pink algae

[vrichard]

We have been fighting, what I believe is a pink algae. It looks like spider webs and clings to the side of the pool and the small material fibers on the seams of our above ground super splash pool. We got rid of it once and it came back. Has anyone experienced this type of algae?

We have been using a chlorine floater and also put in shock every week and copper algaecide every two weeks. I have to get in and brush the pool, our aqua bug doesn't get it all. It has really been a pain!

Vrichard

[boriscanlas]

I have that too in my small pool for 4 years. This pink algea/fungus appeared few months ago. It started in the corners & around the lights & gradually spread all over. It does not respond to the usual chemicals. So I emptied the pool scrubbed with bleach, etc & that kept it away for about 10 weeks but now it's back with a vengeance! Does anyone know how to get rid of it?

Thanks in advance.


BorisCanlas
Pool Accessory Options

[mr_clean]

Not really an algae at all, but a form of bacteria. Appears as spots or streaks in corners and crevices. It is slow to spread and rare that it will bloom over an entire pool.

you need to shock your pool for a few days, and in other post's you will see how.

another important thing to know is clean everything that has touched water. Filter, toys in pool, etc. as it can spread back.

[chem geek]

There is an "algaecide" specifically designed to combat pink slime, which as was pointed out is really a bacteria, and is called GLB Vanquish. I haven't seen anyone use it, so can't vouch for its effectiveness. As pink slime is a bacteria, I would think that chlorine alone should be able to handle it, along with brushing pool surfaces, soaking anything that goes into the pool (as mr_clean suggested), etc.

Try the shocking with chlorine and please test and post your pool water chemistry numbers as they are today (if you know them or can test them), especially Free Chlorine (FC) and Cyanuric Acid (CYA) levels, though knowing pH, Total Alkalinity (TA), Combined Chlorine (CC) and Calcium Hardness (CH) is also useful. You should think about getting a good test kit such as the Taylor K-2006 from Taylor here or from poolcenter(dot)com here or from Leslie's here or the even better TF100 test kit from tftestkits(dot)com here.

By the way, the copper algaecide will prevent algae, but will not kill bacteria very effectively so I suspect the chlorine level is too low relative to the CYA level since the floating feeder probably has Trichlor tabs/pucks that add to CYA which builds up over time. Also, the shock you use might be Dichlor which also adds to CYA (as opposed to Cal-Hypo which does not have CYA, but adds to CH which isn't as much of a problem). The reason I suspect the shock is Dichlor is that if you used Cal-Hypo as a shock, then the pH would rise and you would likely have the pool turn greenish from the copper (the green is copper carbonate). So I strongly suspect a rather high CYA level in your pool so testing for it is important; otherwise the chlorine won't be effective enough to kill or keep away this algae.

Richard

[vrichard]

I have finally gotten rid of the pink bacteria by adding lots of shock and keeping the chlorine levels up. I had to take my ladder out and hand clean it off the underside. There was a lot of it on there! The only way to get it out of the pool is to brush it off and filter it out.

Good luck.