Product Feature: Activated Pond Carbon

In our July issue we talked about that annoying “green monster” that is algae and how to prevent it and clear it up, but what about the other clarity issues? Some of you might experience brown, tea colored water or just muckiness in general. While owning a pond and/or waterfall has so many wonderful benefits, the maintenance can be the hardest part and sometimes you just can’t make the water stay crystal clear. We have all the right products to solve those water clarity issues in a cinch! 

For those of you that experience the brownish tea colored water, try using Activated Pond Carbon. Brownish water can be the result of leaves and other debris left in your pond or waterfall. Activated Pond Carbon is designed to clear the water while also getting rid of any odor that may be present. Simply place the carbon into the mesh bag (that is included) and anchor it in a spot with the most water flow. For best results, the treatment should be changed every couple of months. 

If you have a different clarity problem such as sludge or mucky water, this could be from too large of a fish population, uneaten food, sludge, and other unwanted debris. Aquascape Sludge & Filter Cleaner contains 5 pure strains of concentrated beneficial bacteria. The combination of natural cleaners helps to maintain a strong biological balance in your pond while cleaning between rocks, gravel and keeping filter pads from becoming clogged. Using the Sludge & Filter Cleaner will result in clean and clear water conditions. Simply pump the treatment into an area that has a lot of water flow and let it do its magic. One pump of Sludge & Filter Cleaner treats 100 gallons of water. 

For more water clarity while also keeping algae at bay, we do suggest using barley straw once you open your pond or waterfall in the spring. The barley straw takes a few weeks to be effective so as soon as the water feature is clean, you can add it.  The barley straw breaks down within a couple weeks and releases enzymes to clear up water and get rid of string algae. If you have not started using the pellets or straw, we also have Barley Straw Extract in our store. Aquascape Barley Straw Extract is extremely concentrated and goes to work right away to clear up water without the barely straw mess. For a limited time we will be giving 10% off on Aquascapes Barley Extract treatment!

While these treatments are extremely effective, just remember your water garden should be kept in balance the way Mother Nature intended and most clarity conditions are from an unbalanced ecosystem. If you have all the right elements in your water feature (filtration, plants, fish, rocks and gravel) then all you need is patience! A balanced ecosystem doesn’t happen overnight so don’t worry if you get a little bit of algae or brown water - if you have all the right elements then everything will fall into place!