The Pond Guy's Blog

Q: Is it too cold to treat my pond with the ClearPAC® PLUS?

Steve – Denham Springs, LA

A: The Pond Logic® ClearPAC® and ClearPAC® PLUS combine PondClear™, Algae Defense®, EcoBoost™ and Nature’s Blue™ Pond Dye to combat algae and suspended debris and beautify your lake or pond. Some components of this super-pack have temperature limitations while others can be used year-round. Let’s take a closer look at each one.

PondClear™ (and MuckAway™)

Beneficial bacteria that break down muck and suspended debris, such as those found in PondClear™ (and MuckAway™ in ClearPAC® PLUS), can be used when water temperatures rise to more than 50° Fahrenheit or so. Though that temperature is not a definitive starting point, the bacteria will become more effective as the temperatures rise. Bottom line: When your underwater thermometer tops 50°, it’s time to start treating your pond or lake with ClearPAC®.

Algae Defense®

This algae-destroyer can be used to treat troublesome floating filamentous algae, bottom growing chara or the planktonic algae as long as it’s green and growing, and the water temperature in your pond or lake is above 60° Fahrenheit.

EcoBoost™

EcoBoost™, which is a bacteria booster rather than an actual bacteria, has no temperature restrictions so it can be used year-round to bind phosphates that find their way into your pond or lake. You can use EcoBoost™ throughout the spring to give you a head start on pond season.

Pond Dye

The final ingredient in the Pond Logic® ClearPAC®, Nature’s Blue™ Pond Dye, is not temperature-sensitive, so it can be used year-round to give your pond or lake that aesthetic appeal throughout the winter months. And if spring storms are preventing you from standing next to your pond pouring in a quart of dye, try Pond Dye Packets—all you do is toss the water-soluble packet into the water and head back to your warm and toasty home!

Pond Talk: What changes do you have planned for your fish pond or lake this year?

Filed under: Aeration, Algae Control, MuckAway, Natural Water Treatments, Pond & Lake, Season-Long Control | Tagged: barley, barley bale, barley straw, barley straw bale | 4 Comments »

Q: Can I add barley to my 1/2 acre pond?

Bill – Ashville, OH

A: Barley straw and ponds have some great chemistry. As a barley straw bale breaks down in water, it produces and releases many chemical compounds—and one of them may actually control algae growth.

How? Scientists from the Ohio State University Extension report that the compound interferes with and prevents the new growth of algae cells. As the old algae cells naturally die off, few new algae cells are produced—thereby controlling the overall algae population.

Sounds like a perfect solution for your 1/2 acre lake, right?

Well, barley straw will technically work to control algae in all that water—but you’ll need a ton of barley to accomplish it! More precisely, you’ll need as much as 112 pounds per 1/2 acre of surface area, according to OSU experts.

That’s great if you live next to a barley field, but that’s not a reality for most of us …

And accessibility to all those pounds of straw isn’t the only challenge. The bales are also tough to handle. In a small 1,000-gallon pond, small bales of barley straw can be used and tucked away in the filter, out of view. But in a sizable pond or lake, large bales are cumbersome to haul and position.

Not only that, but they also need to be broken apart to allow the right amount of oxygen in the middle of the bale so it properly decomposes, which means all that loose material will float to the pond’s surface and really make a mess of things.

Rather than wrangle all that barley straw, try an Airmax® Aeration System instead coupled with a beneficial bacteria product, like MuckAway. The aeration system will circulate the pond water, allowing the bacteria to break down all the muck.

Low amounts of nutrients in the pond means less food for plants and weeds—and that’s some chemistry every lake owner should understand.

Pond Talk: Do you prefer aeration and beneficial bacteria over barley straw? If so, why?

Filed under: Aeration, Algae Control, MuckAway, Natural Water Treatments, Pond & Lake, Season-Long Control | Tagged: barley, barley bale, barley straw, barley straw bale | Leave a Comment »