Barley Straw Extract for Green Water Algae ?
 

Does anyone have experience treating "green water algae" infestations with
barley straw extract ? What were your conclusions ? Did it work or not
work ?

Also, does it actually *kill* the algae ? Or does it just clarify the water
in some other way ? I have a 55gal tank and the bottle I was looking at
online at www.thatfishplace.com says it treats 2,500gals. So that's making
me think now that I have the infestation, I'll have to treat it forever and
ever.

If barley straw extract ISN'T the best way to deal with green water algae,
what is ?

Thanks - Shawn

Barley Straw Extract for Green Water Algae ?
 

Shawn
I have eliminate Green water by turning the lights off until the water
cleared, about three days.
Al

"Shawn P. Good" wrote in message
...
Does anyone have experience treating "green water algae" infestations with
barley straw extract ? What were your conclusions ? Did it work or not
work ?

Also, does it actually *kill* the algae ? Or does it just clarify the
water
in some other way ? I have a 55gal tank and the bottle I was looking at
online at www.thatfishplace.com says it treats 2,500gals. So that's
making
me think now that I have the infestation, I'll have to treat it forever
and
ever.

If barley straw extract ISN'T the best way to deal with green water algae,
what is ?

Thanks - Shawn

Barley Straw Extract for Green Water Algae ?
 

I had thought about that, but wondered what effect that would have on my
plants. Do you have a planted tank ?


"Al Boswell" wrote in message
...
Shawn
I have eliminate Green water by turning the lights off until the water
cleared, about three days.
Al

"Shawn P. Good" wrote in message
...
Does anyone have experience treating "green water algae" infestations
with
barley straw extract ? What were your conclusions ? Did it work or not
work ?

Also, does it actually *kill* the algae ? Or does it just clarify the
water
in some other way ? I have a 55gal tank and the bottle I was looking at
online at www.thatfishplace.com says it treats 2,500gals. So that's
making
me think now that I have the infestation, I'll have to treat it forever
and
ever.

If barley straw extract ISN'T the best way to deal with green water
algae,
what is ?

Thanks - Shawn

Barley Straw Extract for Green Water Algae ?
 

"Shawn P. Good" wrote in message
...
Does anyone have experience treating "green water algae" infestations
with
barley straw extract ? What were your conclusions ? Did it work or
not
work ?

Also, does it actually *kill* the algae ? Or does it just clarify the
water
in some other way ? I have a 55gal tank and the bottle I was looking
at
online at www.thatfishplace.com says it treats 2,500gals. So that's
making
me think now that I have the infestation, I'll have to treat it forever
and
ever.

If barley straw extract ISN'T the best way to deal with green water
algae,
what is ?

Thanks - Shawn

I've tried barley pellets, but the results were inconclusive. P-Clear is
a new flocculent from Hagen (and B-Clear is their biological version),
and I recently had a customer come in just to tell me how well it worked
to clear his algae bloom. Put some fine (disposable) floss in the filter
whenever you use a flocculent (so you can trap and throw the algae out
before the flocculent breaks down. I'm not normally a fan of flocculants
(reserving them for when I need a spotless tank before a mother-in-law
visit ;~), but algae blooms can be very frustrating to correct, and there
are very few consistent cures (ie: diatom filter). It may be that this
customer's algae bloom was just about to clear on its own, and it was
just coincidentally that P-clear was being used when it happened, so if
anyone has some experience with this product, please share it with us.

NetMax

Barley Straw Extract for Green Water Algae ?
 

Shawan
I have a planted tank and noticed no adverse affect on the plants with the
lights off for three days.

Al
"Shawn P. Good" wrote in message
...
I had thought about that, but wondered what effect that would have on my
plants. Do you have a planted tank ?


"Al Boswell" wrote in message
...
Shawn
I have eliminate Green water by turning the lights off until the water
cleared, about three days.
Al

"Shawn P. Good" wrote in message
...
Does anyone have experience treating "green water algae" infestations
with
barley straw extract ? What were your conclusions ? Did it work or
not
work ?

Also, does it actually *kill* the algae ? Or does it just clarify the
water
in some other way ? I have a 55gal tank and the bottle I was looking
at
online at www.thatfishplace.com says it treats 2,500gals. So that's
making
me think now that I have the infestation, I'll have to treat it
forever
and
ever.

If barley straw extract ISN'T the best way to deal with green water
algae,
what is ?

Thanks - Shawn

Barley Straw Extract for Green Water Algae ?
 

I've tried it, and did not have any success.
The only thing that worked for me in my
tank (75G, freshwater) was getting a diatom
filter (the vortex V-1), and it cleared it in
under 2 hours. The green water was so thick,
you couldn't even see 1/3 of the distance through
the short length of the tank (ie: visibility about 5").
I only have had to repeat the process once since
then, due to a slight recurrence a month later, and
since then I have been green-water-free for
over 6 months now.

Doug


"Shawn P. Good" wrote in message
...
Does anyone have experience treating "green water algae" infestations with
barley straw extract ? What were your conclusions ? Did it work or not
work ?

Also, does it actually *kill* the algae ? Or does it just clarify the
water
in some other way ? I have a 55gal tank and the bottle I was looking at
online at www.thatfishplace.com says it treats 2,500gals. So that's
making
me think now that I have the infestation, I'll have to treat it forever
and
ever.

If barley straw extract ISN'T the best way to deal with green water algae,
what is ?

Thanks - Shawn

Barley Straw Extract for Green Water Algae ?
 

I've tried it, and did not have any success.
The only thing that worked for me in my
tank (75G, freshwater) was getting a diatom
filter (the vortex V-1), and it cleared it in
under 2 hours. The green water was so thick,
you couldn't even see 1/3 of the distance through
the short length of the tank (ie: visibility about 5").
I only have had to repeat the process once since
then, due to a slight recurrence a month later, and
since then I have been green-water-free for
over 6 months now.

Doug


"Shawn P. Good" wrote in message
...
Does anyone have experience treating "green water algae" infestations with
barley straw extract ? What were your conclusions ? Did it work or not
work ?

Also, does it actually *kill* the algae ? Or does it just clarify the
water
in some other way ? I have a 55gal tank and the bottle I was looking at
online at www.thatfishplace.com says it treats 2,500gals. So that's
making
me think now that I have the infestation, I'll have to treat it forever
and
ever.

If barley straw extract ISN'T the best way to deal with green water algae,
what is ?

Thanks - Shawn

Barley Straw Extract for Green Water Algae ?
 

"NetMax" wrote in message
...

"Shawn P. Good" wrote in message
...
SNIP...

If barley straw extract ISN'T the best way to deal with green water
algae,
what is ?

Thanks - Shawn

I've tried barley pellets, but the results were inconclusive. P-Clear is
a new flocculent from Hagen (and B-Clear is their biological version),
and I recently had a customer come in just to tell me how well it worked
to clear his algae bloom. Put some fine (disposable) floss in the filter
whenever you use a flocculent (so you can trap and throw the algae out
before the flocculent breaks down. I'm not normally a fan of flocculants
(reserving them for when I need a spotless tank before a mother-in-law
visit ;~), but algae blooms can be very frustrating to correct, and there
are very few consistent cures (ie: diatom filter). It may be that this
customer's algae bloom was just about to clear on its own, and it was
just coincidentally that P-clear was being used when it happened, so if
anyone has some experience with this product, please share it with us.

NetMax

I've had good luck with Accurel F and a sponge filter or any other fine
filter. It a black water extract of some sort, I think. Works really well
for a quick fix ... till you solve the underlying problems.

Bob

Barley Straw Extract for Green Water Algae ?
 

On Sun, 21 Mar 2004 10:48:37 -0500, "Shawn P. Good"
wrote:

Does anyone have experience treating "green water algae" infestations with
barley straw extract ? What were your conclusions ? Did it work or not
work ?

Also, does it actually *kill* the algae ? Or does it just clarify the water
in some other way ? I have a 55gal tank and the bottle I was looking at
online at www.thatfishplace.com says it treats 2,500gals. So that's making
me think now that I have the infestation, I'll have to treat it forever and
ever.

If barley straw extract ISN'T the best way to deal with green water algae,
what is ?

I had exceptional luck with it in my pond outside - about 100 gallons
or so, certainly no more than that. I got results within a week, and
it lasted for a couple of weeks until the raccoons found it and
decided to coat my lawn with barley pellets.
This was the Laguna bagged stuff - I've heard nothing about using
liquid extracts or the like, but I don't know that they would work. I
believe the principle behind it is that the slow decay of the barley
releases enzymes that discourage algae growth.. I can't see a liquid
providing any sort of time release decay.

Barley Straw Extract for Green Water Algae ?
 

"Rikko" wrote in message
...

This was the Laguna bagged stuff - I've heard nothing about using
liquid extracts or the like, but I don't know that they would work. I
believe the principle behind it is that the slow decay of the barley
releases enzymes that discourage algae growth.. I can't see a liquid
providing any sort of time release decay.

There are liquid products around that are made from barley extract.
They are supposed to contain the same enzymes -- you simply have
to dose them every few days. I tried one of these for a few months
to see whether I'd make any progress on a slight green water problem
and some green fuzz algae. To me, the stuff didn't seem to be effective.
(Of course, there may have been other issues with my water parameters
at the time that were dominant, so the barley extract couldn't work.)

In general, with algae growth, there is something not quite
in balance in the tank. To me, the best way to address the problem
then is to find out what's not right and address that. If I add
something to an already out-of-balance tank, thereby really
putting it even more out of balance, that seems unlikely to be
remedy for the problem (except maybe as a short-term fix).

Cheers,

Michi.

--
Michi Henning Ph: +61 4 1118-2700
ZeroC, Inc. http://www.zeroc.com

Barley Straw Extract for Green Water Algae ?
 

"Rikko" wrote in message
...

This was the Laguna bagged stuff - I've heard nothing about using
liquid extracts or the like, but I don't know that they would work. I
believe the principle behind it is that the slow decay of the barley
releases enzymes that discourage algae growth.. I can't see a liquid
providing any sort of time release decay.

There are liquid products around that are made from barley extract.
They are supposed to contain the same enzymes -- you simply have
to dose them every few days. I tried one of these for a few months
to see whether I'd make any progress on a slight green water problem
and some green fuzz algae. To me, the stuff didn't seem to be effective.
(Of course, there may have been other issues with my water parameters
at the time that were dominant, so the barley extract couldn't work.)

In general, with algae growth, there is something not quite
in balance in the tank. To me, the best way to address the problem
then is to find out what's not right and address that. If I add
something to an already out-of-balance tank, thereby really
putting it even more out of balance, that seems unlikely to be
remedy for the problem (except maybe as a short-term fix).

Cheers,

Michi.

--
Michi Henning Ph: +61 4 1118-2700
ZeroC, Inc. http://www.zeroc.com

Barley Straw Extract for Green Water Algae ?
 

"Rikko" wrote in message
...

This was the Laguna bagged stuff - I've heard nothing about using
liquid extracts or the like, but I don't know that they would work. I
believe the principle behind it is that the slow decay of the barley
releases enzymes that discourage algae growth.. I can't see a liquid
providing any sort of time release decay.

There are liquid products around that are made from barley extract.
They are supposed to contain the same enzymes -- you simply have
to dose them every few days. I tried one of these for a few months
to see whether I'd make any progress on a slight green water problem
and some green fuzz algae. To me, the stuff didn't seem to be effective.
(Of course, there may have been other issues with my water parameters
at the time that were dominant, so the barley extract couldn't work.)

In general, with algae growth, there is something not quite
in balance in the tank. To me, the best way to address the problem
then is to find out what's not right and address that. If I add
something to an already out-of-balance tank, thereby really
putting it even more out of balance, that seems unlikely to be
remedy for the problem (except maybe as a short-term fix).

Cheers,

Michi.

--
Michi Henning Ph: +61 4 1118-2700
ZeroC, Inc. http://www.zeroc.com

Barley Straw Extract for Green Water Algae ?
 

"Rikko" wrote in message
...

This was the Laguna bagged stuff - I've heard nothing about using
liquid extracts or the like, but I don't know that they would work. I
believe the principle behind it is that the slow decay of the barley
releases enzymes that discourage algae growth.. I can't see a liquid
providing any sort of time release decay.

There are liquid products around that are made from barley extract.
They are supposed to contain the same enzymes -- you simply have
to dose them every few days. I tried one of these for a few months
to see whether I'd make any progress on a slight green water problem
and some green fuzz algae. To me, the stuff didn't seem to be effective.
(Of course, there may have been other issues with my water parameters
at the time that were dominant, so the barley extract couldn't work.)

In general, with algae growth, there is something not quite
in balance in the tank. To me, the best way to address the problem
then is to find out what's not right and address that. If I add
something to an already out-of-balance tank, thereby really
putting it even more out of balance, that seems unlikely to be
remedy for the problem (except maybe as a short-term fix).

Cheers,

Michi.

--
Michi Henning Ph: +61 4 1118-2700
ZeroC, Inc. http://www.zeroc.com

Barley Straw Extract for Green Water Algae ?
 

"Rikko" wrote in message
...

This was the Laguna bagged stuff - I've heard nothing about using
liquid extracts or the like, but I don't know that they would work. I
believe the principle behind it is that the slow decay of the barley
releases enzymes that discourage algae growth.. I can't see a liquid
providing any sort of time release decay.

There are liquid products around that are made from barley extract.
They are supposed to contain the same enzymes -- you simply have
to dose them every few days. I tried one of these for a few months
to see whether I'd make any progress on a slight green water problem
and some green fuzz algae. To me, the stuff didn't seem to be effective.
(Of course, there may have been other issues with my water parameters
at the time that were dominant, so the barley extract couldn't work.)

In general, with algae growth, there is something not quite
in balance in the tank. To me, the best way to address the problem
then is to find out what's not right and address that. If I add
something to an already out-of-balance tank, thereby really
putting it even more out of balance, that seems unlikely to be
remedy for the problem (except maybe as a short-term fix).

Cheers,

Michi.

--
Michi Henning Ph: +61 4 1118-2700
ZeroC, Inc. http://www.zeroc.com

Barley Straw Extract for Green Water Algae ?
 

"Rikko" wrote in message
...

This was the Laguna bagged stuff - I've heard nothing about using
liquid extracts or the like, but I don't know that they would work. I
believe the principle behind it is that the slow decay of the barley
releases enzymes that discourage algae growth.. I can't see a liquid
providing any sort of time release decay.

There are liquid products around that are made from barley extract.
They are supposed to contain the same enzymes -- you simply have
to dose them every few days. I tried one of these for a few months
to see whether I'd make any progress on a slight green water problem
and some green fuzz algae. To me, the stuff didn't seem to be effective.
(Of course, there may have been other issues with my water parameters
at the time that were dominant, so the barley extract couldn't work.)

In general, with algae growth, there is something not quite
in balance in the tank. To me, the best way to address the problem
then is to find out what's not right and address that. If I add
something to an already out-of-balance tank, thereby really
putting it even more out of balance, that seems unlikely to be
remedy for the problem (except maybe as a short-term fix).

Cheers,

Michi.

--
Michi Henning Ph: +61 4 1118-2700
ZeroC, Inc. http://www.zeroc.com