Something red grows in the bird bath

This may not be the correct forum to ask about this, but I figure a lot of people have concrete bird baths in their gardens. One of my bird baths, it is concrete, grows some sort of red crud that discolors the water. It actually cakes on the surface when there is water in it and can be chipped off when it dries. My other concrete bird bath doesn't do this. Any idea what it is and what's causing it? Is it harmful to birds? Any way to get rid of it?

Thanks in advance. Karen Portland, OR

Reply to
Anonny Moose
Loading thread data ...

Red tide in your bird bath?

May be a toxic bacteria growing there.

Thoroughly clean it out with bleach and start again.

Reply to
Cereus-validus

That'd be "Red sales in the sunset."

-paghat the ratiglr

Reply to
paghat

Can you get red tide in fresh water? I've tried cleaning it but it just keeps returning, regardless whether it's rainwater or tap water. I was thinking more along the lines of a chemical reaction with something in the concrete.... any possibility of that?

Karen

Reply to
Anonny Moose

Haematococcus?

Story here:

formatting link

It is classed as a free-swimming green algae, but has a lot of orange/red pigment.

Reply to
Charles

Nope. What you describe reads more like an infestation of toxic so-called blue-green bacteria (I know the color is red not blue-green) fed by the bird poop.

The best way to kill them noxious critters off is by using chlorine bleach.

Reply to
Cereus-validus

Yeah that's the nasty critter. Thanks Charles.

Chlorine bleach will kill them off. At least, until the next infestation.

formatting link
>
formatting link
>

Reply to
Cereus-validus
Reply to
susanwh

Reply to
Harriet Nation

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.