kja Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 I have one of those water dishes that is hooked up to our reticulation. The animals drink so much and our retic doesn't come on every day so I also fill it up with a jug of water now and again as needed. But it's started to seriously grow the greenies on the bottom. It's a pain in the butt to clean out all the time and it happens so fast! Is there any way to stop/inhibit this growth safely? Or is it just one of those things? The water in their in house bucket doesn't get this growth, only the one outside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jemappelle Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 It needs to be in complete shade - the sun encourages the mossy growth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
korbin13 Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 Use a green bowl, then you can't tell Yeah it has to be kept out of the sun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmoo Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 yep out of the sun and also give it a good clean once a week if you can Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kja Posted January 5, 2011 Author Share Posted January 5, 2011 It is completely out of the sun Nary a beam of light hits it. And I'm cleaning it daily! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 The green stuff won't hurt your dogs. A weekly scrub with a scrubbing brush (no detergent) might be the go. Or get them a horse trough and put a gold fish in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kja Posted January 5, 2011 Author Share Posted January 5, 2011 Or get them a horse trough and put a gold fish in it. hehehe - the kitties would LOVE to go fishing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leema Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 (edited) When I worked at kennels, we used to rinse a disinfectant through the bowl, then rinse with water, then refill. They never went green. Other bowls that were not rinsed with dinsinfectant went green. Here, I just scrub lightly with my fingers when I refill the bowl. I also allow my bowls to go empty before refilling (there are numerous bowls). I think this kills the algae a bit. Edit: I also use tap water, though, so the chlorine etc in it may be preventing growth? Edited January 5, 2011 by Leema Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormie Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 My bowl is in the shade and goes green too. I also use tap water and that hasn't stopped it. I just give it a scrub out on the weekends and change the water every few days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GSD FAN Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 I have a ceramic dish outside. It gets green but it's eaily wiped off in less than a minute. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheena Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 Interesting...I have a big birdbath in the full sun which the dogs just loved to drink from. It was always going green with this horrible slimey stuff in it & I was forever cleaning it out & refilling it. I decided that I no longer wanted the dogs to drink from it as it looked so unhealthy, so I put a piece of wire over the top to stop them. For months now the water has stayed clear, which makes me think it was the saliva from the dogs which was turning the water green & slimy. Their other water bowls I just keep cleaning them out & refilling every couple of days. I have noticed in the garden too, it's the birdbaths which are under trees & getting bird poo in them that are always green. The ones out in the open with no poo remain clear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hopenfox Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 I read somewhere that adding a little Apple Cider Vinegar to the water helps stop the growth of algae. Haven't tried it myself though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golden Rules Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 Interesting...I have a big birdbath in the full sun which the dogs just loved to drink from. It was always going green with this horrible slimey stuff in it & I was forever cleaning it out & refilling it. I decided that I no longer wanted the dogs to drink from it as it looked so unhealthy, so I put a piece of wire over the top to stop them. For months now the water has stayed clear, which makes me think it was the saliva from the dogs which was turning the water green & slimy. Their other water bowls I just keep cleaning them out & refilling every couple of days. I have noticed in the garden too, it's the birdbaths which are under trees & getting bird poo in them that are always green. The ones out in the open with no poo remain clear. I have a large ceramic water bowl outside (in full shade) and it gets green too - I think it's the dogs saliva as well! It sits under a tap, so I just turn the tap on when the water gets a bit low, and it doesn't get a clean out as often as the water bowl inside (which doesn't go green). My cats also use the outside water bowl but not so much the inside one, so maybe it's them too, who knows? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golden Rules Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 I read somewhere that adding a little Apple Cider Vinegar to the water helps stop the growth of algae. Haven't tried it myself though... I tried that, the tiniest amount was enough to put them all off the water Colloidal Silver might be a better option actually as that kills bugs and can be a good immune booster! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 Why add anything? Its algae - not going to harm the dogs. Regular water changes and a periodic scrub are all that's required. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaxx'sBuddy Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 i have a skungy bucket of water outside my back door and its the dogs favourite watering hole. doesn't do her any harm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espinay2 Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 If you are worried about it, scrub the dish out with a bit vinegar. You can put a splash of it in the water too. Wont hurt the dogs and some consider it a benefit health-wise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sas Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 Any reason why you can't go down there with a dish brush and give it a 2 second brush every day when you're picking up poo and so forth? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xKALIx Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 In the small animal/bird section of your local pet supply store you should be able to get a product that keeps algae from growing in bowls. The brand I use is Water Guard by Aristopet. Does the job! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kja Posted January 7, 2011 Author Share Posted January 7, 2011 Good to know it won't hurt the animals. Not going to worry about it anymore - a bit of a tidy up now and again and then leave it alone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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