# Water Trough going green - Ideas how to stop?



## Sally-FF (19 September 2011)

Hi

The troughs in our fields are requiring cleaning more often than i can ever remember! I seem to have to clean them out fully everyweek as they are so green so quickly...

Are there any amazing products / filters or any ways to keep them cleaner longer? Is it true adding apple cider vinegar can help? Would the horses still drink though??!

Thanks : )


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## nixxyz (19 September 2011)

I have exactly the same problem!!! Its due to my two having a drink with grass or food in their mouths, it drops into the water and turns it  I dont think theres anything you can realisticaly (sp) put into it but i may be wrong lol Just have to clean it out regularly.


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## highlandponygirl (19 September 2011)

It could be Algae (i think thats how you spell it)


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## Hairy Old Cob (19 September 2011)

Put in a Gold Fish Problem solved


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## Dancing Queen (19 September 2011)

yes its a build up of algae - we have same problem - the birds dont help either! I have to do my troughs one a week! x


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## Miss L Toe (19 September 2011)

You can start off with a clean trough by cleaning with bleach: make sure it is well rinsed out.
When I kept goldfish I had two water snails and some Canadian pondweed to keep the tank clean!


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## AndiK (19 September 2011)

I also have this problem  Horses will drink water with apple cider vinegar in I think... It could all be down to personal taste.... If it is algae then a change in pH will hinder it I think. I will be trying apple cider vinegar as nothing ventured nothing gained.  I will be able to monitor how much he drinks too as I have to manually fill his field water


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## McNally (19 September 2011)

Hairy Old Cob said:



			Put in a Gold Fish Problem solved

Click to expand...

Really? Now my cousin who's a farmer swears by gold fish, he has them in all his cows troughs!
Surely they are dirty themselves though? I mean if you have a glass bowl empty and one with fish in the fish one would need cleaning first???....


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## AndiK (19 September 2011)

McNally said:



			Really? Now my cousin who's a farmer swears by gold fish, he has them in all his cows troughs!
Surely they are dirty themselves though? I mean if you have a glass bowl empty and one with fish in the fish one would need cleaning first???....
		
Click to expand...

Are you serious????


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## Sally-FF (19 September 2011)

AndiK said:



			I also have this problem  Horses will drink water with apple cider vinegar in I think... It could all be down to personal taste.... If it is algae then a change in pH will hinder it I think. I will be trying apple cider vinegar as nothing ventured nothing gained.  I will be able to monitor how much he drinks too as I have to manually fill his field water 

Click to expand...

Please let me know if it works!!


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## Horses24-7 (19 September 2011)

I may have dreamt it but I'm sure there's a tablet thing you can out in your water troughs? Will have a look online!!


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## Horses24-7 (19 September 2011)

Found them!

http://www.thehorsestore.co.uk/product/Water-Trough-FRESHA-Water-Disc.cfm

Glad I'm not going mad


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## s4sugar (19 September 2011)

Goldfish are put in troughs to eat any mozzie or midge larvae. 
They won't stop the water going green . Best thing for this is shade - a board with a horse nose sized hole works.


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## MiCsarah (19 September 2011)

I second the metal coins you put in the trough


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## Spottyappy (19 September 2011)

I have the disks,you do need to ensure u buy enough for the size of the tank. And,they don't stop it turning green,but do slow it down so instead of cleaning it weekly,I find it goes about 4/5 weeks in summer. Its not a prob for us in winter usually!


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## Solstar (19 September 2011)

The metal Fresha Tank discs haven't worked in my trough- I do have a black plastic one though, the majority of tanks on the yard are metal and they do help with those ones. I've just settled with having to give the trough a very thorough scrub every week.


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## Frans (20 September 2011)

I used apple cider vinegar in the water this summer as I had read it helped keep flies off the ponies. Yes, the ponies drank it happily, I slowly built up the amount so they could get used to the taste. Cautious answer as I may have seen what I wanted to see but ... it seemed to help reduce the flies and I don't think I had to clean out the tank as often as I would normally have had to either. It gets my vote!


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## Pale Rider (20 September 2011)

Sunlight causes the water to go green, it's algae, the only way to stop it is to shade the water, other than putting things in which may 'taint' the water.

Goldfish are great for eating midge larvae, but they have nothing to do with the green water.


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## millsandboon (20 September 2011)

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=90546

Fish have been suggested before - they are used very successfully at Longleat.


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## Ibblebibble (20 September 2011)

i have 3 big plastic containers all next to eachother and only one of them turns green it gets filled from the same source as the other 2 and gets as much sunlight but no matter how many times i empty and scrub it , it's always the same one which goes green
Not sure how goldfish would cope in my containers in the winter! had to break the ice with an axe last year, if the cold didn't kill them the shock probably would!!


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