any of you guys got a pond with algae you cant get rid off

[fatter]

i just ordered aq4 supposed to get rid of algae, microbes supposidly eat the algae they say it doesnt harm fish or animals, the outlet stream flows north so wind keeps algae in the pond we have tried pumps and raking but cant keep up, i will let you no if it works, got a spring fed pond, my fathers friend took a bass out that we had been letting go for years 8 more ounces and it would have been a state record, there were times we would be reeling in a sunny and he would swallow it, but now the algae has taken over

 

[G_Gekko]

There is an easier way. Just throw a ball of hay in there for a couple of months and the pond will clear up. Hay contains substances that prevent algae from growing. (Discovered by a farmer by mistaken after a couple of balls fell of his truck)

The amount of hay needed depends on the size of the pond. You may need no more than a sock filled with hay for a small pond and an entire ball for a large pond.

 

[Bill Roy]

Hi Fatter,

Gekko is absolutely right, used the method myself last year on a friends pond, worked wonders. Although we put the bale in a plastic mesh net to stop it from disintegrating. If the pond is large try breaking the bale/s into several pieces.

Good luck

 

[fatter]

thanks guys, I will give it a try in my small pond first, i hate using chemicals when there is a natural way
thanks again

 

[actnow]

Just throw a ball of hay in there for a couple of months and the pond will clear up.

I did not know that.

I learn something new everyday.

Thanks,

 

[fatter]

It is hard to beleive that it works, because hay is just dry grass, but other home remedies have worked great, one thing an old exterminator told me that worked great was boric acid for fleas, we tried everything to get them out of the rug bombing sprays etc but nothing worked we had several dogs and cats on the farm. You just spread the powder in the rug and vacuum up,you dont want to use it if you have young children because it is poisen, we havent had a flea in 10 years. also works great on ants

 

[insomnia]

Hmm, does hay work for indoor aquariums too?

 

[Preoccupy]

I'm not too sure about using hay for indoor aquariums... it might be too dangerous for the fishes since the aquariums are smaller than ponds... I don't want to risk anything that might kill the fish... I love fishes! Anyways, I went on google and did a quick search but found that maybe barley might work... here is the result of the search:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=reduce+algae
:crutch:

Hmm, does hay work for indoor aquariums too?

 

[G_Gekko]

Yes. but keep an eye on the water parameters as it can cause nitrite/nitrate and ammonia levels to raise.

 

[fatter]

i did a little research and it seems barley hay works best, proble is they recommend 1 bale of hay per 1,000 gallons being my pond is 100,000 galons it would look a little silly with 100 hay bails in there

 

[Mr. Deleted]

It is hard to beleive that it works, because hay is just dry grass, but other home remedies have worked great, one thing an old exterminator told me that worked great was boric acid for fleas, we tried everything to get them out of the rug bombing sprays etc but nothing worked we had several dogs and cats on the farm. You just spread the powder in the rug and vacuum up,you dont want to use it if you have young children because it is poisen, we havent had a flea in 10 years. also works great on ants

We have ants and other insects from our nabours, but as you said we should not use it as we have small children, and I don't know when I will be able to get the exterminator out, so what else can we do?

 

[fatter]

for ants its not a problem I just mix boric acid with soda or sugar and put it where they frequent they then carry it back to there nest and kill the whole colony

 

[Mr. Deleted]

good idea, now for the bad one: a nabour moved out and his roaches moved in here! How do I get them to die? I have tried all the bombs, and they do not seem to work at all.

 

[fatter]

I am not sure about roaches but i no they actually treat lumber with boric acid to kill termites so i suspect it would work, just make sure when you go to the drug store to buy the powder form, it is relativly cheap, mix with sugar
when the bugs get it on them they bring it back to there nests, i hate roaches we dont have to deal with them in upstate ny, but when i travelled in the south they were everywhere

 

[G_Gekko]

I think a lot less tha 100 balls would do the trick if you are patient. It would take longer but I believe the final result would be about the same. I know of people that have had good result with one ball in 10 000 gallon ponds

 

[GeorgeK]

Some enemies are pond scum -- thanks for the tips! :becky: