I have seen good and bad come out of useing a floculate. Some require
light for so many hours and so many ours of continuous filtration and
lots of filter cleaning. I know you said your not wanting to use
chemicals, but aluminum sulphate is not harmfull. I am a a true
believer in it, in the form of Baraclear-80.....If it can turn my
natural pond into a very good looking and nice water quality like it
did I am sure it would work for a liner or barrel setup as well. I had
thought my water was nice and clear late last year, but this year its
just never been like this before and absolutely great.........

On Thu, 21 Apr 2005 21:02:56 GMT, Elaine T
wrote:

===Betcha you've heard that question before...but I did read the FAQ.
===Unfortunately, I still have green water and I thought I'd done
===everything natural to cure it. I've finally got 75% of the surface of
===my 3 barrels shaded with water hyacinth, water lettuce, and duckweed.
===The WH has almost doubled in 2 weeks. Oxygenators are growing well,
===with about 4 bunches in each barrel. I've got marginals in each barrel
===too now - some are just getting started but the Acorus, fiber optic
===grass, umbrella palm and canna lily are growing well. I also started
===some watercress and it seems to be taking hold. My newly planted Iris
===are breaking the surface now, and pickerel is getting close. I can't
===see the water lily in the green water so no idea whether it's growing or
===not.
===
===I've tested the water and there's no ammonia, nitrite, or even nitrate.
=== pH is 7.4. I don't have a phosphate test. It seems I have enough
===biofiltration. I have two of these 4" strainers
===http://www.calpump.com/productsub.as...0T&category=10 on my
===pump intake covered with their thick foam prefilters and filled with
===bioballs. Actually one is half Chemi Pure and half bioballs at the
===moment. I have about 65 gallons of water housing 3 2" shubunkins, 3
===white clouds, 2 gambusia, and some ramshorn snails. The smaller fish
===have been in the pond for a total of 10 weeks with the first shubie
===added a little over a month ago.
===
===The plants have apparantly finally sucked all the nitrates out of the
===water, according to plan. The nitrate has dropped from about 5-7 ppm to
===zero since I added the WH and duckweed. I've also been fertilizing
===regularly with iron, trace elements, and potash the way I do fishtanks
===to help the plants out. Even the green fuzz has slowed down to the
===point that the fish and snails are keeping it lawnmowed. Bu the green
===water keeps right on going.
===
===So, I have shaded water, no nitrates, a TON of now nitrogen-starved
===plantlife, hopefully adequte filtration and the water is still so green
===and murky I can't see deeper than about 6". Fish? What fish?
===
===I'm at a loss. Chemicals are not an option as I intend to eat my
===watercress, and the cost of a UV unit is currently prohibitive. Do I
===need more filtration, even though there's no ammonia or nitrite? Do I
===leave things alone and wait now that nitrates are zero? Do I add
===nitrate in case the plants are starved for it and can't outcompete the
===algae? Should I try a flocculating agent? Help!


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Put some color in your cheeks...garden naked!