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Red Pond Water

25 Oct 2015
With Halloween right around the corner I thought a blog about red pond water would be appropriate.  There's nothing like going out to your pond to find it looking like it is the location of a crime scene.  Never fear the pond pros are here...okay that was bad, but seriously red pond water is explainable and seems to be happening more frequently.
 Most likely the cause of your red pond is not due to a massacre, but a form of algae called Euglena.  Euglena is a microscopic, single-celled organism that has a red or green tint.  As the algae multiplies it will turn your pond strange colors.  Most often times this type of algae will start out green and turn red.  Euglena is not only perplexing to the pond community, but also to the science community. It was so perplexing that they had to come up with an entirely new classification.  Euglena has the versatility and qualities of both plant and animal.

This versatility is what makes Euglena difficult to treat.  For pond owners who are hesitant to use harsh chemicals, we suggest the use of pond dyes to help prevent photosynthesis, which slows growth.   However, when pond dye is introduced to a pond with Euglena it simply switches from plant mode where it is using light for a food source to animal mode.  In animal mode Euglena begins eating other organisms in the pond, like green algae.  Even if a pond owner would be willing to use an algaecide, the unique structure of this super organism makes it resistant to algaecides too.

The key to control is to hit Euglena while it is at its weakest combined with reducing nutrient levels in the pond.  Treating Euglena while it is green with heavy doses of pond algaecide is the first step.  The next step is to change the environment.  Euglena thrives in a nutrient rich environment, therefore, it is important to use high doses of concentrated bacteria, Muck Doctor, to reduce deep muck deposits.  You will also want to use regular doses of maintenance bacteria, Natural Pond Cleaner on a monthly basis.

For more information about pond maintenance contact Sanco Industries.