Confused

[Tango21]

Hello:
Been a lurker since last year, never had a pool before so after reading this forum got the guts to try out an Intex 12' round last year. Since it worked out pretty good, I got the courage to upgrade this year to a 10 x 20 Intex rectangular with sand filter from Costco. Make a long story short, it's directly under an Oak tree, and several other trees in my back yard. Never bought the Taylor k-2006 since I was just trying to get my feet wet, but did get the Taylor k-1004.
I use the BBB method from this forum, and it has worked out great all thru last year and since late May of this year with the new pool. We now have this problem that I can't really put my finger on, from what I've read here.
They look like little green pods that first show up on the surface and later sink to the bottom, I just took pics but I don't know if I can post them. We are in west TN, in an eastern suburb of Memphis. They showed up two days ago, yesterday I had to backwash once in between the vacuuming because it had clogged up the filter, and now this morning they're still there but in less quantity. My chlorine was above 5 according to the reading, and I later hit it with 64 oz of bleach to try to semi shock it, since the wife started reading god knows where that it is algae, but I'm not so sure.
TA is around 100 and rarely moves, PH is pretty steady at 7.5, and CYA was 35 after I opened the pool (reading taken at pool store).Water is crystal clear.
Help!
Alex.

[PoolDoc]

Send the pictures to poolforum AT gmail DOT com - I'd really like to see what you are talking about.

But . . . . don't hold off on the chlorine. Keeping the chlorine high (~10 ppm ) is VERY unlikely to make anything worse, and it will likely make it better.

[PoolDoc]

Yeah, chlorine would be good.

They are bug poop, most likely caterpillar poop. I assume the pool is under, or very near a tree? In the skimmer net photo you can barely see a forming groove characteristic of caterpillar poop.

My biologist son happened to be home, just back from classes, so I confirmed it with him. The good news is that bug gut bacteria are not usually a big risk for people. But, again, keeping your chlorine up, is always good. And you can vacuum them to the filter which would help.

Anyhow, here are your pics:

[Tango21]

Wow. I didn't expect that, though I couldn't believe it was algae either. I must have an army of caterpillars up in that Oak, that picture was taken this morning, roughly 20 hrs. after I had vacuumed yesterday morning.
We just had our Kleen Machine do its job, I know, overkill for a AG vinyl, but one less job we gotta do, and trust me keeping this puppy clean is more than a daily thing, since its directly under an Oak and a few feet away from a Magnolia, and there is barely any in the pool today. Now that we think about it with the wife, we pick out at least one or two caterpillars out of the skimmer or Kleen Machine on a daily basis...
I guess they've either been all eaten up by a flock of birds or moved to the other side of the tree or went into cocoon stage, since I took the pics, there hasn't been anymore show up, here and there one or two but nothing like the past 2 days.
Good thing I decided to post finally, we were getting desperate and were going to go buy some algecide.
Anyways thanks a ton. I knew this forum was worth it!!!!

[Tango21]

The evidence is overwhelming, just went out to check out the pool and laughing with the wife about the whole thing still in disbelief, and voila, I look straight up where the poop was seen on the ground just next to the pool and you can see a branch with only two half leaves remaining and the rest is just what remains of the eaten up leaves on this fairly small branch.

[Watermom]

YUCK! Bug poop!

[PoolDoc]

If only you knew, Lisa.

But I won't tell . . . this time. -ben

[Watermom]

Uhh...... thanks, I think! You can have the bug poop, creepy crawly kind of knowledge, Ben. I'm gettin' along just fine without that in my database!

[CarlD]

I'm with Lisa! I had enough with tons of bird poop in early June. Even my rubber snakes didn't scare them away...

[PoolDoc]

You can have the bug poop, creepy crawly kind of knowledge, Ben. I'm gettin' along just fine without that in my database!

OK.

I'm not too disappointed . . . . but does this mean you don't want the spider, or worm, or lizard, or snake, or salamander info we've been saving, too? We really have a lot of it here, and I'm ordering a bunch of new books for my Scout troop this week, so we'll be getting even more. It would really be a shame to waste it.