Slime in Pond

15 years ago

Hi all

Just checking the pond today and it seems to be growing a lot of green slime on the surface. This stuff is very thin and stretchy when scooped up on an old tennis raquet and a vivid green.

Anyone any idea what it might be and how to get rid of it? I have @ ten large goldfish - could it harm them?

Thanks for any advice

David

Comments (3)

big_kid
15 years ago
Hi David,

Sounds like blanket weed to me! The late sunshine could have something to do with it.

No, it won't harm your fish, but put it beside the pond in case there are any little creatures that have been taken out with it, so that they can get back into the pond.
Big Kid
big_kid
15 years ago
P.S. If it is blanketweed, I suggest barley straw. I bought my first bags from an aquatic centre but now I fill them up (and other plastic net bags from fruit, etc.) from sacks of barley straw that can be bought at pet shops - much cheaper that way. Put corks inside so you can retrieve them or they'll disappear into the unknown! It takes a while to kick in and they'll float on the surface at first. I have a number of surface plants and they can be pushed under these, out of sight.

Work out how many bags you need to the volume of water(this info was on the original ones I bought.) They are supposed to last six months, but I'm not sure about that, so I have a system:- I've got plastic letters which I thread through the mesh, to show which month I put them in. At three months I add more sacks as well, and at six months I find the original ones and empty anything left in them by the side of the pond for a couple of days, so any creatures can get back in. Usually it's Water Louse which live on detritus.

It also helps to label your sack of barley straw with the date you put the last bags in. That way you can easily see when bags need adding.

Barley straw has always worked well for me, as long as I make sure that I always keep it up-to-date!

Hope this helps!
Big Kid
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Alison

Slime in Pond

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big_kid

big_kid

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