I use Listerine 1x a week. With those kinds of troughs it can be tough to get all of the nooks and crannies where algae can hide. If it’s not totally removed, it just grows exponentially.
Listerine helps cut through the gunk and if not totally rinsed out, won’t hurt them.
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I use barley packs for my fountain at home; they work great. Only tried them once on the farm–we did not weigh it down with rocks and a horse immediately ate it.
I have 300 gallon rubbermaid tanks and I have goldfish in mine. The fish were fed when the tank was started, but we haven’t had to feed them for years. The horses seem pretty happy with them.
It works well for me to have these large tanks and then to have a couple of buckets that are easy to dump and scrub and filled with the freshest water. I watch to see which they prefer - often it is the fish water - but more to the point this ensures that they always have something drinkable.
I love the insulated walls of the Rubbermaids, but I HATE all the nooks and crannies that collect algea that cannot easily be scrubbed out. In summer, I swap out the 100g tanks to muck tubs that can be scrubbed/rinsed in seconds 2x a day.
I also have non-Rubbermaid brand 100g tanks that are smooth walled and so much easier to clean. But they aren’t near as sturdy…
I do 2 capfuls of bleach in my 200 gallon tub whenever I fill it. I have a couple of tubs in the field- I’ll let one get all the way down and then fill the other so each one has a few days of time to be dry on rotation. I hate the waste and mud-making of dumping and scrubbing.
No light - no algae.
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I have an aquarium bubbler pump in my water trough. Keeps the water moving, and significantly cuts down on algae growth.
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add a piece of copper pipe. Large enough piece that they won’t be able to swallow it. I have a 6" elbow in each of my troughs. Works great on the algae!! Have used them for 9 years without a problem with green algae. I have the 75 gal troughs and rinse out once a week. Use a little sandpaper on the copper pipe each spring and that is all I need to do.
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The fish idea intrigues me, however aren’t the horses then drinking fish poo water?
