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Post by pinglover on Jul 5, 2007 16:08:51 GMT
I have U. macrorhiza in one preform pond here. I have been having problems with string algae outcompeting it and moved it to a 15 gallon tub of water. I am leery of adding a UV sterilizer to the pond I had it in because that would do away with other life forms. Suggestions?
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Clint
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Post by Clint on Jul 5, 2007 16:37:36 GMT
Whenever I had a planted aquarium I used spot-treatments of Flourish Excel (AKA Glutaraldehyde!!!) and H2O2 with pretty good success. Since I never grew Utricularia in the tank, Glutaraldehyde could kill them or make them grow like crazy if applied. www.theplantedtank.co.uk/algae.htmThis is an interesting read if you're into chemicals like me: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glutaraldehyde |
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Post by pinglover on Jul 5, 2007 17:01:34 GMT
I've had problems with unicellular algae because of ammonia spikes before but this string algae is really getting to me. I would be willing to split my macrorhiza by placing some back in the pond and trying Glutaraldehyde (Flourish Excel). Where do I order it? What do you think about trying something like this given I already moved the plants to a 15 gallon container- icps.proboards105.com/index.cgi?board=aldrovanda&action=display&thread=1183409403 |
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Clint
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Post by Clint on Jul 5, 2007 17:11:03 GMT
Be careful! I'd test one strand and see what it does before half dies (it very well could!)
Ebay has it right now, smallest being 100 ml. and the largest being 500 ml. It's very satisfying to see the algae die right before your eyes! Andrew's method could work very well, too.
Do you have lots of other plants with the Utricularia to absorb the excess nutrients?
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Post by pinglover on Jul 5, 2007 17:23:32 GMT
I used to have them in a small preform pond that had several different species of plants. I hand cleaned the algae from them as best as I could and placed them in that 15 gallon container. The container is above ground and it's hot here so I need to do something.
If I went with adnedarn's way, I could easily add appropriate plants to the 15 gallon container.
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Post by pinglover on Jul 5, 2007 17:31:42 GMT
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Post by rsivertsen on Jul 6, 2007 13:33:51 GMT
You might also try barley straw, available in some home and garden centers that cater to the home and back yard water features and directly from pristineponds.com which worked well for me one year, and may be safer than those chemical treatments. Again, emulating all the complex symbiotic relationships that occur in a natural pond is very difficult in these containers and artificial ponds. |
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Post by pinglover on Jul 6, 2007 14:42:04 GMT
Wouldn't simply adding Hydrogen Peroxide have the same effect as barley straw... only quicker?
I have two natural ponds here. One really small and one about a half acre to an acre or so. I would love to add my Utricularia to those ponds but that's against my grain so to speak given I've been removing exotics from them so I'm going to have to stick with preforms that have netting over them or rubbermaid containers.
I think I'll split my Utricularia up 3-way. Looks as if I'm going to have to break down and try a UV sterilizer like you said at some point in time in an attempt to achieve long term control of the algae. Until then I'll try the JustLikeAPill way, the adnedarn way, and the riversten way. Let's see what works best for me so I don't keep losing aquatic Utricularia. I'm getting really frustrated with this string algae and I got even more frustrated when I went on vacation and photographed U. cornuta that was thriving in its natural environment where all those complex symbiotic relationships occur. My Utriclaria just limps along and it would be toast if I didn't get in there to free if of the string algae on a regular basis.
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Clint
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Post by Clint on Jul 6, 2007 21:34:27 GMT
A UV sterilizer will only kill anything free-floating.
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Post by pinglover on Jul 7, 2007 15:34:04 GMT
The UV sterilizers with which I have familiarity kill protozoa, pathogens, and single cell algae in water passing under. Unfortunately, they kill bacteria. They're not exactly target specific in the bacteria that they kill either. They kill it all to include the beneficial bacteria.
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Post by stevestewart on Jul 9, 2007 0:59:16 GMT
Pinglover,
If you have a heated aquaria for the cold months you could use a dwarf "Pleco" from a fish store. This variety of tropical fish eats string algae. I used to harvest string algae from my outside ponds and feed it to my fish in my indoor tank, and they would leave the Utricularia gibba that came with it untouched for my reintroduction to my ponds. These algae eaters don't do well when the water gets much below 70F. Just a non-chemical option.
Take care,
Steven Stewart
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Post by pinglover on Jul 9, 2007 4:53:01 GMT
I prefer non-chemical options. Thank you for commenting.
In the past, I allowed my Utricularia to sink down to the bottom of the pond naturally in fall. It was always kind of neat to watch it resurface in spring. For some reason, I was under the impression utrics needed a dormancy like any other temperate species. Am I incorrect? If I am, mistaken I have a 55 gallon tank here that could easily be set up to accommodate the utrics but that doesn't necessarily solve my problem of string algae in that I have problems in the summer. Are you thinking I should stick a dwarf plecostomus in the little pond right now while the waters are nice and warm then fish him out in fall and transfer him to the aquarium with the utrics?
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Post by stevestewart on Jul 9, 2007 11:09:25 GMT
Pinglover,
If you can make sure to remove a plecostomus from your pond when your water temperatures begin to lower, then yes, that is one way I have kept a pond free of string algae. This species of fish has become a problem in Florida from people letting their fish go in spring fed ponds that stay at 70F all year.
From my experience some temperate aquatic Utricularia species can be grown all year, and some will go dormant no matter what temperature water they are in. (The day length starts getting shorter on the second day of summer.) Depending on the species some will tolerate a short day "warm" unheated, (70F) dormancy, and some will not. The nice thing about Utricularia is that no one can have just one, for long. There are many variables involved with the winter conditions you will have in an indoor tank.
Take care,
Steven Stewart
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Post by pinglover on Jul 9, 2007 14:08:12 GMT
Zone 5 here so plecos aren't going to survive the winter if some kid plucked it out of the little preform and set it free in a natural pond but... I'm sure they could upset balance to one degree or another if they were in a natural pond for an entire season. This is actually a really great idea. I have a friend who owns a pet shop and I could give a dwarf pleco back to her to sell at the end of the season. I have a shallow rubbermaid stocktank that is about 75 gallons that I already drag into my garage to overwinter some aquatics so if it's photoperiod triggering dormancy on my utrics, I can just toss them in the stock tank with other plants. Our garage is never allowed to dip below freezing. We maintain it at around 38F. The only time it goes higher is when we crank the heat for a day or so to work on something out there which the plants don't seem to mind. I had U. gibba for a while but lost it to the ever dreaded string algae. If I can figure something out that works, I'd try a few more aquatic utrics with resupinata being tops on my list. Here's what motivated me to try to nip this string algae in the bud- icps.proboards105.com/index.cgi?board=northamericaI think the actual thread that had the photo was the the one with Dickinson County in the subject area. That entire pond that I photgraphed had a wave of them in bloom. For as far as one could see there were the tiniest yellow blooms poking above the water. It was really beautiful. |
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Post by pinglover on Sept 7, 2007 13:54:06 GMT
Haven't had a chance to try the Flourish Excel which I did purchase and it was delivered and is sitting here in this house somewhere but... I did go out and buy a great big Pleco. I cut a deal and I get to return him at the end of the season. I didn't go with a small one because I'm relatively confident I've got more than enough string algae to keep him very fat and very happy. Here's a photo of Mr. Pleco-  My only regrets when taking that photo would be that I didn't add something familiar to give everyone an idea of Mr. Pleco's size. He's huge. I haven't seen him since I put him in the little pond but I'm pretty sure he's in there somewhere. I did sink a float thermometer in that little pond to be able to monitor the temps so that I could net him out at the right time. |
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