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How Do I Treat for Chara/Algae? – Pond & Lake Q & A

Posted on March 6, 2009 by thepondguy

Picture of a bed of chara/algae

Pond & Lake Q & A

Q: How do I get rid of a chara infestation?
– Dave of Ohio

A: During the early beginnings of spring have you ever took that first stroll around the pond and discovered an awful musky smell that filled the air? That smell is chara, and it seems to take off like a wildfire during the early spring. Did you know that if you rake it out before treating it, you risk spreading it even more! So what do you do? The proper way to get rid of chara is the following:

First: Treat the chara using an algaecide
Since chara is a form of algae, using an algaecide such as Algae Defense® or Clipper™ is a great way to treat for the chara. Algae Defense® is best used when there are no koi, goldfish or trout in the pond. All other fish are fine. Also there are no water use restrictions with Algae Defense®. If your pond does contain koi, goldfish or trout then using Clipper™ is the way to go. The only downside with Clipper™ are its water use restrictions. Read more about those restrictions here.

Second: Wait 10 to 14 Days
The important step here is the wait the 10 to 14 days to make sure the chara has died from the algaecide treatment. Like I mentioned eariler, if you rake while the chara is still alive, it can spread.

Third & Final: Rake out the chara
Use the The Pond Guy® Pond & Beach Rake to rake out the chara from the pond. The Pond & Beach Rake includes a 25′ rope so you can throw the rake out into the pond and tug it in. I would rake the same area 2 or 3 times to make sure you removed all of the chara. Chara, fortunately is very easy to rake off of the bottom.

The other hidden benefit of raking chara, is the removal of the black muck on the bottom of the pond. This muck is a nutrient source for weeds and algae so removing it will help you that much more at maintaining the pond. Once finished with the raking, using MuckAway™ Pellets will help breakdown any future muck that may accumulate.

Filed under: Algae Control, Chara (Algae), Pond & Lake | Tagged: , , | 10 Comments »

Season-Long Algae Control with the ClearPAC® – Pond & Lake Q & A

Posted on August 1, 2008 by thepondguy

ClearPAC® – Season-Long Pond Care in One Convenient Package

Q: Is there any one product that I can use to get my pond cleared up? I have tried numerous products from my local feed store with little to no success. Please help! – Jason of Indiana

A: One of the best ways to maintain your pond all year long is to get a ClearPAC®. The ClearPAC® is a collection of products that come in one package designed to make the maintenance of your pond as simple as possible. The following is a list of the products that are included within the ClearPAC® and what their purposes are:

Algae Defense® – The Algae Killer*: Algae Defense® is an algaecide that once sprayed onto algae, within hours the algae is dead. It is very fast acting. If algae is present in your pond, we recommend using Algae Defense® to kill off the algae before starting the rest of the package.

PondClear™ – The Natural Bacteria: PondClear™ is one of the best products used in the market today to help keep your pond clean and clear. These easy-to-use water soluble packets, once toss into the water, go to work immediately to breakdown muck, remove excess nutrients and eliminate noxious odors. PondClear™ will naturally improve a pond’s water clarity by attacking suspended organic waste. This powerful bacteria can breakdown as much as 5 inches of muck per year! We recommend using PondClear™ every two weeks throughout the season when water temperatures are above 55° Fahrenheit.

Nature’s Blue™ – The Pond Dye: This super concentrated pond dye works great at giving your pond a long lasting natural blue color as well as filtering out sunlight. This quart is so concentrated that it is equal to many other pond dye gallons out on the market.

EcoBoost™ – The Eco-Enhancer: EcoBoost™ works to bind up excess nutrients and sinks them to the pond’s bottom to make them unavailable as a food source for algae. EcoBoost™ also helps stimulate the PondClear™ natural bacteria. Once EcoBoost™ has settled the nutrients to the pond’s bottom, PondClear™ goes to work to break them down further. PondClear™ and EcoBoost™ are a fantastic “one-two punch” to keep your pond clean and clear.

The ClearPAC® is a great way to keep your pond clean, clear and healthy all season. We always recommend to add an aeration system to help further enhance the performance of the ClearPAC®. (Click here to read more about aeration). The ClearPAC® comes in two different sizes, the 1/4 Acre ClearPAC® and the 1/2 Acre ClearPAC®. There is enough product to treat the ponds for up to 6 months!

*Algae Defense® cannot be shipped to the following states: California, Connecticut, Maine, New Jersey, New York and Washington. Algae Defense® will be omitted from orders going to these states.

Filed under: Algae Control, Pond & Lake, Pond Clear, Season-Long Control | Tagged: , , , , , , | Leave a comment »