Getting to Know the Filamentous Algae in Your Pond

People are fond of maintaining a pond in their backyard. It can really be pretty to look at if the pond is really clean and there are various kinds of fish and aquatic plants, but sometimes, ponds can be an eye sore if there are a lot of ugly looking things in it. There are times where in ponds can be scary looking if there are string like moss in it. Those things are filamentous algae. These organisms can be a problem at times. Though they don't discolor the water green, because the discoloration comes from planktonic algae, they still make the pond ugly as they appear like hairs tangled in the water.

Filamentous algae is made up if a lot of strands of cells that usually looks like entwined hair in the water. There are different names given with these strands of cells. Some people usually call them blanket weed, long string algae, moss, pond scum, etc. We usually see filamentous algae in spring time when it is a little bit warmer than usual. In some places where in it is usually warmer, it can be a problem all year round.

The filamentous algae is considered and known as the most common aquatic weed nuisance in ponds. Their mere presence can already degrade the quality of the water in our pond. If there are uncontrolled population of filamentous algae in our pond, it can really lessen the amount of oxygen in the water that can be detrimental to the other organisms living in the water. If worse comes to worst, it can be the cause of the death of the fish in the pond. This happens because filamentous algae decomposes as a result of natural die off. Sometimes, they also die because of our herbicide application. If we can control it at the early age and if we will do some measures to control it regularly, there is a smaller chance that they will be a pest in our pond.

So we can prevent the overwhelming sprout of filamentous algae in our pond, we have to know where they come from. There algae solutions. Usually, they can invade our ponds if they are present in the water that we use for the pond. Sometimes, they can travel through the aid of the rain or the wind. They can also be commonly found on the plants that we put as ornaments in our pond. They attach themselves in the plant and when we put the pants in the water, they will find their way to grow abundantly.

Before we get so carried away about our disgust with the filamentous algae, we also have to remember that all things have their advantages and disadvantages. Believe it or not, there are also some advantages of having filamentous algae in your pond. One of the benefits that we can get from filamentous algae is that it limits the population of the planktonic algae in your pond by competing with the nutrients that are present in the water. This way, there is a lesser chance for the planktonic algae to overpopulate in your pond. We can say that filamentous algae acts like a vegetative filter in your pond. About the disadvantages, filamentous algae can be a problem when left unattended. If filamentous algae had a chance to over populate, they can suffocate the small fish in our ponds. Also, They have the tendency to strangle the good plants in our pond.

As a conclusion, we can say that filamentous algae can be beneficial or detrimental, depending on their population in our pond. If we want to make us of the filamentous algae, we have to be wary on how much filamentous algae can our pond accommodate. If we see that they are rapidly multiplying, we have to take some measures to get rid of them. There are different ways on how we can limit the filamentous algae's population. First, the conventional way of using your rakes and tediously harvesting them from your pond. Another way is to use other plants that can compete with the supply of their nutrients. We an usually use water hyacinth or water lilies, depending on your preference. If you think that physical means are tiring, you can also try the mechanical and chemical way of treating your pond.