Re-occurring ZOMBIE Algae...

[PoolDoc]

OK. If you can, keep track of it.

I'm beginning to think that the ratings are 'ideal', not real. Adding lanthanum chloride to a pool can form lanthanum carbonate -- which is ALSO rather insoluble.

I believe that, over time, if the lanthanum carbonate remains IN the pool (pool floor or on filter media), it will be converted to lanthanum phosphate. But if you clean the filter before that happens, you'll end up having used a portion of your PO4 remover as an expensive and inefficient way to lower carbonate alkalinity!

[BigDave]

I let it sit on the filter for a long time (3 weeks) before backwash. I'd think that it should have finished.

A couple observations:
It took about three days to clear the cloud with each addition of phosphate remover. That's with the 27" sand filter and moving 40gpm in the sun and 10 gpm all the rest of the time. The cloud was minor, more of a dulling of the pool than a cloud. At night, I could see the beam of a bright, focused flashlight in the water.

When I added the first and second half-quart doses, the pool water smelled strongly like laundry.

After every dose the surface tension appeared to change dramatically - the water looked thick and the roil on the surface near the return was far more pronounced.

I hope to provide better info in August - the beginning of the summer has been crazy for us.

@PoolDoc: I realize this is now prety for off-topic from the original thread. Sorry. It might be a good idea to move it to the previous PO4 remover thread or make a new one to collect observations.

[PoolDoc]

3 weeks should be long enough, if anything is!

[Waldog]

HEY!!! You guys hi-jacking my thread!!!? LOL Just kidding, it's ok!!!

Well... that's a deep subject... LOL... seriously though... my ZOMBIE MUSTARD ALGAE is BAAAAAAAACK.... with a vengeance!!!

I've been keeping my FC level at 18, and brushing, but I missed brushing night before last and it was BACK BIG TIME!!!

So I went to Wal-Mart last night and I'm going to keep the FC high... got 9 gallons of bleach...

Any recommendations since my CYA is 40???

According to my calculations 16-18 is shock level, so what should be mustard level? I think i need to kick it up to like 25? and maintain that for 3-4 days maybe longer if possible?

I have not had a chance to hit Home Depot to pickup the chem-tek phosphate remover... it's the other way opposite of my house and Wal-Mart... but no matter, because I still don't have a test... dang test is so expensive...

I still have not added the borates... need more MA.... I need to get with the program! I was hoping the algae would have been at bay long enough for me to do so.

I'm going to hit this hard starting Friday!!! One way or another the borates are going in!!! LOL

Any advice for the rantings of a mad man?

[PoolDoc]

Waldog, let me caution you:

1. There's no evidence that borax will help much with mustard algae. It won't hurt, but it may not help either.

2. You are wasting time and money messing with phosphates without testing. You could lower your PO4 level from 4,000 ppb to 400 ppb . . . and accomplish NOTHING. You have to get it below 125 ppb (0.125 ppm) to accomplish anything useful.

If you really want to try it, search online for a quart of Orenda PR-10000 ($50 - 60 delivered) It's very unlikely that your pool has more that your pool has more than 10 ppm PO4, and that product will remove up to 20 ppm from YOUR pool. Clean your filter and THEN add no more than 1/2 cup. Wait at least 4 days, before cleaning your filter. Repeat this 5 more times (clean filter, add 1/2 cup, circulate for 3 days). Most likely that will work.

But you'd still be better off with a test kit.

[Waldog]

Ben,

Thanks for all the help! Yes, I understood what the benefits are of Borax and that it most likely would not help the mustard algae. I was looking more toward the "other" benefits; sparkly water, resistance to green algae, etc.

At any rate, the pool was looking good on late last week so I took the plunge. I added one gallon of MA to reduce my PH, and brushed to mix. Then I added the borax and brushed to mix. The next day I tested and my PH was slightly high so I added more MA, and then it was slightly LOW, so I aerated. LOL

My better half had ordered the Intex Krystal Clear Salt System on amazon, and it came on Friday. Picked up four 40lb bags of pool salt and added to the pool on Saturday. We swam most of the afternoon to mix up the salt, and Sunday morning I connected the system and it worked instantly.

The water was a bit cloudy after the salt, but before, it was sparkly. I imagine that might have been a result of the borax because it never was that sparkly before.

At any rate, the pool is a lot clearer this AM, and I'm running the pump 24/7 right now to keep everything mixing. I have the salt system set to run 6 hours, so I will test FC today when I get home.

I also added two pucks in a floater because I know with the salt system my CYA needs to be higher than 40 (that it is now).

So far, so good. The crazy thing is I have seen NO SIGNS of the mustard algae since I did this. So time will tell...

[PoolDoc]

Maybe borax works against the mustard algae in your pool -- after all, mustard algae is not a particular species of algae, but some sort of conglomeration, that varies from pool to pool.

The sparkly effect IS one of the often reported results of using borax.

Glad it worked so well for you; hope it continues to do so.