Surface Algae Attack Bundle
Rid your water surface of algae with this all-in-one attack and restore bundle. It includes everything you need to kill the algae on the spot and then clean up your water to prevent the algae returning.
What's included / How the treatment works
Cupricide Algaecide (20L)
Biostim Accelerator (20L)
Biostim Tablets (20kg)
Note: This bundle includes chemical, algaecide. Included in the kit are natural products that help reduce how much algaecide you need.
Cupricide Algaecide is used to get straight to the source and kill the algae. At the same time, Biostim Accelerator, a natural biocatalyst, is applied to the water to speed up the effectiveness of the algaecide, thus reducing how much chemical you need. Biostim Accelerator also speeds up natural degradation processes, aka it stimulates “good” bacteria to get to faster work breaking down decaying material. Otherwise, the dead algae accumulate on the bottom becoming fertliser for next year’s algal bloom. The Biostim Tablets settle on the floor of your dam, feeding the “good microbes” enzymes and nutrients so their populations flourish. These “good” microbes eat any organic material on the floor of your dam. As well as cleaning up, this reduces the amount of nutrients in your water body. Fewer nutrients means less food available for algae. In other words, algae is going to have a much more difficult time returning.
Chemical warning: we don’t advise using a chemical like algaecide or herbicide on its own, i.e. without natural probiotics, a biocatalyst or both. The reason is the chemical kills everything it touches, the “good” microbes too. This causes a two-factor problem: (1) the dead algae decays over time adding more nutrients to your water, which is fertiliser/food for future algal blooms, and (2) there are less “good” guys than before (the survivors) to compete for this additional food. Without probiotics, you enter a slippery slide: every year you get more and more invasive algae. Algae that arrive earlier, grows faster and is more immune to chemicals. Adding probiotics helps restore the damage done by the initial kill as well as get your water into a healthier condition long-term, aka less nutrient dense from a flourishing population of “good” bacteria. Conditions that algae cannot survive in.
Surface Algae Attack Bundle
Surface algae are any kind of algae that presents as visible mats, scums, or filaments on the surface of your dam. It can be green algae, brown algae, and red algae, depending on the type of algae you have in your water body.
Our Surface Algae Attack bundle is designed to help get rid of algae on the surface of farm dams, irrigation dams, and recreational water bodies. Algal growth, whether green algae or blue-green algae, is often caused by an increased level of nutrients, organic matter, and sludge (brown slime on the floor of your dam), as well as increased temperatures in your dam water.
The Surface Algae Attack bundle uses both natural and chemical treatment products.
What Products Are in the Surface Algae Attack Bundles?
Our Surface Algae Attack bundle contains a few of our products, including the Cupricide Algaecide, Biostim Tablets, and a Biostim Accelerator.
- Cupricide Algaecide: Chemicals aren’t something we usually recommend, particularly not on their own, but sometimes, algal blooms need a swift and solid attack first. The Cupricide Algaecide is a chemical algaecide that gets in fast and kills the surface algae.
- Biostim Tablets: Our Biostim range is made up of probiotic products. The Biostim Tablets are dropped into your dam water and allowed to dissolve. As they do, the probiotics and nutrients that they release help stimulate the naturally occurring aerobic bacteria (“good” bacteria) in the dam water. This “good” bacteria competes with the algae for nutrients and feeds on any decaying matter in your dam, including the dead algae that the algaecide leaves behind.
- Biostim Accelerator: The Biostim Accelerator is a natural biocatalyst that acts to ensure the Biostim Tablets work as quickly as possible. It also makes the chemical more effective by speeding up natural degradation processes. It means you can use less chemical.
A Note on Chemical Algaecide Use
At Love My Dam, we’re determined to use as much natural treatment as possible, even in the face of a significant algal bloom. When you use chemicals on algal blooms, while they do get rid of the algae, they also leave you with lots of dead algae, which become decaying matter and can feed further green algae and result in more algal growth.
Chemical treatments are great for attacking an algal bloom, but they attack the symptom (the algal blooms) and not the thing causing them (hot weather, sun, and decaying matter). In addition, when you add chemicals to your dam, you’re not only introducing harmful toxins to the aquatic ecosystem but also adding more decaying organic content to your water. This is fertiliser for future algae blooms.
Ongoing chemical use also encourages chemical-resistant strains of algae to emerge. Once this happens, you begin having to use more and more chemicals to rid yourself of the recurring algal blooms, which can be particularly harmful to plant life and aquatic animals.
This is why we always use probiotics with any chemicals suggested. To repair the damage done, and to go upstream to treat the cause of the algae (overabundance of nutrients in the water).
The use of probiotics offsets the inclusion of chemicals in this bundle. While you can attack the algal growth with chemicals, it is of the utmost importance that the aerobic bacteria in your dam get to work feeding on the dead algae and organic matter so you never have a dam that looks like curdled greenish milk again.
Additionally, dead algae can have an impact on carbon dioxide levels in your dam, making it hard for other organisms to thrive. So, removing dead algae is in your absolute best interests.
How Does the Surface Algae Attack Bundle Work?
So, how does this bundle actually work on green algae and other strains?
- The Cupricide Algaecide is the first attack on your surface algal bloom. It goes in hard, killing off algae where it can and ensuring that whether you’ve got pale green, dark green, or blue-green algae, it is all gone in one go.
- Biostim Accelerator is added at the same time to reduce how much algaecide you need to use. The biocatalyst speeds up natural degradation processes, so the dead algae breaks down faster. It also helps stimulate the clean-up crew introduced in the Biostim Tablets.
- The Biostim Tablets are dropped into your dam to encourage the growth of aerobic bacteria. The tablets settle on the dam floor of your dam, breaking down the dead algae killed off from the algaecide. The tablets are slow-release, so they continually feed the “good” bacteria for weeks, aiding in a radical clean up of your water from the ground up.
When is the Surface Algae Attack Bundle the Best Solution?
There are a few points when this is the absolute best bundle for your dam. These are explored below.
- You have a surface algae problem: As the name suggests, this bundle will have a beneficial effect on any dam where green algae is a problem.
- If you have a suspected blue-green algae problem: Blue-green algae can be particularly detrimental to farm dams with live-stock access, dams that feed a drinking water supply, or dams used for human relaxation. This is because blue-green algae-contaminated water can have incredibly harmful toxins that have negative effects on livestock and humans. The Surface Algae Attack bundle can treat water affected by blue-green algae. Beware that algaecide can trigger blue-green algae to release a lot more toxins, as a response to dying. So, if you go the chemical route you will need to wait a couple of weeks post-treatment at least before using your water. Test to see when your water is free of blue-green algae toxins with our DIY test kit.
A Balance Between Chemical Treatment and Natural Treatment
If you’re new to Love My Dam, then you might not be aware of our commitment to natural treatments. We’re dedicated to offering you solutions, whether for surface algae or for aquatic weeds, that don’t harm the ecosystem of your dam.
Even when we create product bundles with chemical algaecides, like the Surface Algae Attack Bundle, we will always pair it with a probiotic treatment to ensure that you rid your dam of decaying matter and get to the source of the problem.
A balanced ecosystem is more likely to ensure fewer algae issues in future than using more and more chemical treatments.
Need help?
Want FREE advice to know if this bundle is right for you? Contact us today. We’re always happy to help.