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    Thread: Surprising to see string algae at this time of year

    1. #1
      kimini is offline Senior Member
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      Surprising to see string algae at this time of year

      We're in SoCal, so it doesn't freeze, but does get down into the 40s and 30s at night. Also, we stopped feeding the fish back in about November or so. Water is still being changed, and with all the rain(!) we've been getting, it's mostly just draining off water instead of adding any.

      Not surprisingly, the water is crystal clear, but what is surprising is the long string algae on the sides. "String" meaning 12"-48" long, so it's significant. It's not a huge amount, but I've never seen it persist through the winter. Have no idea what it's eating since the fish aren't generating much waste, and the water is still being changed. Every few weeks I'm having to add hydrogen peroxide to burn off the string algae so that it doesn't plug up the bottom drains.

      Not looking for answers, it's just more of a head-scratcher at this point. Now, back to your usual non-Koi threads that infest this site

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    2. #2
      vipertom1970 is offline Senior Member
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      I am also in Socal and had to take out about 20 pounds of string algae in my 12,000 gallon pond couple days ago.

    3. #3
      icu2's Avatar
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      My pond coming out of winter in March 2013:



      It doesn't seem to mind frigid temps at all...

      https://www.koiphen.com/forums/showt...gae-in-My-Pond

      --Steve



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    4. #4
      rayrod2030 is offline Senior Member
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      I'm in the northeast where it's pretty cold this time of year and we also have string algae. I don't remember noticing this much in the past couple of years.

    5. #5
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      I’m in socal and never had any string algae problem ever since
      Well my pond is considered small or little category

      I don’t like your last statement and don’t like to read your thread at all
      Probably last
      Last edited by OCkoiFan; 02-14-2019 at 11:16 PM.
      M.Nguyen


    6. #6
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      Clean off with a broom then apply Algaecide?

      My pond is only 1000 gallons and I thought it was overkill when I first built it. Then I thought about making it small hahah
      Last edited by Nguyen365; 02-14-2019 at 04:06 PM.

    7. #7
      lajude is offline Member
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      I have it in my pond too in Colorado.

    8. #8
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      Nutrient levels in a koi pond have little to do with string algae outbreaks. Koi ponds always have a super-abundance of nutrient as far as string algae is concerned. I'd chalk this up to climatic conditions being the trigger, since the unusual outbreaks are so widespread. There is not enough known to be able to point to a cause. See: http://www.koi-bito.com/forum/main-f...ing-algae.html

    9. #9
      icu2's Avatar
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      Quote Originally Posted by MikeM View Post
      Nutrient levels in a koi pond have little to do with string algae outbreaks. Koi ponds always have a super-abundance of nutrient as far as string algae is concerned. I'd chalk this up to climatic conditions being the trigger, since the unusual outbreaks are so widespread. There is not enough known to be able to point to a cause. See: http://www.koi-bito.com/forum/main-f...ing-algae.html
      Since it is pretty common to over winter from Washington to Florida, what climate condition is common
      between all the different areas to make you think that?
      --Steve



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    10. #10
      icu2's Avatar
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      Just to add to the mystery, my lower pond made out of block and Xypex has never had a
      problem with string algae, summer or winter, like the upper pond made from liner has had.
      The two are all of about 20' apart and sun exposure is literally identical. Different filtration
      and building materials is about the only things that I can identify.

      I've always figured, quoting James_Pond, "Algae Happens".
      --Steve



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    11. #11
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      I have string algae in the winter but not the summer.
      Dunno man
      -Rain

      :I CAN'T BRING THIS SHIP INTO TRTUGA ALL BY ME ONESIES, SAVVY?:

    12. #12
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      I always thought it was because the beneficial bacteria would slow down in the winter. I used to get it in all of the tanks in my store. When I built my main pond with the Blue Eco RDF it was the first winter I never got string algae. It must have been an amazing RDF
      people like to vehemently defend their purchases and find it incredulous that anything could be better

    13. #13
      kevin32 is offline Inactivated
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      String algae does grow from excessive nutrients in the pond. A uv light does nothing for string algae and perhaps the string algae doesnt care whether it is 60 degree water or 75. Some use peroxide to keep it at bay and imo the peroxide or pp is consuming the nutrients and also docs

    14. #14
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      It also doesn't care if your water is 39*.
      --Steve



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    15. #15
      Matt24's Avatar
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      Quote Originally Posted by icu2 View Post
      It also doesn't care if your water is 39*.
      Right, it loves cold water. I've had outbreaks of it in some winters, but not in others. When the water gets a little warmer in April-May, it dies. I wonder if the re-emergence of the dark green shag carpet algae hastens the string algae's demise by out competing it for nutrients.

      If it gets bad enough, it starts clogging everything up. But I've found it can be controlled with a little salt >0.15%. I don't try to wipe it out. I just keep it from getting out of hand until spring. Here are my notes on a couple of attempts of different levels of salt. Both efforts were successful.

      • Nov-Dec 2010: Added salt to increase from 0.02% to 0.09% in effort to control string algae. After 4 days and not seeing much results, added more salt to increase to 0.16%. After 6 more days, there were lots spots made bare in the deep water. Walls and shallow sunny areas still had some algae.
      • Jan-Feb 2016: Over two days, added salt to increase from 0.01% to 0.18%. I netted out the bulk of the long strands just so all that would not die in the pond. After 4 days, the small number of long algae strings that remained were detached and lying on the bottom. About 80% of the sides have large patches of 1/2" short green algae. The other 20% of the sides have gray dead algae.

    16. #16
      kevin32 is offline Inactivated
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      Quote Originally Posted by Matt24 View Post
      Right, it loves cold water. I've had outbreaks of it in some winters, but not in others. When the water gets a little warmer in April-May, it dies. I wonder if the re-emergence of the dark green shag carpet algae hastens the string algae's demise by out competing it for nutrients.

      If it gets bad enough, it starts clogging everything up. But I've found it can be controlled with a little salt >0.15%. I don't try to wipe it out. I just keep it from getting out of hand until spring. Here are my notes on a couple of attempts of different levels of salt. Both efforts were successful.

      • Nov-Dec 2010: Added salt to increase from 0.02% to 0.09% in effort to control string algae. After 4 days and not seeing much results, added more salt to increase to 0.16%. After 6 more days, there were lots spots made bare in the deep water. Walls and shallow sunny areas still had some algae.
      • Jan-Feb 2016: Over two days, added salt to increase from 0.01% to 0.18%. I netted out the bulk of the long strands just so all that would not die in the pond. After 4 days, the small number of long algae strings that remained were detached and lying on the bottom. About 80% of the sides have large patches of 1/2" short green algae. The other 20% of the sides have gray dead algae.
      Yes. Since I added a rdf and shower to my outdoor intex i got carpet algae within 1 month and never had string algae like I had on my 3800 gallon inground to settlement tank then 150 gallon upflow. I also never used a UV light on my intex tanks. Temperature isnt causing it . It is excessive nutrients that our eye doesn't see. Same for dissolved organic compounds. And gradual is better or you can get a ph swing. All algae grows and thrives for a reason imo

    17. #17
      kimini is offline Senior Member
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      Agree that salt will kill it, but since the waste waters our plants, that's off the table for consideration.

    18. #18
      coolwon is offline Senior Member
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      Global warming, more fires, more snow, more rain, longer green algae.

      Stands to reason.

      The sea is rising but some of the islands are actually sinking.

      On CNN you will see an island that's kept its inhabitants dry for years and its only just above sea level.

      Oop's maybe it's floating?

      Who do you want to believe?

      Garfield.
      Find more about Weather in Durban, ZA

    19. #19
      kimini is offline Senior Member
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      I believe that conspiracy and belief sites are located elsewhere.

    20. #20
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      We had terrible string algae in the winter here in Pa. only once since we had our pond. We've haven't had it again even though the pond is shut down the same way every year.

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