Author Topic: Can you say Green? (Read 2895 times)

MikeW · « **on:** May 25, 2007, 06:25:35 PM »

I am a spoiled ponder, being out west. Tropical blooms into December, no ice (OK this year for a week during our 100 year freeze), and abundant sunshine, even during the winter. I am spoiled, yes.

This year, my pond has had a green oily slick for months and months. 3,500 gallons, with maybe 80 very small goldfish, ( I do not feed them), so light fish load. I did repot, with tomato spikes, my 11 pots of lilies early - one of which has bloomed (twice) this season. Could it be too much fertilizer in the water?

I have manually skimmed, and deliberately overflowed the thing many times, but the next morning - bright green cover.

I do the koi clay treatment thing, and my waterfall is a skippy type "purifalls" outfit - water is pumped into the bottom, goes through bags of scrubbies, and cascades back into my cesspool.

I have done 30% water changes per week, and sat back and done nothing for two months, to cover all options. No smell, no mosquitoes, but this constant swamp by my patio. For over five years it has just been clean and clear without hastles, so now I am beyond irritated.

Clues / suggestions / bullets welcome.

Swampmaster,
Mike

Rocmon · « **Reply #1 on:** May 25, 2007, 08:51:03 PM »

I really feel for ya... Yuk. $:-\$

So your only filter is a skippy bio falls?

Um... how about a skimmer to start with. Do you have a bottom drain? If not, when did you clean out the sludge on the bottom last?
Mechanical filter of any kind?

Yes it could just be the plant stakes too, but why this long to give you that? I had similar looking stuff in my lotus pots last year. I just kept doing daily water changes (overflow) and in time it cleared up. I don't see a lot of water plants there in the picture, how about getting a dozen or so water hyacinth. The cheap plant route would be getting a couple of bunches of watercress at the grocery store.

enzo · « **Reply #2 on:** May 25, 2007, 09:16:03 PM »

70% coverage with water lilies. Also some submerged plants like hornwort or anacharis just incase it is the fertilizer leaking

Argos5 · « **Reply #3 on:** May 25, 2007, 09:21:00 PM »

As Rocmon and Enzo suggest, more plant coverage to reduce the sunlight exposure and floating plants like water hyacinth to absorb nutrients may help with the algae...they will look good too.

Sean · « **Reply #4 on:** May 25, 2007, 09:23:34 PM »

Get out that black dye Mike, I am sure that will make a difference.

As for plants, Mike's entire bottom of the pond is anacharis. The green water is more likely the water changes right now, your water will clear when the waterlilies grow and provide some surface coverage.

In the mean time, use the black dye.

Cheers,
Sean

Bonnie · « **Reply #5 on:** May 25, 2007, 09:35:05 PM »

I'm going to disagree with Sean..(ducking my head)

Black dye might help block the sunlight but it won't make your water look better unless you want BLACK water which you can't see the fish or anything.

I might be wrong but I've used it before and it made the water look terrible!

It looks like you have floating algae from your pix which I'd bet is due to the fertilizer.

I would try making a DIY skimmer and use a submersible pump along with quilt batting.

Hang in there.. it will get better.

Jonna · « **Reply #6 on:** May 25, 2007, 10:43:42 PM »

Whew! That's bad, I feel for you. I think a temp skimmer and quilt batting is what I'd do too. You'd have to wash the batting several times a day but it should pull the green off.

Jerry · « **Reply #7 on:** May 25, 2007, 11:06:39 PM »

More filtration?

Ky Kim · « **Reply #8 on:** May 26, 2007, 01:24:00 AM »

Eeeeewww, I sure hope it cycles, or settles or something for you soon. That would get to me as well.

Kim

Jerry · « **Reply #9 on:** May 26, 2007, 03:38:40 AM »

Jut re read the thread. Mike, where are all the warer plants? When I saw your pond the surface was covered. How many scrubbies do you have?

CoolShades · « **Reply #10 on:** May 26, 2007, 05:13:29 AM »

Mike:

Just jump in and clean out the solids and add the black dye. I've been using it in ponds since 1990 (Miami Water lily & Orchids in the Redlands and here in Chadds Ford) Note Longwood has been using it past my memory (Craig may remember better when Patt Nutt started using it to hide the steam pipes). I actually like the black as it sets off the Lilies. Once the excess sludge is removed it really does cut down on the growth! I was going to clean out my ponds today and add some due and hopefully get a shot or 2...I noticed I finally have blooms from Leydekeri Fulgens, Leydeketi Lilaca, Rubra and surprisingly Perry's Fire Opal (doesn't like the cooler water similar ro Mayla.

Cheers and raise a Castle to Sean for the inital suggestion!

Gary

P.S. I should be in the area in early October so I hope to catch up with both you and Jerry.

SheilaJ · « **Reply #11 on:** May 26, 2007, 05:31:49 AM »

I concur. Clean it out once more, stop the water changes, get lots of lilies in there (and water hyacinth if you can legally), and black dye. And tell the fishies to stop pooping!

MikeW · « **Reply #12 on:** May 26, 2007, 06:54:21 AM »

My hardies have pads up, but most all of my lilies are tropicals, and they are all just little tubers sitting in their pots, not showing the slightest interest in growing so far this year, and thus no surface coverage.

No skimmer or bottom drain - I skim manually (and very religiously I might add) to water the patio potted plants.

Hate to get in there when one cannot see what beasties lurk, but it sounds like I need to vac out the bottom.

Dang, and I was so hoping that "sit tight, have patience, and perhaps a beer, it will clear" was going to be the answer.

Thanks all

Mike

Sean · « **Reply #13 on:** May 26, 2007, 07:27:46 AM »

I still say use the black dye first, (you already have it) and wait for the water to get warmer from the deeper colour. The tropical lilies will respond when the water is warmer and once you have coverage the green will totally disappear.

Adding a skimmer to Mike's pond would have been a great idea when it was being built but quite difficult to do now. One way to get rid of the oily slick on the surface would be to overflow the pond with a jet of water over the back corner.

Cheers,
Sean

GAjen · « **Reply #14 on:** May 26, 2007, 03:03:03 PM »

Dyed mine when it happened. It helped but ended up getting UV to it. Speaking of lily's....ain't nothing blooming down here!!!!! Pads are growing.

Jerry · « **Reply #15 on:** May 26, 2007, 04:36:43 PM »

OK! Yes Coolshades, love to see you in October.
Sean, why not a free standing skimmer, easy and cheap!
I dropped a CD in the pond to show you guys the wonders of Skippy. Here it is. Sure got my tower all wet though!

CoolShades · « **Reply #16 on:** May 26, 2007, 05:58:08 PM »

Mike:

I didn't talk about option two, but benevolaent neglect and several ales as you suggest will also work if you can be patient.

Gary

maryvonne · « **Reply #17 on:** May 26, 2007, 06:51:40 PM »

I don't have any advise for you Mike but our large ponds looks just like yours. I'm ok to just wait a bit and hope it clears but it's driving Pete crazy. He's spending a lot of time skimming the algae with a kid's butterfly net.
If you manage to clear yours up let us know what worked.

Maryvonne

PondmaninAL · « **Reply #18 on:** May 26, 2007, 07:43:51 PM »

Mike, kick back and drink several beers. Then you won't care what colour it is.

Happy ponding,
Scott

Mikey · « **Reply #19 on:** May 26, 2007, 08:23:16 PM »

That certainly is nasty looking. I was going to whine about my greenish water....... but not anymore...

Mike: I was driving in your neighborhood recently and saw this sign. Now I know who was responsible for the 15 car pileup

Jerry · « **Reply #20 on:** May 26, 2007, 09:30:06 PM »

GAjen · « **Reply #21 on:** May 27, 2007, 07:46:37 AM »

Mikey......that's too funny.....

MikeW · « **Reply #22 on:** May 27, 2007, 12:54:37 PM »

Mike - you missed your calling. Thanks for the chuckle.

Gary - benign neglect is something I definitely can do. When you are out in October, I expect to have clear water and a srface filled with lilies - Famous last words!

Cheers,

Mike

LeeAnne151 · « **Reply #23 on:** May 27, 2007, 07:20:08 PM »

The only time I've ever had green water was when a forum member came to visit......:O

Daisy · « **Reply #24 on:** June 09, 2007, 06:28:46 AM »

Hey Mike....did your pond ever come around? Curious to know if the green went away. We're still struggling with green water. Although not as bad as yours was, its still green.

Jerry · « **Reply #25 on:** June 09, 2007, 07:26:53 AM »

Mike did post elsewhere on this forum. He now has clear water. I am sure he will post here.

MikeW · « **Reply #26 on:** June 09, 2007, 07:33:59 AM »

Daisy, yes - three days ago as it happens. Not gin clear, there is still a greenish tinge, but clear. I can see all the details on the bottom, 4 ft down, and definitrely no more of that green sludge I had so enjoyed for months.

Besides benign neglect, it is the classic case of having tried various remedies, so not sure which, if any, was the one that worked. Hyacinth, I know was good, but then I added too few to really make a difference.

One thing I did do differently this year though. I know I read somewhere that when you have string algae, you generally have clear water. As the weed grew on my falls, and even started covering some of the surface, I left it alone this time. Looks awfiul, but better than the sludge.

Now it may be that string algae only grows at the time the water is clearing anyway, and does not cause clear water, but that was the only thing I recently did - stop clearing out the string.

Hope yours clears soon!

Cheers,

Mike

GAjen · « **Reply #27 on:** June 09, 2007, 07:45:12 AM »

Guess who has nasty tadpole algae water now? If you guessed me you are right. Shep is working today so that really only gives us one day to work on the pond this weekend.

tinkster · « **Reply #28 on:** June 09, 2007, 07:19:14 PM »

glad your clear mike. I also wondered about the string algae on the waterfall rocks.. I am fighting it worse this year than I ever had.. If I dont get out there and use Ms esthers toilet brush creation every single day it grows so fast my water flow changes and diverts BUT my water is drinking glass clear this year. So maybe it does have something to do with it??

tinkster