String Algae in Summer
Prevention is Key!
String algae can be a real pest. It's most often trouble in late winter or early spring and when it really starts to heat up in the summer. We refer to string algae as any type of "hairy" algae that's growing in your pond and becoming unsightly.
Prevention
Aquatic Plants
String algae can be a real pest. It's most often trouble in late winter or early spring and when it really starts to heat up in the summer. We refer to string algae as any type of "hairy" algae that's growing in your pond and becoming unsightly.
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| String Algae in March |
Prevention
The aquatic plants you choose to put in your pond are higher up on the food chain than string algae. Marginal plants that grow in the shallow areas and floating plants like water hyacinth and water lettuce are great at eating up all the nutrients in the water. Fewer nutrients means the string algae has no food and it starves! We have lots of cool aquatic plants at our store late April through October.
Remove Away
Use Remove Away every week. The natural enzymes in Remove Away also inhibit the growth of string algae. It's an easy-to-use powder that slowly starves and inhibits new growth of string algae.
Limit Waste in the Pond
Keeping algae "food" to a minimum is key as well. Fish waste, excess fish food, dead plant leaves, anything organic that's breaking down in your pond (i.e. "muck") is prime algae food. Keep an eye on your fish populations, how much (and WHAT) you feed your fish, and trim aquatic plants as you see leaves die.
Treatment
Remove Away
Not only will Remove Away inhibit string algae growth, if you haven't used it as a preventer it will work to remove the string algae that's there as well. If you can, remove long strands of string algae by hand to prevent massive muck accumulation. Be ready to clean your filters more often as that dead algae begins to break apart!
BioClear and Clean
Be sure to use BioClear and Clean weekly also to break down the algae as it's dislodged from your pond. If you don't, that algae will decompose and create more algae! BioClear and clean comes in little water soluble packages that you simply toss into the pond.
Supplemental Aeration
Although you most likely have a waterfall or fountain on your pond, supplementing that aeration with an aerator is key! So that BioClear and Clean can work effectively and efficiently, it needs lots of oxygen and a waterfall even if its large or a fountain just can't do it.
Remember this: it's important to starve the algae. By providing less nutrients (fish waste, uneaten fish food, leaves, decaying plant materials, etc.) for algae, algae will grow less. You can also starve algae by adding more aquatic plants to compete with algae.
We're here to help if you have other questions about algae or other pond issues!
Written by Cool Ponds co-owner, Staci
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