Summit Clear-Water Barley Straw Pond Treatment, 2-Pack, Treats upto 2000 Gallons, 1000 Gallons per Bale

We have a new pond this summer and it gets about 9 hours of full sunlight. We got algae issues immediately. We knew it would take a while for the pond plants to grow and shade the water but it might take a long time. We used API Pond Algaefix (about half a cup) every 4-5 days to keep it from turning into complete pea soup. It would work a bit, but never get crystal clear which we were okay with. But every time we used it, some of the bigger fish we had (we inherited some 5 inch koi from friends) would look like they were in a coma for a day. They'd recover, but it didn't feel good to use a algae killer like that. Hence the search for an algae fixer that wasn't toxic to our fish. After reading, we decided to use this. It seemed like it would take up to a month for the barley straw to break down and release whatever miracle algae inhibiting chemicals. We also bought some Crystal Clear barley extract to jump start the process. So here's what happened. On day one, we added the two barley straw bundles to the top of our little waterfall. We added 1/4 cup of API Algaefix (because we figured there was NO way the barley would work that fast), plus about 3/4 cup of the Crystal Clear Barley extract. The pond was pretty cloudy. We couldnt' see the bottom (about 2 feet deep in some places). Day two: Pretty clear. Like, better than when we used the API Algaefix alone. We figured we're not sure what really worked, but hey, it worked, and the fish were swimming around looking very good. No coma fish. Day three-seven (it's been one week). Crystal clear. LIke, mountain stream picturesque crystal clear. There is NO way this sustained clarity has anything to do with the Algaefix or even the barley extract. WE can only think it's from the barley straw. It's amazing. The plants look great. The fish are healthy and getting fatter by the day. (We only feed them about once a week--most of the time they forage on their own and do great). The only caveat: we used to have water bugs and other water surface insects. We haven't seen a single once since the barley went in. No explanation for that. Weird. We have lots of dragonflies and they seem fine. All in all, SUCH an amazing product. We are so happy we did a little research and found this. No more algaecide! No more waiting for the pond plants to grow in. I'm shocked that it worked so fast and it's still going so great!

. . . you just have to give it time, and if your pond is already terrible, it will take longer. Also, make sure to place this in moving water, i.e. under a waterfall, above an air bubbler, river, or over a water circulation jet.

Have two stock tanks on property for wildlife-birds, deer, frogs etc. The tank water does not have a pump. Fill from a faucet, so the water is still. One tank is shady - other in full sun, so we have algae issue with shadier one. These barley bales help keep the algae from growing. Always have a bale or two in each tank and it keeps the water very clear in the full sun tank and under control in the shady one. Inexpensive way to control algae without having to remember to add liquid additives. The reason for 4 stars - wrapped in a light netting to hold barley straw together but we have issue in shady tank with something (hawk, feral cat, large birds) diving into the tank and shredding the bale. We submerge the bale in the tank by wedging between flat rocks birds use to stand in tank and bathe and it still gets shredded. Not every day, not every week but regular enough to be a nuisance and another bale needs to be added. In the sunny tank, the bale is not messed with and it lasts a good while. When it starts to smell, you know its time to put in a fresh bale. You can rinse the used bale by flushing with a hard water stream from you hose, let it dry and reuse. Been using for several years. Recommend.

This stuff is amazing! I was VERY skeptical that a hay bale would clear up my emerald green Koi pond, but dang if it didn't! One review said they last 3 months, and after about 3 weeks it was much clearer, but it wasn't crystal clear and it didn't seem to be improving, so I threw in another one. Now, it's crystal clear. I'm curious how long it will stay that way, but I'm ready with a new order if it starts turning green again. My only problem is, I would love to find this in bulk, but I found that the feed stores don't have barley based hay. I love having a clear pond but $10 for a few small bales when a huge bale from the feed store is $15, seems a bit high. I've included some photos. The green photo is from June 25th and the clear one is from July 17th. Booya!!! :) (Note: I put the first bale in on June 17th, but didn't take a picture until the 25th). UPDATE 5/27/2016: So, they worked the first time, but not the next. I tried them a few times and got frustrated because they weren't working. I read the instructions and it says, "put near a water fall" but I don't have a waterfall that runs 24/7. I do, however, have spitters that run all the time. So, I bought some of these http://www.amazon.com/Improved-Secured-Closure-Replacement-Guarantee/dp/B00KGEDB60?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00 and broke open a bale. Put the hay inside the wash bag and used that in my filter http://www.amazon.com/TetraPond-SF1-Submersible-Flat-Filter/dp/B0024EFYU6?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00 I just replaced one of the filter pads with the was bag. This worked amazing! I just wish I could find bulk barley hay for a reasonable price! UPDATE: 8/10/2015 - So, I still love this stuff, but I've noticed it stops working after about a month. I just put in a new bale on 8/8/2015 because it was starting to cloud up again. I'm also using the barley flakes. The reviews said they work faster than the bales. I also noticed if you leave the bales in, they do disintegrate and you'll find the barley splinters in your filter and floating in the water. I'll update regarding the flakes, but will probably continue to use both.

I have a 200 gallon pond, preformed black plastic molded liner. I have a pump waterfall attached to a flat Tetra filter with a combo of green (big holes) and white (fine like cotton batting made for pond filters) as the media inside. It I have a netting covering the pond to keep the leaves out. Pond is on 50/50 sun/shade throughout the day, each part getting some sun & some shade while the sun moves through the sky. I had been having problems with smelly, green water and was looking for a safe, natural way to control the algae and muck at the bottom when I came across these barley bales. I received them 10 days ago and used one. I tied it with a plastic zip tie to keep it from sinking and put it next to the water fall to make sure plenty of oxygen exchange is going on. This is also the pump, so it's the clean water that just came through the filter. 24 hours later, the water looked 50% clearer, but was developing an orange tint. A week later, the water is much clearer but looks like a retaining pond full of rusty pipes. The fish seem to be OK so far, but I don't think this is normal as no one else has mentioned this and none of the photos shared by other users show orange water ponds. I searched the reason for orange pond water and it said it's from tannins that can be released from decompensation of leaves. But I don't have leaves in my pond, they're stopped by the net and cleared off each day. I use a swimming pool skimmer net to remove any other debris out of the water, so my hypotheses is the orange/rust color of the water directly correlate to when I added the barley bale. I'll be happy to update this review if I receive a response from the company or a pond expert who might give me a different reason for this. Pros: The amount of barley straw received is a great deal for the price. In small ponds, these 2 bales could last you a year.

These are a must have for pond owners who want to control algae! We tuck these into our waterfalls to keep the algae at bay. We usually replace once or twice throughout the season since they break down after time.

Keeping my pond clear and hair algae free

These work for about 2 weeks. You must put them in moving water.

Cela devrait purifier l'eau de mon bassin mais il faut attendre 1 mois pour voir le resultat.J'esere que cela va marcher

Very happy with the product. Smells and feels like Hay

Tengo mi estanque al aire libre y en una zona que le da el sol la mayor parte del día. Tenía tiempo batallando con las algas. Después de un mes de tener las pajas en el agua el alga disminuyó notoriamente.

To try to restrict algae in pond!

its a great and effective product