Blanket Weed
- Thread starter JimmyB
- Start date
Firstly, get as much of the weed as possible out of the pond - something like a grass rake works well for this. Next, get some barley straw and tie it into bundles. Tie a weight to it and throw it in the pond. I've used this on my pond and it works very well.
Part of the issue is it not a pond, it is a small stream, with a small head of water running about 4 yards long, and a maximum depth of only inches, so barley straw bundles will not work.
Jimmy I could be talking absolute gonads here (not unknown) but if you have barley straw in the pond I wonder if the effect will work on the stream by virtue of the circulating water?
Don't you have a 'sump' (reservoir) at the lower-end?
Could you not put the bundled straw there?
Could you not put the bundled straw there?
Jimmy, I think, if you use Barley straw, it must be untreated, as the pond shops sell NOT farm barley straw as it probably has been treated with insecticide etc , which , I believe, can be harmful to fish.
Dave
Dave
My two cents: Salt! dilute 5 grams per litre water.
I have had a pretty large pond with sturgeon, some 250.000 litres, for over 25 years.
I know how frustrating this stuff is, you go crazy on it.
I tried a lot of things, really a lot and costed a lot more...
With 5 grams of salt all the weed is gone, your fish (carp sturgeon what ever) will be happy.
As a bonus it will kill also the most viruses and other fish damaging critters, even the bugs stay away.
Your bacteria in your filter system must adapt, so dont throw in immediately 5 grams per liter.
Slowly add.
A refractometer is a must have.
Put a bucket somewhere full of salt, get a small pump running into it and let it overflow back into the main stream.
Salt in 25 kg bags can be bought in the most farmer stores, at least here in the Netherlands for 6 to 7 euro a bag.
Most chemicals will work for short periods of time, but it will be "stored" in the fishes body. Salt goes in and out.
A uvc lamp is only for the microalgae to die, the filter will catch most of it, but it decompose before you clean it, so it will be a nutrition for your weed blanked.
I have had a pretty large pond with sturgeon, some 250.000 litres, for over 25 years.
I know how frustrating this stuff is, you go crazy on it.
I tried a lot of things, really a lot and costed a lot more...
With 5 grams of salt all the weed is gone, your fish (carp sturgeon what ever) will be happy.
As a bonus it will kill also the most viruses and other fish damaging critters, even the bugs stay away.
Your bacteria in your filter system must adapt, so dont throw in immediately 5 grams per liter.
Slowly add.
A refractometer is a must have.
Put a bucket somewhere full of salt, get a small pump running into it and let it overflow back into the main stream.
Salt in 25 kg bags can be bought in the most farmer stores, at least here in the Netherlands for 6 to 7 euro a bag.
Most chemicals will work for short periods of time, but it will be "stored" in the fishes body. Salt goes in and out.
A uvc lamp is only for the microalgae to die, the filter will catch most of it, but it decompose before you clean it, so it will be a nutrition for your weed blanked.
Wish I had known that for the Ruschbahn Pond. Was a big one as you see and blanket weed became a real problem never resolved before Andy sadly died and we did try a few remedies. Pic on day that we filled it, the local wildlife soon found the pond!
Usually ducks are easy to scare, this one seems to have some guts.....
With the salt i discovered it by accident, i had a virus in the pond and the advice was to put the fish in a salt bath with 15 grams a litre or so for 30 minutes.
After some time (was very busy atm with other things) i noticed there was no algae and the water was crystal clear.
After some research i found out that the bacteria could live with 5 grams max per litre. carbs could also handle that, sturgeons up to 30 grams a litre(depending on the species).
So i decided to add salt in a smaller pond with water from the big pond on his own system, throw in some blanket weed and fish, after a week or two all was gone. After some more testing and time spend i was confident enough to add salt into the big pond.
In the big pound the battle against the green stuff was getting a twist, step by step it was getting better.
Now: 16 years without any algae or diseases and crystal clear water.
Sorry for your loss.
With the salt i discovered it by accident, i had a virus in the pond and the advice was to put the fish in a salt bath with 15 grams a litre or so for 30 minutes.
After some time (was very busy atm with other things) i noticed there was no algae and the water was crystal clear.
After some research i found out that the bacteria could live with 5 grams max per litre. carbs could also handle that, sturgeons up to 30 grams a litre(depending on the species).
So i decided to add salt in a smaller pond with water from the big pond on his own system, throw in some blanket weed and fish, after a week or two all was gone. After some more testing and time spend i was confident enough to add salt into the big pond.
In the big pound the battle against the green stuff was getting a twist, step by step it was getting better.
Now: 16 years without any algae or diseases and crystal clear water.
Sorry for your loss.
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Thanks for that and the information, you must like Caviar! Andy was a great pal he is the taller of the two Guys in the picture. The shorter one worked with Andy plus visited to help run the Ruschbahn and like us all was bereft when Andy passed on so unexpectedly just over 7 years ago now.
@lgb sid
Indeed hours of fun, day after day, even with a concrete bar (attach a rubber hose at the other end!)into a accu powered drill to get pills and pills of green beloved stuff out, aldo it was good fertilizer...
dunnyrail
To get caviar out of those fish that is really a different story, nearly impossible to get caviar out of a pond. There are so much factors to deal with, incl hormone injections, diet, water value's, currents ect.
7 years ago...i am very well acquainted with that feeling, just remember, that is all you can do.
Indeed hours of fun, day after day, even with a concrete bar (attach a rubber hose at the other end!)into a accu powered drill to get pills and pills of green beloved stuff out, aldo it was good fertilizer...
dunnyrail
To get caviar out of those fish that is really a different story, nearly impossible to get caviar out of a pond. There are so much factors to deal with, incl hormone injections, diet, water value's, currents ect.
7 years ago...i am very well acquainted with that feeling, just remember, that is all you can do.
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Hi
Thought this may be helpful to anyone still suffering with blanket weed, after trying many, many different treatments, a relative suggested a product called 'Cloverleaf Blanket Answer' its cheep, a 500g tub is £10.99 , this is enough to dose my pond twice but one treatment had completely eradicated all signs of blanket week.
It takes a while to clear, in fact my pond is still not 'crystal clear' after 4 weeks but no weed!
Hope this helps some of you, I know what an annoying thing the weed is.
Cheers
Dave
Thought this may be helpful to anyone still suffering with blanket weed, after trying many, many different treatments, a relative suggested a product called 'Cloverleaf Blanket Answer' its cheep, a 500g tub is £10.99 , this is enough to dose my pond twice but one treatment had completely eradicated all signs of blanket week.
It takes a while to clear, in fact my pond is still not 'crystal clear' after 4 weeks but no weed!
Hope this helps some of you, I know what an annoying thing the weed is.
Cheers
Dave
Having used lots of different "cures" nothing seemed to stop it, then suddenly it was gone, and as yet (about 3 months) has not returned, so maybe its a winter thing!!
Blanket weed or other weed stuff, can be very easy terminated, on two ways.
If you have no life in the pond, it will disappear as soon as they run out of food, no action needed.
Tap water contains some food for the weed, rain water less.
When the weed is dead it will rot and thus create 50% less food, ect. But autumn leaves will rot and thus create food.
So add more plant life, if plants are not surviving, there is to little food.
Use rain water instead of tap water as much as possible (it is also perfect for aquariums, better then tap water).
Rainwater is too soft for koi ponds, so add kh, gh and stabilize your ph that would be better than feeding your weed extra with tap water.
If you have life in the pond, you can escape blanket weed on two way's:
1: Chemicals, perfect short term solution, BUT don't forget that fish store there food in there tails during winter time/hibernation sleep.
Those chemicals will build up in those reserves, affect the immune system and here you go again to a fish doctor.
And you wont get rid off the food for weed:
A regular filter will only convert there urine and feces (ammonia and nitrite) to nitrate= algae food.
You will need a extra big plant filter or dilute a lot to get that level down to no food for weed.
Or you wont get rid of the food for the weed.
2: Salt, is very cheap and it will help the fish to get a thicker slime layer, more resistant to bacteria's parasites and viruses.
Before you add salt there is a rule of thumb and this is a very important one....NO MORE than 5 grams(metric!) per liter(fresh water pond's).
Add one gram a day (per liter of total volume) till the total amount is reached. yes 1000 liters will need 5 kilo, kilo at a day that is
Above 5 grams a litre water your filter bacteria will die or give them time to adjust slowly!(5-7 years) to a max of 7.5 grams a litre.
Check once in a while how high your concentration of salt is, especially after some raining weeks.
If you see whitish foam on your pond where the air bubble's are or during/after heavy rainfall you have eggwhite, this is the result of to much nitrate.
It is not harmful but means you feed your fish to much.
The food for weed is still there, but i can not survive in salt concentrations beyond 3 grams a liter.
Uvc lights or almagane lamps will help a bit, only to kill the floating cells, almagane will also kill young bacteria's and viruses(floating, so don't put it in your filter!).
Ozon machines will kill every cell.
Salt kill's all! except bacteria's
Salt can be bought very cheap, go to a store for live stock ask for feeding salt for cows, a bag of 25 kilo will cost you around 6.50 euro.
That stuff that they sell at pond stores for 5 times the price, is exactly the same.....
After 40 years of experience with aquariums and 30 years with ponds(also build for others 40.000l+) i figured out a thing or two.....
.
All the stores will say this is bullshit and offer free medical exams and water testing(there test sets!) and will convince you to buy there salt and this and that ect.
Sinds i used regular salt in my ponds(15 years ago), no more weed, a big reduction in doctor bills and a very big reduction on my electra bill, yes i cut off 3 of 5 of my uvc lamps, each 125w 24/7 and 9 months a year.
My biggest pond was 20 meter plus, 8 meter wide and two meters deep....300.000 liter with out the pipes, systems or filters.
You want advice about a salt water pond? easy just ask, no problem
Ps, young pond's always have start up problems, it is only the first season, they must still stabilize due to tap water.
A fresh pond is still sterile, it must grow some bacteria's, don't buy those start up cultures, let nature do it her self, you will be better of.
Unwanted weed is not a temporary seasonal problem, it is a problem for the rest of your pond life.
Thanks for reading i hope this will clear up some, if not please ask
Best Igor
If you have no life in the pond, it will disappear as soon as they run out of food, no action needed.
Tap water contains some food for the weed, rain water less.
When the weed is dead it will rot and thus create 50% less food, ect. But autumn leaves will rot and thus create food.
So add more plant life, if plants are not surviving, there is to little food.
Use rain water instead of tap water as much as possible (it is also perfect for aquariums, better then tap water).
Rainwater is too soft for koi ponds, so add kh, gh and stabilize your ph that would be better than feeding your weed extra with tap water.
If you have life in the pond, you can escape blanket weed on two way's:
1: Chemicals, perfect short term solution, BUT don't forget that fish store there food in there tails during winter time/hibernation sleep.
Those chemicals will build up in those reserves, affect the immune system and here you go again to a fish doctor.
And you wont get rid off the food for weed:
A regular filter will only convert there urine and feces (ammonia and nitrite) to nitrate= algae food.
You will need a extra big plant filter or dilute a lot to get that level down to no food for weed.
Or you wont get rid of the food for the weed.
2: Salt, is very cheap and it will help the fish to get a thicker slime layer, more resistant to bacteria's parasites and viruses.
Before you add salt there is a rule of thumb and this is a very important one....NO MORE than 5 grams(metric!) per liter(fresh water pond's).
Add one gram a day (per liter of total volume) till the total amount is reached. yes 1000 liters will need 5 kilo, kilo at a day that is
Above 5 grams a litre water your filter bacteria will die or give them time to adjust slowly!(5-7 years) to a max of 7.5 grams a litre.
Check once in a while how high your concentration of salt is, especially after some raining weeks.
If you see whitish foam on your pond where the air bubble's are or during/after heavy rainfall you have eggwhite, this is the result of to much nitrate.
It is not harmful but means you feed your fish to much.
The food for weed is still there, but i can not survive in salt concentrations beyond 3 grams a liter.
Uvc lights or almagane lamps will help a bit, only to kill the floating cells, almagane will also kill young bacteria's and viruses(floating, so don't put it in your filter!).
Ozon machines will kill every cell.
Salt kill's all! except bacteria's
Salt can be bought very cheap, go to a store for live stock ask for feeding salt for cows, a bag of 25 kilo will cost you around 6.50 euro.
That stuff that they sell at pond stores for 5 times the price, is exactly the same.....
After 40 years of experience with aquariums and 30 years with ponds(also build for others 40.000l+) i figured out a thing or two.....
.
All the stores will say this is bullshit and offer free medical exams and water testing(there test sets!) and will convince you to buy there salt and this and that ect.
Sinds i used regular salt in my ponds(15 years ago), no more weed, a big reduction in doctor bills and a very big reduction on my electra bill, yes i cut off 3 of 5 of my uvc lamps, each 125w 24/7 and 9 months a year.
My biggest pond was 20 meter plus, 8 meter wide and two meters deep....300.000 liter with out the pipes, systems or filters.
You want advice about a salt water pond? easy just ask, no problem
Ps, young pond's always have start up problems, it is only the first season, they must still stabilize due to tap water.
A fresh pond is still sterile, it must grow some bacteria's, don't buy those start up cultures, let nature do it her self, you will be better of.
Unwanted weed is not a temporary seasonal problem, it is a problem for the rest of your pond life.
Thanks for reading i hope this will clear up some, if not please ask
Best Igor
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