Has anyone used this product? Does it work? Is it safe? It's
expensive!


http://www.aquaplancton.co.uk/index.php

From the web page
AQUAPLANCTON brings about mineralisation. When the micro-organisms, which normally digest organic matter become inactive, mud accumulates, causing algae and blanketweed to thrive on the over nutrition. AQUAPLANCTON reactivates these beneficial bacteria which then multiply and consume the mud. This starves algae and blanketweed of nutrition, causing them to die out naturally. Good bacteria, working well, can consume up to 15cm (6") of mud in 6 months.


Don't know what 'mineralisation' is... anyone?
I think oxygen and warmer temps usually wakes up
dormant micro organisms.

If you have a typical small garden lined pond you can simply drain it
and shovel up the sludge yourself. Keeping
plants trimmed and dead plant matter and leaves from heading to the
bottom helps too.
One reason why bottom drains and skimmers are so handy
is they take the work out of that particular chore.

k :-)

On Wed, 4 Jul 2007 12:11:30 CST, John
wrote:

Has anyone used this product? Does it work? Is it safe? It's
expensive!


http://www.aquaplancton.co.uk/index.php

Rounding... 2+ pounds of product for less than $40, US, for the smallest
tub.
Small Ponds: Buy the kilo tub and use 450 grams per square metre
(1-lb to every 10sq ft). Yikes!

It sounds like it might be a buffer (baking soda type stuff) and a bacteria
like BZT. http://www.united-tech.com/m-aq4u-toc.html

At first I thought it might be a good buy, but not at the quality you have
to use. Better to manually clean the bottom (shop-vac) if a small pond, fix
the pH by adding baking soda or some buffering agent. Provide water tests
and people here can suggest best results, then buy just the bacteria. I
paid $30 w/shipping for BZT, but only use 1.5 tsp to maintain.... and
usually after a few initial treatments stop that. Thankfully it has a long
shelf life.

But, if you don't want to mess with all that, and we're talking a bigger
pond, this might be a good idea.

If not here, if you get any feedback elsewhere from someone who has used
it, let us know. ~ jan

------------
Zone 7a, SE Washington State
Ponds: www.jjspond.us

On Wed, 4 Jul 2007 13:14:45 CST, k wrote:

From the web page
Good bacteria, working well, can consume up to 15cm (6") of mud in 6 months.


Okay, that's what the little buggers eat. What do they excrete? I
feel safe in assuming they don't grow into big floating globes that
conveniently take off into the atmosphere, somehow also removing all
the pollutants up there? And what happens to their little bacterial
bodies when they die? Unless someone around the pond has discovered
cold fusion there's this thing that's called conservation of matter.
It all changes, but it's still there.
--

r.bc: vixen
Minnow goddess, Speaker to squirrels, willow watcher.
Almost entirely harmless. Really.

http://www.visi.com/~cyli

"Cyli" wrote

..... And what happens to their little bacterial
bodies when they die? Unless someone around the pond has discovered
cold fusion there's this thing that's called conservation of matter.
It all changes, but it's still there.

And what they consume is transferred into energy for them to eat more, and
survive. And when they die, they become more food for the rest of their
pack.


--
Gareee
(Gary Tabar Jr.)

On Wed, 4 Jul 2007 13:14:45 CST, k wrote:

From the web page
Good bacteria, working well, can consume up to 15cm (6") of mud in 6 months.

This may be an incorrect use of terms, mistake on the manufacturer's part?
Since mud is more dirt than consumable organic matter (YMMV greatly on this
one depending on location). Nothing, other than a shop vac, bottom drain,
or well placed pump & flow, will remove dirt. I think mulm would have been
a better term... or even sludge... which is still a lot of mud, but is more
like pond ewww.

Okay, that's what the little buggers eat. What do they excrete? I
feel safe in assuming they don't grow into big floating globes that
conveniently take off into the atmosphere, somehow also removing all
the pollutants up there? And what happens to their little bacterial
bodies when they die? Unless someone around the pond has discovered
cold fusion there's this thing that's called conservation of matter.
It all changes, but it's still there. Cyli

Chuckled at that first part, kind of like that idea of them floating off
into space, that would be kind of cool....

I'm taking an educated guess that the bacteria's excretions go into the
water column, where with a good filter, will be filtered out, rather than
stuck to the bottom. This may be over simplifying it, but imagine bacteria
like an earth worm, they suck the muck in, and the organics are used to
grow the worm with some waste given off into the water column, but the dirt
still comes out as dirt. Sticking tight to the bottom unless there is flow
to remove it. ~ jan
------------
Zone 7a, SE Washington State
Ponds: www.jjspond.us

This stuff works my pond is very large but i only have to dose it twice a year it takes awhile to get going but it has never been clearer i can actually see my fish.
I Definitely Recommend it.