HELP....black jelly blobs in my pond

Delilah

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Aug 23, 2012, 5:20:43 PM8/23/12

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I appear to have posted in the wrong place..so will try again!

Hello!

HELP!! A couple of weeks ago I thought I had some late toad
spawn...strings of black jelly blobs..but I looked this evening and the
whole of my wildlife pond (c.15'x5'x4' deep) is alive with this horrible
black stuff like strings of beads of varying size.
My pond is just over 2 years old and well established and home to newts,
frogs, toads, dragonfly larvae, water beetles..and seemingly every pond
creature going. (No fish). This is the first time I have seen anything
like this..it is not in the smaller wildlife pond which is very nearby.
I have photos but as I am very new I do not know how to post them.
Should I scoop this stuff out and destroy it? It looks like something
out of Quatermass...
(I live in Suffolk, if that helps)

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Delilah

Phyllis and Jim

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Aug 24, 2012, 8:23:37 PM8/24/12

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Try this link. ehow has a bunch of helpful pond stuff. Let us know what you think of their stuff.

http://www.ehow.com/how_5571398_kill-black-algae-fish-ponds.html

Delilah

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Aug 25, 2012, 12:56:03 PM8/25/12

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Phyllis and Jim;967426 Wrote:
> Try this link. ehow has a bunch of helpful pond stuff. Let us know
> what you think of their stuff.
>
>
>
>

> Thank you....I cannot use any chemical because the pond is a fish-free
> wildlife pond, teeming with newts/tadpoles/frogs/diving beetles/nymphs
> etc.. We are also organic growers and never use any chemicals so it
> would go against our conscience to use anything unatural.
> However, one of the links on the page you gave me gave advice..get the
> muck out of the bottom of the pond and put in barley straw, both of
> which I will do! I have fished huge bucketsful of the jelly out and the
> pond looks better, although it is still lurking in places. I have also
> fished out great amounts of vegetation..it is quite possible there was
> too much in there. Thank you again for your reply. XXX

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Delilah

~ jan

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Aug 26, 2012, 8:53:27 AM8/26/12

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Deliah, you described string of beads, but since you're familiar with toads
I assume you know what toad eggs look like? They are like jelly strings
with little black beads in a line. Course they're tiny.... just a bit
bigger than the period on the end of this sentence. ~ jan

------------
Zone 7a, SE Washington State
Ponds: www.jjspond.us

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ka30p...@gmail.com

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Aug 27, 2012, 12:12:44 AM8/27/12

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Remove some of the jelly blobs and put in a
jar of pond water. Bring into the house. Cover
the jar with some screening and a rubber band
lest the things hatch and come down the hallway
in the middle of the night (been there, done that).
If you have kids get out a magnifying glass and watch
them develop. When whatever hatches ID them via the
interwebz and let them go in the pond or other natural
waterway that is public.
k :-)

Delilah

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Aug 28, 2012, 9:11:16 AM8/28/12

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Umm....already been proved to be an horrible algae attack...not risking
growing any in my house for fear of an alien invasion! I have scooped
out masses of the stuff and removed half the plantlife in my pond...no
more jelly has evolved and the water looks clear. Will clean out the
pond in the Autumn..lots of stinky yuk at the bottom, together with
rotting leaves may have contributed to this. At least the newts and
frogs do not seem affected by the black/green jelly invasion. Thank you
all for your help XXX

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Delilah

JB

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Sep 1, 2012, 5:04:57 PM9/1/12

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On 8/28/2012 8:11 AM, Delilah wrote:
> ka30p...@gmail.com;967609 Wrote:
>> Remove some of the jelly blobs and put in a
>> jar of pond water. Bring into the house. Cover
>> the jar with some screening and a rubber band
>> lest the things hatch and come down the hallway
>> in the middle of the night (been there, done that).

>> k :-)
>
> Umm....already been proved to be an horrible algae attack...not risking

> growing any in my house for fear of an alien invasion! Thank you

> all for your help XXX
>

>I was kinda hoping to see what would turn up in the jar.