for ya.

[kerosenecounty17]

BSJ -

A friend of mine has a small pond that he keeps bluegill and bass in.  He adds some type of dye to the pond that turns it a dark blue color.  It looks very unnatural (reminds me of a toilet bowl), but it kills the algea by robbing it of sunlight.  I imagine it would kill any other plants in the pond as well, but it might be an option.   If you want, I could talk to him and get some info for you.  I've got a feeling this might be similar to barley straw though.  I'm guessing once you've got a full blown bloom, it might not be enough to stop it.

If it was me, I'd probably just ride it out.  Like dogfish said, one dead fish doesn't mean a big problem.  Keep an eye out for others and let the algea run it's course if you can.  Then, next spring, dump in a bunch of barley straw so you don't have the same problem. 

Raising the water level is all but impossible unless you've got a lake or river near enough to run hoses to.  At first I thought maybe you could line the bed of a pickup truck with a big tarp, pump it full (from a lake or river), and haul it to your pond.  But, figuring a 4'x8' box filled 2' deep, you'd be hauling 4000# every trip, and you'd need to make 75 trips to get 36,000 gallons. 

kero
 

[MarcusJ]

If you use small amounts of bluestone you will not kill the fish.

[Coldfeet]

Hey Jon
Get a small boat and outboad motor launch it in the pond point the bow towards the shore and buck the boat against the bank then run the motor in forward to force the algea bloom toward the opposit shoreline this will add O2 to the water and get the algea to one shore line makeing it easer to get off the pond. I used to do this every year with my boat to keep the dock clean of weeds and deep enough to get in and out of when the water was low. After you get it cleared put in the dye that was mentioned it will keep the pond clean till the water rises enough to get out of the spillway and take the bloom with it.
Good luck
Cold Feet

[Fishingking]

chemicals to kill algae and weeds   in ny you need a chemical apllicators permit a real pain in the buttt to get but  hwne your close to another state theres always ways to get the chemicals u want         

Diuron  sp? is a pesticide used in farming   it kills weeds

copper sulfate in the blue crystal form not the 1% white powder garden form is a weed killer they use this on smaller reseivors   if your town water ever tasted like cucumbers it was because of the copper sulfate

those are the 2 i know of but in a small pond like yours i wouldnt recommend using chemicals  because they will kill fish in a small pond because these chemicals deplete oxygen and in your small pond the fish will have nowhere to go 

[TroutFishingBear]

TroutFishingBear to the RESCUE!!!!!!


Grass Carp is the solution. Many lakes around here have horrible algae and weed problems, and are choked. Grass Carp are then stocked as the solution. They will severely reduce the amount of algae.

THE SOLUTION IS FOUND!!! ENJOY!!!

(Success lakes around here: Purdy Mesa Reservoir, Mack Mesa, and many more)

[fastribs85]

bear is right the lake at that camp i help out used to be choked with weeds and then the stocked carp in the spring (5) and now the lake has a lot less weeds and less algae