What's growing on my hose?

[chrismichaelson]

Can anyone tell me what's growing on my Polaris hose? I've been maintaining the proper FC level and had .5 overnight chlorine loss. I just noticed this yesterday, but don't see it growing on other obvious surfaces (inside the skimmer, etc.). Is it time for a slam?

Thanks.

 

[woodyp]

Dirt or scale?

 

[chrismichaelson]

I don't think it's dirt. It appears as groups of uniform brown dots that seem to grow in size (the groups grow in size, the individual dots stay the same). I'll try to post a better picture. It comes off the hose by rubbing or lightly brushing it.

Thanks!

 

[chrismichaelson]

Here's a better picture, zoomed in on the growth.
View attachment 62722

 

[chrismichaelson]

There seems to be a problem with the last picture. Trying again. Thanks.

 

[twodogs02]

There seems to be a problem with the last picture. Trying again. Thanks.
View attachment 62807

Looks like sand particles, do you have a sand filter, if so, put pantyhose or cheese cloth over an eyeball and see if it catches sand over the next few days.

 

[chrismichaelson]

I don't have a sand filter; I have a DE grid filter. I don't think it's sand because it doesn't feel gritty like sand (or even dirt). Thanks for the suggestion, tho.

 

[Pyrodav]

Is it on the outside of the hose? If so it looks like artillery fungus.

 

[chrismichaelson]

Sorry to be so long in reply; I've been out of town. It is on the outside of the hose to my Polaris pool vacuum. I'd never heard of artillery fungus until you mentioned it. Can it grow on a hose submerged in chlorinated water? If that's what it is, how do I get rid of it? Does it pose any danger to swimmers? Thanks.

 

[JamesW]

Maybe some type of pollen?

 

[S1ngram]

Pyrodav, I thought the same, but she said it came off easily. That stuff is pretty sticky.

 

[chrismichaelson]

Think I have figured this out. I spent some time looking at the growth and it appeared to be the dots are held in a gelatinous substance. I surmised they were some sort of eggs. Then today, while lying on a float, I watched a dragonfly deposit her eggs on the hose. So I solved the mystery, but now have even more questions. Can eggs or larvae survive in chlorinated water? My daily FC ranges from about 7 to about 2.5. I love my dragonflies (we have a ton of them), but I don't want a pool full of larvae. Do I need to super-chlorinate occasionally to kill the eggs? Has anyone else experienced this? Thanks for all your help.