Lake Algae: Some Basic Facts

If you live near a lake, the you may normally see lake algae, which is natural. There are two forms of algae that can be found in the lake. You have filamentous algae and planktonic algae. The planktonic algae is known for being the type that gives the water that green, soupy color that makes you back away from it with a disgusting look on your face. A little bit of this will not cause the water to turn green, it will actually take a large amount for this effect to take place.

Filamentous algae is the type that you generally see growing on the rocks and floating on the surface. This is the hair-like, stringy type that you find during the spring and summer. For any lake, when algae comes in moderation, it can be good for it. However, when there is lots of it, it can cause problems to the quality of the water.

At night, algae will consume oxygen in order to continue the cycle. Therefore, when there is a large outbreak, there is a large amount of oxygen being consumed, which can be a serious problem. It can cause fish to die, not to mention the fact that it does not look beautiful.

There are three factors that can cause algae to form. This includes too much sunlight, excess nutrients and oxygen levels. Nutrients can come from different sources. The one that is the most notable is the animal waste, fish, fish food and decaying vegetation.

Some of the other sources include fertilizer running off into it from pastures and farms that are in the area. These sources give the lake enough nitrogen and phosphorus that algae needs in order to grow.

If the lake is sitting in direct sunlight or there is not many plants in it, then it will be at risk of having problems with the algae. This is why we told you algae occurs in the summer months, which is when the days are the longest and the sunshine is the hottest.

When a lake have low quality oxygen levels, it is going to suffer from the ever so hated algae. When the lake has a high level of waste, then the oxygen levels can be weakened because it takes a large amount of oxygen in order to break the waste down. Algae blooms have a tendency to come and go.

You should not look at algae as if it is the one that is causing problems. It is a sign and symptom that you have other problems on your hands that can be found in the lake that needs to be taken care of. It is important to try to determine what the cause is so that you can prevent it from happening. There are some chemicals you can use in order to break the algae down and prevent it.

Take note that a quick kill to the algae could also stress the fish that are in it and kill them, so you need to be careful with what you are using to get rid of it. Sometimes, there is just no getting rid of lake algae.