The offending algal bloom
The offending algal bloom
Everything ocean related, with a special focus on scuba diving the rich coastal waters of Cape Town, South Africa.
Do you have any idea which species of algae that is?
We have a simple solution to prevent algal blooms.
We use a controlled bloom of Diatoms to prevent uncontrolled blooms.
Hi Bhaskar, not sure what species it is but I suspect it was several at once. Along with the green stuff, there were some long blue stinging strings too. Unfortunately (for divers, but fortunately for the rest of the food chain) this kind of thing is a fact of life here in summer. They usually pass quite quickly!
Hi Clare
You wrote –
“Unfortunately (for divers, but fortunately for the rest of the food chain) this kind of thing is a fact of life here in summer. ”
There is a misconception on this issue, all algae are not part of the food chain.
The algal bloom is visible to you, since they are not being consumed by fish.
Algae that are good food for fish will not be seen, since they get consumed.
Its unfortunate that you have become fatalist about the problem, this is a problem that can be solved in a very economical manner.
We can cause the naturally present Diatom Algae in the lake to bloom, this will keep out other algae – the green and blue greens.
Diatoms are good food for fish, so they will not accumulate and will not be visible in patches, the water will turn a light brown color, since Diatoms are brown.
We can cause a steady bloom of Diatoms throughout the year and this will help feed the fish, so fishing will improve, and will also keep out other algae and keep the dissolved oxygen level of the water high. There will be no foul odors and growth of weeds like water hyacinth.
Very interesting, thanks Bhaskar. We dive in the ocean, not in a lake, and these algae are part of the food chain here. Thanks for your interest!