otto,rainman,and all--i surely am no expert as would not be in the mess i'm in with my pond if i were. with the floods in ga. my pond is full to the brim and will not be able to attempt pond fix until next summer when it drops low again---thus i have to store my kitty litter and pond sealer db-200 until next summer. if anyone has any luck with either of the above please post. i still plan on digging a new mini-core and using red ga. clay in it to try and solve the main problem--my pond sure does look pretty when it's full--and my bluegill seem to be having a wonderful time. like an old fisherman friend of mine wrote in one of his books to me "he never caught much fish but always ate well"---my bluegill seem to take after me---they are eating me out of house and home. i can't believe they grow that much in one year. thanks all----i will check in again soon.