Rye in the water

[George]

I just did maintance on a neighbor's spring and got it flowing so much they wanted a pond so I dug them a pond.

Good water flow and when the pond got deep enough they stocked a few Channel Catfish and a couple of weeks later about a dozen Bluegills.

Some alge started growing in the bathtub used for watering the cattle and another neighbor told us he puts a 5# bag of Rye seed in his tanks and the water stays crystal clear all summer.

The neighbor owning the pond put a 5# bag of rye seed in the bathtub ( with a rock on top to hold it down ) and within 48 hours the tub was crystal clear but what suprised me was within 72 hours the entire pond ( its only 30' X50' with a maximum depth of 11' ) was crystal clear as well!

She is now feeding the fish daily as she feels all the natural food is gone.

Does anyone know what causes Rye Seed to do this and are there any problems? I would love to do this in my tanks if there are no problems later on.

Would a bale of Rye in the swimming area of a large pond keep the area clean without a fish kill?

 

[Mike]

Research: (except they use Barley)

http://www.btny.purdue.edu/pubs/APM/APM-1-W.pdf

 

[George]

That is very interesting - - - what she used was 5# of Rye seed - - - I guess it is possible the water cleared on it's own, time will tell but I have never seen such clear water in a stock tank or small pond.

My main concern is that the fish will starve but I don't know enough about fish life to know what they need. She is going to feed the fish once a day and is happy with that as her grand children love the fish coming up to eat.

The article called for using Barley straw - - - I can't see that being practicle in a stock tank. If you have tanks that do not overflow to a fish habitat I think this would be great - - - I think I will try small amounts in the dog waterers as I scrub them a couple of times a week and still they have alge on the sides and bottom - - - I have tried bleach and sitting them empty in the sun for a couple of days and still in about 2 weeks we have alge back in them.

 

[Steve]

Foster, a veteran fisheries consultant, does not know exactly what the barley straw does to the algae, he just, knows that, in 70-80 percent of his ponds, it works. "For some reason barley works better than wheat or rye straw," Foster said. "It is not well understood, but when the barley decomposes in the water, that process produces hydrogen peroxide which controls algae."
barley could be used to control algae, not just in fishing lakes, but golf courses, backyard ornamental koi ponds, livestock watering holes, wetlands, municipal waste water reservoirs, water gardens and dairy operations.

http://www.bassresource.com/fish_biology/algae_control.html

I've got a lake and lots of algae, now all I need is some barley straw.. :lol:

 

[George]

From what I get from this article I guess the fish should be fine - - - - I will keep an eye on the situation and give my evaluation if I see something out of the ordinary.

It sure is a suprise to me to walk up to a pond in Indiana that has water so clear you can see the bottom and all the fish, frogs, rocks ( her grandchildren love to throw rocks in ) with little to no distortion and as clear as some of the lakes in Florida where you take glass bottom boat rides.

I have three ponds I treat with copper sulfate a couple of times a year and I can make them noticably better but nothing like this. This pond is clearer than any swimming pool I have ever been in!

 

[andybob]

Small barley bales are used for algae contoll here in the UK, I know several people who use the straw in their fishing ponds with no ill efects to the fish.

 

[Silver]

I wonder if oats would work, I actually have some of that. It sure is interesting though, the dugout I built for the house is pretty bad. I did add a product called Crystal Blue in and now my water is very blue :shock: . I think its just a dye, and is supposed to work by limiting the UV rays in the water to prevent new algae from growing. Seems to be helping, but the colour is a little disconcerting.

 

[George]

All I can tell you is I have never tried this or heard of it before but a 5# cloth sack of rye or barley is not a large investment and possibly it is because the water thru the bathtub flows at a rate of 2 gal per minute anytime the cattle are not drinking and keeps everything in motion but the small pond would probably hold about 15,000 gal and it is staying clear except right after a rain when the ground water gets in but it is clear again about 24 hours after the rain stops.

She just put the 5# sack of seed in the tub right below where the water falls in and put a rock on it to keep it in place.

This has only been in about 10 days - - - I don't have a clue how long it will keep this clear before needing replacement.