# Good Algae Control Product



## Jerry Barnes (Jan 2, 2008)

Our pond was really green after the ice melted. We had some Tetra Pond Algae Control(I see Amazon has it) we had gotten last fall, but had not used yet. Have applied it twice now and it has really cleared up the pond a lot. You put it in every 3 days at first. Sort of have some foam/bubbles on top, but if your filter is going they soon clear up. We've had a pond for 15 years and this is the best product we've found to de-green the pond. Will continue to use it and see how it works out. We also have a filter and a UV filter.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Jerry, is it safe for fish? 

Greg


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

I use Green Clean from Pond-biz, safe for fish and plants.... 

John


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## Jerry Barnes (Jan 2, 2008)

Yep, it's safe for fish. We've tried lots of products over the year, this is the best by far. Clearing up real well. I imagine the filter is getting clogged though!


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Thanks guys, great tips, one of my fountains holds fish, and gets a bit of algae.... 

Greg


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## Rik (Dec 27, 2007)

Thanks for the tip, Jerry, it worked well for me also.


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## Rik (Dec 27, 2007)

Thanks for the tip, Jerry, it worked well for me also.


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## work4fil (Jan 4, 2008)

Hi Fellas, 

I use chlorine tablets in my fountains. We don't have fish and try to discourage the silly dog from drnking out of it. I had an above ground pool and bought a bunch of the large chlorine tablets. I break off a small piece, toss it in and the fountain clears up. Really only downside is the smell. It lasts for close to a month. Then again we don't get he same amount of sun as the rest of you do here in Washngton. 


Fil


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## FlagstaffLGB (Jul 15, 2012)

Fil, you could switch to Bromine....it doesn't have the smell and should do the same job. I've seen some restaurants (without fish or submerged pond plants) use the large urinal "soap" tabs and they keep the water really clean. I'm sure they wouldn't be good for fish or plants. 

Ed


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## iaviksfan (Dec 27, 2007)

I also bought that product (algae) but havnt tried it yet. Thanks for the review. 
Greg R.


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## HaBi Farm (Aug 28, 2011)

With any algae control, if there is a lot of algae too much control too fast can kill fish. As bacteria in the water decompose the dead algae, it uses up the oxygen in the water. 

the other Rodney


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## jake3404 (Dec 3, 2010)

I'm glad it worked for you Jerry. It didnt for me. I switched to a product called Algae Clear. It is fish safe as well, and is working so far. I only started using it this year and it cleared up the algae real quick after I started the pump.


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## jake3404 (Dec 3, 2010)

Correction: It's called AlgaeFix

AlgaeFix

I also use there EcoFix.


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## lotsasteam (Jan 3, 2008)

Plain see salt, a handful will clear up your pond without harming your fish,i have 2 ponds on my layout and thats what i am using for years successfully!


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## iaviksfan (Dec 27, 2007)

before i go adding the salt and algae clear, is there a certain temperature it works best at or time of year. That leads to how offten do i apply these? Once a month, every other month.......? 
Thanks 
Greg R.


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## Jerry Barnes (Jan 2, 2008)

I don't know, seem to quit working for me.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

so let us know what you try next Jerry... there are different strains of algae, maybe you have a new one that resists your original product. 

Greg


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## HaBi Farm (Aug 28, 2011)

We have had good luck using Potash from Earl May, about 1/2 cup once a week. My wife says that this balances the chemicals in the water so that the water lilies can use up the nitrates that would otherwise go into the algae. 

We also use a UV clarifier and a foam filter.

the other Rodney


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## iaviksfan (Dec 27, 2007)

well, its been 24 hours since adding the Tetra algae control product and what a noticable difference. There is still a few little bits, but i recommend this product. My water lilies are starting to pop up so that will help too. Now how often do you apply this product. 
Thanks, 
Greg R.


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## jake3404 (Dec 3, 2010)

It should say on the bottle. But I think it was once a week.


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## TheRoundHouseRnR (Jul 15, 2012)

OK , I hope this helps shed some light. Most algacides all use the same active ingredients "Poly Oxyethylene, Ethyl ENR, Ethylene Dichloride ", besides microbial based and barley extract. Which are a more natural approach. As explained earlier , these attack and kill the algae. Then the aerobic bacteria has to compensate for this large die off in the pond" dead algae". They go to work hard to break down the debri into nitrates. In doing so they use up copious amounts disolved oxygen in the water depending on how bad the problem was to start off with. The funny part is the dead algae gets broken down into nitrates which is one of the main reasons it started to grow in the first place. This is why its important to do partial water changes after the treatment to keep nitrates in check and to make the treatment most effective. 

Plants do suck up nitrates but in most cases not nearly enough because we love to over load our ponds with fish and then the little guys are always hungry!! lol Plants just can't keep up. So do water changes through out the season. It keeps nitrates in check and adds back essential trace elements from your well or municipal water source to keep a proper KH. 

Now tempature. You now know that algacides can cause a drop in oxygen. THE WARMER WATER GETS , THE LESS TOTAL DISSOLVED OXYGEN. So when your water reaches a tempature of 85 degrees in the summer. Its wise to discontinue the use of algacides. If you are just doing a maintenance doesage to keep things in check, that may be fine. But if your pond is PEE SOUP. I would strongly recommend you don't. The lack of oxygen could cause your fish to go belly up. Remember , Its always easier to treat in the begining of the year and keep under control then to try and elminate the problem in the middle of the season. Which is why some of you may have mixed results using the same product. 

Also, plants that shade the pond from sunlight also are a big help. Algae needs food and light to grow. 

So that was a big blob of info but it helps to understand algae growth and treatment. It can go way deeper then this but its the basic knowledge that most only need to know. 

We carry Microbe Lift Algaeway 5.4 and Algaefix. We found tetra to not be as effective. The 5.4 stands for the % of the dilution rate of the active ingredient . Most have a 4.5% dilution ratio , which is why Microbe lift is our customers favorite. Its just more concentrated. We have our customer treat as often as ever 4 days in the cooler months then cut back when under control. Good luck and watch out for those Herons !! 

The Roundhouse RnR 

PS , a UV light is the safest and easiest way to keep the pond clear. It will not kill any algae growing on rocks or liner but it sure does keep the water clear.


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## jake3404 (Dec 3, 2010)

Thanks for the advice. I'm glad to know that you carry the product I'm using, it makes me think I made the right decision. 

I was wondering about the changing of water you talked about. I routinely have to add water to my system because of evaporation and my pond is really undersized. Would that constitute "changing" water?


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## iaviksfan (Dec 27, 2007)

I have the same problem, being undersized and water evaporation. seems like every 3-4 weeks, gotta add water. Pond is roughly 1200 gallons. I do have a UV filter and yes the water is clear. its just the string algae that's bothersome. 
Thanks 
Greg R.


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## jbwilcox (Jan 2, 2008)

How much do you need to use? My pond is probably 500 - 750 gallons.

Also, how often does it need to be replaced?

Finally, what kind of fish are best for controlling algae?

Right now I just have some cheap feeder gold fish which have grown to about four inches.

John


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## TheRoundHouseRnR (Jul 15, 2012)

These are very common questions and are good to ask. Evaporation is the loss of H2O only. Phosphates and nitrates do not evaporate from the water . They essentially become more concentrated in the pond. Same goes for salt. People end up over salting the pond because they do not realize salt does not evaporate. Only effect way is to do partial water changes of 10 % to 15% regularly. Regularly depends on the size of the pond , fish load, and plants. It can range from every few weeks to monthly. Smaller ponds usually require more. 

Unless you are from a tropical region, there is no options for a good algae eater. Tap door snails are a good substitute. People are led to believe that catfish are a good algae eater because some are in the aquarium world. However the channel catfish found in ponds are carnivores and do not eat algae. Even in the aquarium environment an algae eater is not a catch all, same goes for snails. Keeping algae at bay is all about water quality. Some people have well water that is high in nitrates and phosphates due to being near a farm or other reasons. This can make keeping algae at bay an up hill battle. 

Hope that helps. The Roundhouse RnR


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## TheRoundHouseRnR (Jul 15, 2012)

Ps . A UV can hide water quality issues because the pond appears clear. When you still can have high levels. So always test and watch out for excessive algae growth on liners and rocks. Take note of how the fish are behaving also. Keep up with water changes. It's nice having filters that back flush because they perform water changes while self cleaning.


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## Jerry Barnes (Jan 2, 2008)

We did not have any sea salt this spring. My wife finally got some and we put it in, after trying Sheer Clear and barley extract. It cleaned up real quick after putting the salt in. Guess I'll dig out our salinity test kit and make sure we keep it at the right levels.


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## Vinny D (Jan 25, 2013)

All of the products being mentioned for Algae control have to be used with your UV light turned off....if not you are throwing your money away (read the directions). 
Also, all UV lamps are only good for approx. 12months EVEN if the lamp is still working the UV most likely is not if it has been operating for longer. 
Change the lamp once a season for best results on keeping your water clear.


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## Dick Friedman (Aug 19, 2008)

I don't know why it works, but barley straw bales (sold in our area by Emigh (Amy) Hardware works really well. Just throw the bale into the water. It's about the size of 1/4 of a prestolog. It floats and keeps algae down! 

It organic and cheap! Two things important to me, and it doesn't kill fish.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

If you look 2 posts up from yours, you see that Jerry tried Barley. On previous threads, started even earlier than this one, barley was discussed and worked for several people. (Jerry started this one in 2011!) Jerry seems to have a resistant strain of algae. 

Regards, Greg


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## jbwilcox (Jan 2, 2008)

I had a lot of stringy algae in my pond. I treated it with Algaefix about a week ago. The stringy algae was gone the next day but the rocks on the bottom of the pond are still covered on green algae. The water also cleared up as well. My fish were not affected. The four frogs that live in my pond also survived the treatment. I will treat it again this week to kill off the last bit of stringy algae.


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## noelw (Jan 2, 2008)

Hi Jerry B. Sent you a e-mail if it works..


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