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orthoclad

(5,205 posts)
10. Invasive species. They would colonize the Potomac,
Sun Jun 21, 2026, 10:37 AM
Jun 21

which has more than enough invasive species already. Goldfish are pollution-tolerant; I've seen them in streams which won't support any other fish.

The Pool is filled with river water. I assume they filter it, using a mesh too coarse to filter algae cells, but which removes the native grazer species which keep the Potomac from looking like this. The solution would be to introduce native grazers like snails, insects, and algae-eating fish.

The blue color accelerates the growth, but it doesn't cause it. The algae are blooming because the river water they filled it with is loaded with nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus. In an environment artificially free from grazers algae grows like crazy, until the rich soup of nutrients is depleted. Then they die, rot, and stink; the water loses the oxygen.

The Pool is like an oxbow lake filled with river water from a flood but with animals filtered out. It's an aquarium, an artificial ecosystem, not a swimming pool. Two very different things.

The vandal is Nature.

Aquarium keepers decades ago had the goal of the "balanced aquarium" (is that still a thing?), with just enough plants to provide oxygen and eat up the nutrients.

But the Feds are now a science-depleted ecosystem.

Recommendations

2 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

I think this fish is the solution. Matthew28 Jun 21 #1
Is this a tropical fish? Emile Jun 21 #2
It's a fancy goldfish, most likely a Ranchu Matthew28 Jun 21 #3
No, it's not a tropical fish. It's a coldwater/temperate fish Matthew28 Jun 21 #4
Thanks for the information. Thinking that would be a great way Emile Jun 21 #8
An Ozone Infusion Pump can clear lakes and will not harm waterfoul. If done right, it will protect them from pathogens. TheBlackAdder Jun 21 #5
But the water will still be full of orthoclad Jun 21 #11
The pump needs to run 24x7, while robotic bottom skimmers clean the organic material that settles. TheBlackAdder Jun 21 #16
I thought that was what they were using... LeftInTX Tuesday #18
Let's just throw Trump in and let him suck it up Grim Chieftain Jun 21 #6
Add his DOJ lawyers for help. multigraincracker Jun 21 #7
Only if it's a shitless fish. A complete ecosystem is required OR chemical sterilization. Maru Kitteh Jun 21 #9
Yes. It's an ecosystem, not a swimming pool. orthoclad Jun 21 #13
Invasive species. They would colonize the Potomac, orthoclad Jun 21 #10
catfish are native, they can use those (I wouldn't be surprised if they weren't part of the pool already) LeftInTX Tuesday #17
In the US, native catfish are predators rather than algae eaters jmowreader Tuesday #19
I recommend that they fill it with pirhanas malaise Jun 21 #12
And snakeheads orthoclad Jun 21 #14
Bwaaaah malaise Jun 21 #15
It's going to take a lot more than a thousand of them jmowreader Tuesday #20
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