What is a safe way to get rid of hair algae without hurting my lillypads?

[barnyardcams]

 

[Tonyroo]

Use a new toilet brush on it. It will be fast to remove it.
Use a mesh screen on your filter intake in the pond, it will clog the filter if you don't do it.

 

[GreedySeedFeedy]

The only thing I can think of that will help you would be getting a dark cover, and forcing a shorter light cycle.

I have had this stuff in my aquarium, and the advice I got from a professional to keep it from coming back after removing it was to never have the light on for more than 3 hours because, according to her, plants have some kind of nutrients cycle, and the cycle is much longer for algae than it is for plants. So, supposedly, if you have 3 hours on, 3 hours off (presumably by covering and uncovering your pond with a dark cloth) your algae will die off, and your lilies will be fine.

I have done this, and it worked well for my aquarium, along with reducing the amount of detritus that goes into the water, killed off my algae problem. You could also try introducing some algae eating snails.

 

[barnyardcams]

Use a new toilet brush on it. It will be fast to remove it.
Use a mesh screen on your filter intake in the pond, it will clog the filter if you don't do it.

I drained and scrubbed my pond 2 weeks ago. The algae grows back within a couple of days.

 

[barnyardcams]

The only thing I can think of that will help you would be getting a dark cover, and forcing a shorter light cycle.

I have had this stuff in my aquarium, and the advice I got from a professional to keep it from coming back after removing it was to never have the light on for more than 3 hours because, according to her, plants have some kind of nutrients cycle, and the cycle is much longer for algae than it is for plants. So, supposedly, if you have 3 hours on, 3 hours off (presumably by covering and uncovering your pond with a dark cloth) your algae will die off, and your lilies will be fine.

I have done this, and it worked well for my aquarium, along with reducing the amount of detritus that goes into the water, killed off my algae problem. You could also try introducing some algae eating snails.

Unfortunately I don't have the time to cover and uncover my pond every 3 hours. I like your idea about snails. I will look into what kind eats algae but not plants. I already tried putting goldfish in there but they haven't helped.

 

[GreedySeedFeedy]

Unfortunately I don't have the time to cover and uncover my pond every 3 hours. I like your idea about snails. I will look into what kind eats algae but not plants. I already tried putting goldfish in there but they haven't helped.

Understandable! I have all day long at home and still find it a pain in the derriere. Lol, goldfish are filthy little turd machines, they probably made it worse.

You gotta get you some snails!! Edit: I just read it's ''Mystery snails'' that are the freshwater non-plant-eating algivore that is the go-to, and they are good for outdoor ponds.

 

[aart]

Balance the nutrient load in the water with proper filtration...can be pretty hard to do and is not a quick fix.

What is the purpose of the 'pond'?

 

[Eggstatic ChickyDoo]

My local Petco sells these guys for a few bucks each: https://www.aquariumcoop.com/blogs/aquarium/a-solution-to-algae-amano-shrimp
They're a little pricey when you look at the $/pound, but they do a great job!