Evil string algae

[reptilegrrl]

I have string algae in my skippy and some in the very bottom of the pond.  I have barley straw floating right below the surface and have had it for a month, but the string algae persists.  It only grows severely in the skippy, but it chokes the plants there and slows the flow of water.  Since my skippy is part of the pond, it looks very unsightly as well

I don't understand why the barley straw is not working.  I've even doubled the amount of straw, no help.  The string algae keeps growing back.  Every few days I clear wads of it out of the skippy, and it comes back a few days later.  It grows so fast!

Any non-toxic ideas?  Or should I just get used to it? 

[JohnInFlorida]

Less turtle food = less turtle poop + more green grow-y things = less algae.
Keep Smilin'
John 

[Cindi]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I have heard it takes a minimum of 6 weeks for the barley straw to start breaking down and working. 

[JoshS]

You are right, Cindi...it is dependent on the water temp.  The cooler the water, the longer it takes to begin to break down.

Also keep in mind that barley only slows the growth of string algae.  It will not eliminate what is already in the pond.

Pond Balance will get rid of the string algae quickly...within a few days.  It is fish and plant safe.  Not sure about turtles.

I like John's idea the best.  Get some more plants going in the skippy and at the very least, they will hide the algae.  Try to get some mint...it will cover and hide anything 

[Rocmon]

Yes barley takes time. I replaced a bale of mine and I've got string out the yazzoo... Hydrogen peroxide is the inexpensive instant weed killer for string.

Did you fertilizer any of your other plants? Do you have other plants in the skippy to eat the excess nutrients? My plants grow best and are the greenest just outside the biofilter outflow in the plant filter pond. This picture shows the greenest plants are in the back where the water first enters plant pond.

My string has been somewhat controlled this year, comes and goes, until I pulled out all the old barley and after a week or so replaced it with new. It's been really thick since then, but I think it was getting thicker before I pulled the old stuff.

I know what you mean about it choking other plants—it is so uncool that way.

[Bonnie]

Other than spot application, I wouldn't use anything else besides Koi Clay and Barley Straw.

Koi Clay is not only fish safe but GOOD for your pond and koi.  Gene at Koi Village has the best..www.koivillage.com

[cambria koi]

I am having a terrible time with string algae also.  What is the dosage used for peroxide?  My pond is about 900 gallons.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Dorothy

[Rocmon]

My pond is 1200–1500 gal. I used one of those large Costco sized bottles. Didn't do a lot but then followed up with another two bottles a week or two later, with the water off in the falls trying to contact as much string as possible. Few weeks later stuff was getting brown...

[karen J]

cambria koi, Hi. Are you the same cambria koi from the old forum?

reptilegrrl, I have the same problem.

Josh, I have used that Pond Balance (the one from Interpet, right?) before and it really did work great. The thing that bugs me is that nagging suspicion whenever any chemicals are used. Is it really safe?

From those discussions years ago on the old forum, there never was a consensus as to what actually causes string algae. It is more of a problem in cooler climates, and does not respond the way regular algae does to competition from other plants.There is some nutrient that it favors- phosphates maybe- can't remember.

John John's gave a great tip: Oxi Clean. I believe that you have to shut down circulation, sprinkle it on, allow time for the algae to die, and get it out of the pond. Killing it that way is easy- getting the dead algae out is a different story indeed. 

[JoshS]

Yes, that is the stuff, Karen.  I've heard that it is some kind of salt, but I don't know for sure.  The ingredients are a guarded secret, I guess.  All I do know is that I have a number of customers who use it religiously and swear by it.  Like I said, though, I don't know how it affects turtles.

[Rocmon]

I've read HP is used sometimes when the dissolved O2 levels are dangerously low. People keep it on hand in case of emergency—power failure or the like. It gives a boost to the pond for the fish to breathe easer... I tried it, but stopped as ALL the algae turned brown to my recollection—makes it hard for the fish to eat... besides, it's entering a cycle of the dependency of using it.

The local Aquascapes dealer was selling it for ~$50 a bottle to be sprayed directly on the algae—lower the pond level by half then spray. Of course it was sold under some fancy name other than HP. Wonder what it costs to have a pond guy come spray it...

I've heard that before about the Oxy-Clean. Someone had said something about what the components are. Could have been Gardenweb but I don't necessarily trust what I read there—their monitors have a definite censorship agenda...

[cambria koi]

Yes Karen J I am the cambria koi from the old forum.  I have been popping in for awhile but haven't done any posting.  We built this pond last year and had it running for about 4 months.  It is an above ground pond built with the landscape lumber that looks like Lincoln Logs.  We thought we had it strong enough by using $50 worth of long screws to hold it together, just didn't calculate how much pressure between 900-1000 gallons of water has.  Anyway it started to come apart on one corner so we shut it down for the winter and rebuilt this spring.  It has been going now just long enough to get through the pea soup algae after start up.  We had, I thought, enough plants that everything would be great then the string algae started.  It did the same thing last year too.  We had to shut it down before we knew what to do about the string stuff.  The water is very clear but the sides and the plants have it growing on them.  It choked out the WH and is working on the parrot feathers and the lilys.  Very discouraging.
Dorothy

[cambria koi]

I tried to find in 'search' for the information on using Oxy Clean.  If John Johns is still on this forum would you please tell me about it again.  Thanks.
Dorothy

[reptilegrrl]

Less turtle food = less turtle poop + more green grow-y things = less algae.
Keep Smilin'
John 

John, until recently I had about 90% coverage of plants, AND the skippy is full of plants.  There are plenty of plants in the pond.  Believe me.  I have no pea soup, for instance, and the string algae is ONLY in the skippy.

I can't stop feeding Al, but I don't overfeed him either. 

[reptilegrrl]

I like John's idea the best.  Get some more plants going in the skippy and at the very least, they will hide the algae.  Try to get some mint...it will cover and hide anything 

The skippy is full of plants- the string algae crawls over them and smothers them.  They don't hide it, it makes big mats that strangle the plants  

[reptilegrrl]

Did you fertilizer any of your other plants? Do you have other plants in the skippy to eat the excess nutrients? My plants grow best and are the greenest just outside the biofilter outflow in the plant filter pond.

The skippy is full of plants; every couple of days I go out there and shake the string algae off of them, because it's chocking them   The rest of the pond has about 90% coverage.  I don't use fertilizer... I figure I want the plants to get rid of fertilizer