Controlling Algae in a Stock Tank

[shorthorn boy]

I was wondering if anyone knew of a good way to control algae in a stock tank. We need to get an automatic waterer but for now all we have are stock tanks. I try to keep it as clean as I possible can but its a pretty big tank. I've tried those bags that are filled with barley and i use then in the stock tank for my show calves and it keeps the water really clean but in the stock tank for my adult cows I tried it but they seem to always want to play with it and they pull it out and drop it on the ground. I was told that you could put gold fish in the tank and they would eat the algae and keep the tank pretty clean. Has anyone tried that and could that be healthy for cattle? Is there anything that I could buy and add into the water to keep the algae controlled? Thanks

 

[afhm]

Never heard of the bag of barley trick.  I always just throw in a chlorine tablet like used in a swimming pool.  I know of a few people that put a cup of bleach in their tanks.

 

[M-n-M Cattle Company]

We do the gold fish thing and have for YEARS. It works great and believe it or not if the tank freezes the fish will freeze with it and then thaw out and be as good as new.

 

[dori36]

We do the gold fish thing and have for YEARS. It works great and believe it or not if the tank freezes the fish will freeze with it and then thaw out and be as good as new.

I also tried the goldfish route but found it ineffective.  Maybe I didn't have enough fish in there (10 feeder goldfish in a 100 gal tank) but in my case the algae just kept coming.

 

[Cowboy]

A little Copper Sulfate used sparingly will make the water cloudt for a time, but kills the algae. Be carefull that you only use the tank for cattle though, horses and sheep don't get along too well with it.

We have several hundred yearlings on the ranch every year here, and if we don't treat the big tanks every year, they will just grow over almost. It won't kill it all usually, but sure does keep things in check.

Read the info you can find as to how much and so forth, it will help!

Terry

 

[shorthorn boy]

Never heard of the bag of barley trick.  I always just throw in a chlorine tablet like used in a swimming pool.  I know of a few people that put a cup of bleach in their tanks.

Ya we buy these little bags that are made out of a burlap material and it has dried barley in it and maybe something else but I think just barley. We can get those at our local farm store and they also make slightly bigger barley bags that are in a plastic mesh material and those you can throw into Koi ponds and it keeps that algae down. We throw one into a 100 gal. tank and it last for about 3 months before you have to change it. As I have already said the animals have a good time playing with then by chewing on them, we even had a cow that would pick it up with her mouth and she would swing it around in the air.

 

[herefordfootball]

Ya we tried the "stock tank secret" barley bag and i dont know if it really works or not. We tied ours to an old lawn mower blade to sink it to the bottom so the dogs wouldnt drag it out. But you could use anything to sink it, and if it comes down to it you could use chicken wire cut out the same as your tank, put the bag in when the tank is dry, put the wire over the bag and throw some weights on top, they wont get it no matter what.

Best thing to treat algae, wash your tanks once a week.

 

[Shady Lane]

I've done the Gold Fish thing with good success.

They pretty much need to go in when the tank is fairly clean though, and then they will keep it clean.

Otherwise if it's severly built up they will have a hard time getting ahead of it.

Obviously this needs to be in a tank with a constant water supply though.

I'm sure you have heard of the term "Fish out of Water".

;D

 

[Hofstatter Farms]

Get you a hand full of limestone gravel or big rocks and throw in there. It will neutralize it and kill all the algae.

 

[dutch pride]

We have gone to a local pond and caught a few blue quills and put them in the tank and they helped a lot. No cost and just threw them out at the end of the season.

DLZ

 

[TMJ Show Cattle]

Here is an old trick that works two ways. Put 1 quart of bleach into every fifty  gallons of water. You must do this about evey three weeks depending on weather,humidity etc. and how many head drinking from tank. In the old days and til this day, there are a lot of show calves watered out of horse troughs and such. In fifty plus years of doing this I have NEVER had to worm anything. It works.

 

[BIGTEX]

Copper Sulfate works wonders.

 

[OH Breeder]

Never heard of the bag of barley trick.  I always just throw in a chlorine tablet like used in a swimming pool.  I know of a few people that put a cup of bleach in their tanks.

If I remember right, as barley breaks down in the water it forms a kind of hydrogen peroxide. They also recommend it for ornamental fish ponds. We clean ours with bleach once a week.