I find that whenever I add "Hardness Plus" to my pond, I get tons of those
green slimy clumps of goo that come up to the top. Fortunately I have a
skimmer and it gets most of them, but I figure something in the water
hardener is causing the single celled algae to clump together and rise? I
guess this is probably a GOOD thing, right?
Sue


"K30a" wrote in message
...
David wrote What is this stuff, and how do we control/get rid of it?

It is one of the many forms of algae.
Here are the algae tips, hope it helps.


This is a collection of tips offered by readers of rec.ponds
To achieve clear water, instead of pea soup green water, in your pond you
should:

~ Realize that algae is tough! It exists in extreme conditions, like ice,
just
fine. It has many, many different
forms. It even has a home page!
http://www.nmnh.si.edu/botany/projects/algae/
And, finally, without algae we wouldn't
be here so we should treat it with a little respect ;-)

~ Learn as much as you can about the natural balance of a pond and
realizing
that new ponds must go through
a growth period which usually means green water before balance occurs.

~ Mother Nature designs pond to have few fish, many plants and subtraction
and
addition of new water from time to time.
She lets the fish find food on their own, lets the fish fertilize the
plants,
encourages predators and lets the plants run rampant.
She never cleans her ponds out unless she sends a flood. If things really
get
out of control she throws up her hands and lets the chips fall where they
may -
lets the pond fill in, turn emerald green, flood it out, earthquakes,
hurricanes, record snowfall, elections too close to call - whatever...

~We pondkeepers stuff in lots of pretty fish, spoil them rotten with tasty
fish
chow, over fertilize our plants and do everything possible to discourage
predators.

~Plan on 20 gallons of water per goldfish and 100 gallons of water per koi
and
as many plants as you can stuff in.

~ Do not use chemicals, killing algae just makes lots of suddenly dead
algae,
rotting algae robs the pond of oxygen and makes more stuff for the new
algae to
feed on (unless you have a bottom drain to get it out).

~ Do not worry about green fuzzy algae on the side of the pond, that is
good
algae and helps balance your pond.

~ Ignore a little string algae.

~ Install bottom drains and skimmers for ease of removing sludge and
debris.

~ Net the pond during the fall to keep leaves out of the pond.

~ Trim dead growth from the plants and removing floating tropicals if you
live
in colder climates.

~ Lower your fish stocking, not over feeding fish - algae loves fish waste
(lots of yummy phosphorous)

~ Add lots plants of any type, marginal plants such as reeds, cattails,
iris,
pickerel weed, arrowhead, floaters such as water hyacinth, water lettuce
and
lots of underwater plants such as anacharis uses the nutrients up that the
algae would like.

~ Shade - lilies, the floaters (water hyacinth and water lettuce) and
artificial shade - shade cloth, umbrella, arch or trellis planted with
vines,
No sun for the algae.

~ Clean up debris from the bottom of the pond and
stock snails to chew up the debris - less decaying stuff for algae food.

~ Cut back or stop fertilizing plants - same principle.

~ Plant in fine gravel and top with larger rocks if you have koi.

~ Mechanical filtration of the fish waste - usually a settling chamber in
your
filter, or the first row of brushs, filter media.

~ Biological filtration - more than you think you need as your fish are
going
to grow and you will probably add more fish to your pond via purchase or
your
fish breeding in the pond. (This does not help with the algae problem but
contributes to the overall health of your fish and any critters.

~ Construct a veggie filter - an area, 10% to 20%, of the size of your
pond
surface area. A couple of inches deeper than the plant baskets (the rigid
black
mesh baskets made specifically for water plants) you are going to use to
plant
in. Plant the baskets with marginal plants with fine gravel. Pump the pond
water through at a turnover rate per hour 1/2 to 1/4 of the pond volume.
Veggie
filter uses up many of the nutrients and provides a good place for
bacteria to
grow. Build it with a bottom drain (or two) for ease of cleaning - very
important or you'll end up with backups and leaking over the edge. Go here
to
read a great description about how to build one
http://hometown.aol.com/k30a/myhomepage/garden.html
or
A veggie filter can be as simple as floating water hyacinth at the top of
your
stock tank filter. Mine get to be almost three feet tall with leaves as
big as
my hand.

~ Purchase sludge eating product - concentrated bacteria culture.

~ Some folks love their UV sterilizer. Does cost some $. And you have to
change
the bulb every year.

~ Add a bale of barley straw to your pond for string algae. Read this
webpage
http://hometown.aol.com/rosiedawg/my...ollection.html

~Phosphate Remover - It comes in a large clear container (maybe about
gallon
sized) but it's also available in a smaller quart sized carton. It's
usually
near the aquatic plant fertilizers and different chemicals available such
as
ammonia remover and such.
You measure out the amount suitable for your pond size, place it in a mesh
bag, and first soak it in a pail before you put it in your filter. You
need to
soak it because it gives off heat when it first gets wet.

~ Read this web page for interesting theroy on the life and times of algae
http://www.koiclubsandiego.org/GRENH2O.html

~ Make sacrifices to the Pond Goddess.
Run to your nearest garden center and buy a gazing ball,
a dragonfly garden stake and bullfrog spitter.
Place around your pond and ask humbly for clear water.

~ Patience, patience and eternal optimism.


k30a