Pond Boss Forums AQUATIC VEGETATION Controlling unwanted plants Has anyone used CLEAN-FLO products?

I'm having trouble with FA getting the best of my on my 0.40 surface acre pond. I've tried manually removing all FA (back again in as little as 2 weeks), I've used Cutrine Plus as recommended and same, algae dies, but is back with vengeance in as little as 1-2 weeks. I've read about their product called Lake Clear (liquid gallon) and seems to mostly attack excessive nutrients in the water versus being an algaecide or herbicide. The problem I think I have is excessive nutrients that is feeding the algae blooms. Just wanted to see if anyone has experience with their products. Thanks in advance.

Hey Doc,


Yes I do. As a matter of fact I have been using the C-flo 1 pound bacteria bags for the 3rd year now. I use 2 each year. 1 in May and 1 in July. Along with my air I have seen some nice muck reduction in my pond. I would say about 8 inches or so in the past 3 years it is not a quick fix by any means. I do NOT know about all their other products but this one works for me. I still get some FA don't get me wrong but it was less this year for me than last year. Seems to be getting a little better each year as I reduce my nutrient load. I am not really sure there is a fix all for FA but I have been happy with the 1 product I have used from them. If you do try it please let us know how it works for you.

RC

I tried their gallon of helpful bacteria last fall. I don't know how much time the bacteria had to work as the water was cooling down. Most of my oak leaves went in late this past fall and heavy drops into the pond over the winter and spring due to long harsh winter and high winds this spring. I probably should put some more healthy bacteria in this spring. However I have a new pond with limited plant life, very clear water, a set up for FA. I also have fertilized lawn all around it with gentle slope from all sides into the pond, I'm sure I get some fertilizer run off too.

I tried a bottle of their diatom builder (can't recall name) as I was interested in building the food chain to support the grass shrimp. Again, I have no idea how one determines if diatoms levels are up or down. I have not had an algae bloom but I have had some FA show up in the past week in small amounts.

I don't have a muck issue and I doubt bacteria can totally eat up whole oak leaves off the bottom.

I wonder if aeration has anything to do with FA at all. It seems sun and nutrients, water temp and plants, perhaps other wildlife visiting the pond have more to do with it.

I did throw in a few tilapia babies from the local hydroponics store just to see how much they grow in a Michigan summer/fall. It is more for fun than anything as suppliers I have talked to on and off the forum feel that I need about 40 pounds of tilapia and I need brooding stock to produce millions of babies to control FA. I'm not ready to commit to that yet, just curious how well the tilapia do, how much they grow and maybe have a fish fry in the fall

With no other fish to eat the Tilapia, and depending on size, age, species stocked, you could have high 5 figures worth in there near the end of the season.

Blue tilapia spawned in a pond stocked now would be bearing offspring one-four times at the end of a season.

Tell me more Rainman?

I have pure strain Blue Tilapia. I think there were about 10-15 fish about 2" long and 10-15 at 1" long. Assuming they all live, how long before they are old enough to lay eggs? I assume eggs will just hatch and start growing and then I'll run out of time in the season? This means that I might be able to catch about 20 full size adults providing no coons or GBH get them, but the thousands of young will die as well.

Do tilapia eat anything besides algae? Decaying leaves? other thin aquatic plants? insects or mosquito eggs?

Will they show up in the shallows when they grow larger or will they largely stay out of sight in the deeper water?

The hydroponics store started with some babies last october and they had a few of the biggest tilapia I've ever seen in their tanks.

Would they eat softened up fish pellets?

Very neat to learn about!