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Green/Blue Algae Problem

thelahdeedahthelahdeedah Posts: 6
in Problem solving
Hi,

I made two wildlife ponds over lockdown, one in a normal sized Belfast sink and one in a shallower sink.  
I’m having problems with what I am concerned might be blue/green algae. It started about two/three months ago, prior to that it was just fairly manageable blanket weed. I emptied the pond of water and silt and hosed off all the plants to get rid of as much as possible, but it’s come back a lot quicker than I hoped it would.  It’s only the normal sized sink that has this problem, not the shallow one.
Can anyone recommend the best way to manage it?  It would have to be pet and wildlife safe.  The pond gets sun for roughly half the day and I have a few oxygenating plants as well as a lily and some marginals. I use rainwater not tap.  I have tried barley straw with little success and I try and keep it clean from leaves.
Any help appreciated
ps. Bonus points for anyone who can tell me what the strange jelly thing is on the lily pad!

Posts

  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    Just pull it off. 
    As winter arrives it'll die back a bit anyway.
    It's unlikely to return until the sun and a bit of warmth return in the spring.
    The jelly is likely to be snail eggs 

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Standard process, and will die back over winter as @Pete.8 says.
    They're very shallow for ponds, so will warm up more quickly too. It won't help to keep emptying and refilling unfortunately. Twirling it out with a cane or similar is a fairly straightforward way of managing it. 

    Snails on the leaf.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • thelahdeedahthelahdeedah Posts: 6
    Thanks for the help.  It’s impossible to remove with a cane, it just breaks apart, it doesn’t behave like the other algae that has been growing.  I’ve tried using a bottle brush and net but they don’t work either 😕. Hopefully as you both say, it will die back over winter.  
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    Yes, it is dying back at this time of year, that's why it breaks up.
    It takes a year or so for a pond (especially a little one) to settle.
    Once your plants settle in, they'll outcompete the algae for food and the algae will become less of a problem.
    Try and remove any dying vegetation as when it rots, it provides food for the algae in the spring - less food = less algae

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
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