"news.pcisys.net" wrote:

I still have a 3/4 a bail of straw ("they" said it was barley straw)
from last year. Did not do much for the water, or so it would seem.
Maybe I had it placed improperly. From what I am reading now, it should
not be submerged all the way to the bottom and probably not place in
the bio filter either.
Maybe I will give it another try placed near the top of the water.

It needs to be at the surface. Place straw in return portion of the
bio-filter and/or anywhere in the pond where good water flow and current
occur. Sunlight and water flow are curcial elements in the decomposition
process. Make sure you use both elements in choosing the location for
your bag(s) to be placed.

When properly applied, naturally occurring microorganisms decompose the
lignins in the barley, releasing humic substances (dissolved organic
carbon) in the water. In the presence of sunlight and oxygen, these
compounds are converted into low levels of hydrogen peroxide. The
hydrogen peroxide is the component that modifies the pond chemistry to
improve pond clarity. Hydrogen peroxide itself is relatively unstable
and does not persist in water, but the slow release effect from the
barley straw provides a constant source of hydrogen peroxide. The
effects from barley straw will begin as early as one to two weeks after
installation, and will remain effective for between four and six months.

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