This is NOT mustard algae

[derickx]

Hi, I feared that I was experiencing a mustard algae outbreak. Here are my steps after not brushing them for two days...

So, with a Turkey baster I collected 3 oz of the precipitate...

Then I poured 4 oz of 12.5% Chlorine on top of it, and the color did not change. The photo below was taken 10 minutes after adding the chlorine.

So, this proves to me that whatever this stuff is, it is not alive.

Aplologies for the links but I seem to have hit my photo upload limit and the site doesn't seem to let me delete any other photos....

 

[mknauss]

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Or you can use a third party file sharing service.

 

[2008GMCsierrasle]

Little late for pollen but....... I have flowers in my backyard still going full force so.........
I too have sucked stuff off of the bottom with a turkey baster that looked questionable, poured shock in with it and had zero change. I wonder if a lot of people see the same stuff like you have in your picture, freak out and immediately assume mustard algae or some other algae?

 

[derickx]

To have additional server storage for photos you can become a CLICK HERE to Become a TroubleFreePool.com Supporter!!

Yes, and I may well do that. For now, I've edited my post to include the remote images inline.

 

[derickx]

Little late for pollen but....... I have flowers in my backyard still going full force so.........
I too have sucked stuff off of the bottom with a turkey baster that looked questionable, poured shock in with it and had zero change. I wonder if a lot of people see the same stuff like you have in your picture, freak out and immediately assume mustard algae or some other algae?

I agree that pollen seems unlikely to me, but given the tiny particulate size and lightness of this stuff, I don't have a better theory.

I do agree that this stuff can be mistaken for mustard algae, that is why I posted the pictures. Since I personally thought that this must be mustard algae, I figured that others might jump to the same conclusion.

At this point I am assuming that my sand filter is not very efficient but I had some DE from many years ago and am adding that to the filter at every backwash. A "deep cleaning" of the filter is definitely going to happen at some point. Sand was replaced in it in 2013...

 

[duraleigh]

I agree, it's likely not mustard algae but it is regular green algae and it's already dead.......that's why adding more chlorine to it made no change.....you already killed it once. At some point you let FC get too low in your pool and algae began to grow (but you can't always see it) Then you chlorinated adequately to kill some of it and what you see is the dead carcasses sinking to the pool floor (or steps).

Your sand filter is not at fault. The algae dies, sinks to the bottom and must be picked up with a robot, vacuum or brushed up into the pool water so the filter can pick it up.

Posting a complete set of test results would help us suggest to you what to do next to get rid of it.

 

[derickx]

Posting a complete set of test results would help us suggest to you what to do next to get rid of it.

Hi and thank you for your attention.

I am currently in day 11 of a SLAM, and the progress is definite. I had to do two partial water dumps to get my CYA below 50. I have a SLAM thread going, but I had assumed that I had mustard algae which I now believe that I do not. I received specific requests as to photos of my "mustard algae," and hence this thread.

I did not know that dead algae could be yellow in color. Thanks for the information, I believe that I am firmly poised for success here. I can see the deep end (8') of my pool for the first time in over a month.

 

[duraleigh]

In the future, keep your posts under one thread as much as possible. I had no idea you were posting SLAM information......I'll check it out and post anything further over there.

 

[derickx]

In the future, keep your posts under one thread as much as possible. I had no idea you were posting SLAM information......I'll check it out and post anything further over there.

I apologize for that, I thought that curiosity about mustard algae identification might have more universal interest than any information about my specific pool.