Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Water chemistry Phoslock

Does anyone have any experience with Phoslock? I am told it can really knock down the phosphorus levels in my pond and eliminate the blue-green algae blooms I get in the hottest days of August.

Any feedback would be appreciated.

I applied Phosloc to a clients .8 ac pond this year. It seemed to help as there was less of an algae bloom in the pond. A water sample is due to be taken and sent out to be tested in June - one year after application. From the looks of it, it helped a lot, but it wasn't inexpensive.....

My water is generally greenish in color. I've probably got too many fish and almost 50 years of leaves on the bottom. I've really knocked out the filamentous algae with bacteria and aeration, but planktonic is another story.

Did the Phoslock application do any good in changing the water color? I'd like to tone down the green water if possible.

Reduction of changing even the balance of nutrients can have noticeable changes in the type of plants that will grow. You may notice water color changes next spring and summer. Watch for changes of color and water clarity and then respond accordingly. Certain bluegreen planktonic algae blooms are responding to a lack of nitrogen with phosphorus still present. Add nitrogen and bluegreen will often be replaced by more beneficial green algae. Nutrient tests of dissolved Phos and nitrate will indicate when one is too low and governing the algae balance. For the best nutrient balance you want at least 20 nitrates to 1 dissolved phosphorus. 30:1 or 40:1 is better. It is best to test for dissolved or soluable P not total P.

Bill-
I'm getting ready to treat my one acre pond with Phoslock at the end of April. We've had one sunny day over 55 degrees here in NJ and the water had already turned green.

Have you had any experience with Phoslock? The research I've seen says it can really knock down the phosphorous levels and sequester them in the bottom deposits. I'll try anything at this point.

Thanks

I'm curious to know the results of the Phoslock application last year. Did it tone down the planktonic or is it too early to tell?

thanks!

I'm scheduled to swing by that particular pond on Friday. I'll post my observations on Monday when I get back from Missouri.