On Tue, 04 Jul 2006 19:13:58 GMT, "Natty Dread"
wrote:

I have a lion's head fountain on my patio with about a 12 gallon fill basin
on the bottom. The water flows out of the lion's mouth into an upper basin
with three outlets in which I stacked some river rocks to improve the
flows. There are no fish or plants. Algae has started to accumulate on the
rocks and in the bottom basin, and I'd like to put somethingin the water to
keep down the green. My dad suggested bleach, but birds use this fountain
as a bird bath and I don't want to do anything to hurt them. Any
suggestions? If bleach would work, how much should I put in, or in what
ratio of bleach to water? Thanks in advance for any info. If you need to
see the fountain to get an idea of the size, here's a link:

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?actio...6DA&lpage=none

Rhonda
Richmond, VA
USDA Zone 7

**********
Basic human psychology is one of my subroutines.


Adding a small amount of bleach will keep algae from growing, but this
will no doubt be harmful to the birds. There are anti-algae tablets
or liquid made for aquariums that might work well in your case.
Keeping your fountain clean will help cut down on algae growth. Algae
growing in a pond or aquarium is actually a sign of healthy waters.
Another (natural) solution would be to add a small fish. A 50-cent
"feeder" goldfish, if left unfed, will eat the algae and any mosquito
larva. Adding more shade to the area will reduce algae too.