The Miracle of Straw?
Over the past 10 years or so there has been a steadily increasing number of reports over the reaction between Pond Water and Straw, while the writers of these reports use sensational terminology such as Miracle, Magic and Mystery no one has so far told the pond keepers of this country what they are doing by there actions.
When it was left to the D.I.Y. enthusiast with a pair of the wives old pair of tights and a handful of straw there was little threat to our fish stocks, but know the products are being produced commercially still with no facts being published for the public to make their own decision. We are not sure if this is intentional or just overlooked in the interests of good business.
Straw does produce the results that are claimed for it, this is not in dispute, the side effects to the fish and pond life is our concern.
Barley Straw is generally considered the best as the soft texture makes decomposition quicker but any straw will give the same end results, as will dried grass (hay) and the dried leaves of some trees. If you have a garden pond without fish then the straw treatment will not seriously affect the water plants.
There is no Miracle, Magic or Mystery for the results caused by straw, just a plain old biological fact as old as the hills themselves. Stagnant water inhibits the growth of Green Algae but the water has only to be slightly stagnant for this to occur. Any increase in the pollution will start to affect the fish population as well as the natural life in the pond. The damage will not be apparent at first or dramatic in its results but they are there. The fish can take up to 1 year to die, meanwhile living a miserable existence.
Unfortunately there are no formulations to follow for the amount of straw to water as each pond environment is controlled by a different set of circumstances. More important to the pond keeper is the fact that monitoring the amount of stagnation is basically impossible as there seems no available method of measurement. The line between controlling the algae and causing untold damage to your pet fish is very thin indeed.
The first signs that your fish are not as well as they should be are as follows:-
The luster on the body of your fish will slowly disappear.The fish will be more willing to remain in its favorite position, particularly on hot days.The fish will become quite listless and quite easy to catch in a net.The fish might also be prone to fungus infections.By this stage the water may have a slight smell and a definite taste, making it totally undrinkable, by this time it is usually too late to save your fish, as this whole process can take several months to evolve making tracking the cause very difficult.
What the producers of this product are asking you to do is to create an ongoing mild form of pollution in your garden pond and cause your pet fish unnecessary suffering and possible death. In return you can have an algae free pond and pay them for the privilege.
There are several natural methods of controlling algae without endangering your fish
