Black, Mustard, Green...all the fun algae

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kammel78

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Aug 29, 2012
48
Shreveport, LA
I've been reading through all the Black Algae and Mustard Algae posts and was hoping for a little clarification.

I've been following the shock process and I'm currently going on day 3. The water is slowly turning from green to gray green to bluish gray, so I figure most of the floating algae is dead and the filter is working on clearing it up.

FC is still at shock level, though not at Mustard shock level.

I do still have some Black and Mustard Algae on the walls. The Black seems like it's been sloooooowly going away (starting near the waterline) and I've been scrubbing twice a day with a stainless brush. The Mustard hasn't gone away (haven't brought it up to Mustard shock level yet).

My question is how long do I need to wait to bring FC up to Mustard shock levels? Should I wait for the water to clear up completely? Should I wait until I completely get rid of the Black? If I go ahead and bring it up to Mustard shock levels will that speed up the Black removal process?

The water is improving pretty much on schedule as laid out in the How to Shock process, I just want to make sure I don't lose any progress I've made so far.

Thanks!
 
What you describe doesn't sound like mustard algae. Mustard algae goes away at normal shock level but comes back at normal FC levels. If what you have hasn't gone away at normal shock levels you probably don't have mustard algae. Pollen is mistaken a lot of times for mustard algae. Are you sure it isn't pollen you're seeing? What does it feel like if you get a pinch of it?
 
Hmm...I just assumed it was Mustard algae since it won't scrub off. You can't really get a pinch of it. Maybe it's some sort of stain? We just bought a new house and this is our first pool, so I'm not entirely sure what "normal" should look like. I know the pool is pretty old and in need of replastering.
 
Definitely doesn't brush right off!

After more Google image searching I think you're right that it is a stain. Here's a pretty close approximation of what it looks like:



So, ignoring the yellow stains, my best course of action is to continue to keep the pool at shock levels and brushing until all the Black algae is gone? Should I expect the Black algae to slowly die off over days or am I doing something wrong?
 
Water is clearing up nicely...it's more blueish and I can see the bottom now!

After a couple of days of scrubbing the black algae and not really seeing any improvement, I said, "I wonder if my brush is worn out?" Well, one trip to the pool store and I bought a brand new scrub brush and by comparison my old brush was definitely worn out. Tried out the brand new brush and, sure enough, black heads started coming off again.

Word of advice to any newbs like me fighting the black algae fight; start off with a new brush. :)

Duh!
 

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So, after almost two weeks of shock level (one of which using a dull ss brush) my water is almost crystal clear, and I've got all but a spec or two of black algae remaining! I have to get down to water level now to try to identify any remaining spots, they're so small are rare now.

And here's a pic of what I thought was the mustard algae, but after finally seeing the entire pool I realize it's some kind of stain.

Anyone easily identify this so I know what to start researching?

 
That looks like Calcium scaling to me. You'd think it would be white, but it isn't, mine looks blue-grey submerged and sort of tan when exposed. You might have some algae or metals embedded in it, too. Worry about keeping the water balanced, maybe keep pH low so CSI is in the negatives, keep FC a few points high, and keep brushing. See what it looks like in a couple weeks.
 
I appreciate the info...

I know there was scale on the salt cell when I took it apart and cleaned it and I know the inital pH was way off when I started checking. At first I thought it was just on the walls, but that was because the water was so cloudy I couldn't actually see the bottom. When the water cleared I noticed it was everywhere!

I'll follow your advice and continue to monitor.
 
kammel78 said:
Water is clearing up nicely...it's more blueish and I can see the bottom now!

After a couple of days of scrubbing the black algae and not really seeing any improvement, I said, "I wonder if my brush is worn out?" Well, one trip to the pool store and I bought a brand new scrub brush and by comparison my old brush was definitely worn out. Tried out the brand new brush and, sure enough, black heads started coming off again.

Word of advice to any newbs like me fighting the black algae fight; start off with a new brush. :)

Duh!
Click to expand...


Good idea. I am fighting it too but haven't tried a new brush. Kinda feel dumb. Thanks!
 

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