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It all depends on the Ortho P reading how much you need. If you can get alum and hydrated lime, I'd look into going that route first due to costs involved. Price PhosLoc and you'll see what I mean. I know PhosLoc is slightly different than alum/hydrated lime, but I'd like to see an honest side by side test to show whether PhosLoc works better.

It's calculated on acre foot of water, not strictly surface acres.


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esshup #379906 06/17/14 11:21 AM
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Originally Posted By: esshup
It all depends on the Ortho P reading how much you need. If you can get alum and hydrated lime, I'd look into going that route first due to costs involved. Price PhosLoc and you'll see what I mean. I know PhosLoc is slightly different than alum/hydrated lime, but I'd like to see an honest side by side test to show whether PhosLoc works better.

It's calculated on acre foot of water, not strictly surface acres.


Read this, you might find what your looking for:
Comparison of P-inactivation efficacy and ecotoxicity of Alum and Phoslock


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loretta #379915 06/17/14 01:41 PM
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Interesting how someone with a competing product states how poor the alum approach is. They cite alum being most effective at pH 4-6 and how it's quite ineffective at pH8. And Al toxicity to fish, but they admit toxicity isn't much of an issue unless pH less than 6.5.

The anecdotal information here says alum generally works. Perhaps it is less efficient than it could be. We know we need to manage pH. They say alum treatment is worse because buffering for pH can cause rapid changes, but we know to take it easy.

They cite that alum can require application of 2-10x more material than lanthanum. That's nice, unless the La costs 100x.

I found the document very one-sided. While the benefits of their product may be true to some degree, how much can I trust their assertions if it's just a sales brochure? They never try to present application information for the common lake manager to decide what's best for them.

loretta #379929 06/17/14 05:45 PM
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Loretta, I have made applications of phoslock to my pond and have had good results. First , have your water tested for free reactive phosphorus, not just total P. Note: it can be difficult to find a lab that can do this. Phoslock requires constant agitation to distribute evenly. Your aeration system will aid in mixing once it's applied. I applied 1/2 of the phoslock and then tested the water before adding the second half. You really don't want to eliminate all P. The bottom of the food chain needs some to thrive. Alum/hydrated lime was effective also but was costly also because it took a special spray boat to apply. Identifying and reducing or eliminating the source of your P load should be considered to avoid future applications. The folks at seapro have been very helpful through this learning experience and were honest about what it can and can't do. I also manually remove primrose from my water so there is no recycling of those nutrients.
Note: I am no pond pro. I also have no bias for one product over another. They both work but I can apply the phoslock myself.

loretta #379944 06/17/14 10:04 PM
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How did you apply the phoslock?


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loretta #379967 06/18/14 07:12 AM
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Mixed in a 30 gal tub and pumped it out with a 1 in. pump stirring constantly. I tried to cover the entire surface. 1.7 ac. BOW

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Thank you, wow, that doesn't seem like much volume to cover 1.7 ac! I was worried about coverage using a 55 gal drum on 1/4 acre.


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loretta #380049 06/19/14 07:55 AM
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I just mix a few lbs at a time. I applied 8 bags to 1.7 ac.

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I'm planning to pump Phoslock over my 1 acre pond here in NJ at the end of April. We've only had one or two warm sunny days, but it is already turning quite green. I will let you know the results.

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The study from Phoslock seems rather biased, saying Alum is pH driven while Phoslock isn't, yet going on to say "optimal" in a 6-9 pH....sounds pH driven just like Alum to me... Since I happen to know that alum is also "optimal" at slightly a lower pH range, yet works outside those ranges...that comparison alone is misleading, if not intentionally false. As far as toxicity, pH has to drop to 5.4 before aluminum dissolves and can become toxic...a level that is lethal to most fish anyway, so rather irrelevant in a sport-fish setting.

Other things that stood out to me were words like may, or might when referring to phoslock and not with alum in binding phosphorous permanently and becoming a barrier to sediment based phosphorous...again, very misleading to most casual readers looking for solutions to high levels of phosphorous.

Alum, (AlSO4 or Aluminum Sulfate) is classified as a GCS (Generally Considered Safe) chemical by the FDA and for years, was used in virtually every municipal water supply in the world. A rash of reports once claiming links to brain disorders, like alzhiemers, have all been debunked and proved false.

I think Phoslock is a product that works, yet not as well, permanently, or at a nearly the cost-effective price as Alum.

For me, the report linked to is a prime example of "outcome based research"...stating facts in a way that only support a desired conclusion while ignoring, or trying to minimize, facts that could oppose the desired conclusion.

Last edited by Rainman; 04/03/15 04:52 PM.


verdehoy #407667 04/12/15 04:28 PM
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Was the Phoslock treatment successful in knocking down the phosphorous levels and controlling planktonic algae? My problem is really green water and blue green algae in August. Thanks!

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Hobart, I had green water problems also. It seems that you have two choices. You can find a lab to do the testing and quantify your results or, you can just wing it and guess at the correct application rate until you get the desired results. I applied half of the recommended amount and re-tested to confirm its effectiveness. I have used phoslock and phosclear and have had good results with both. The alum/hydrated lime application that was done on my pond was for a suspended clay issue and worked very well for that. None of these options are cheap. I still have a small patch of FA here and there but it is not a problem. Eliminating the P source seems to be the best medicine.

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Hi all, have been looking at Phosclear application for my 7 acre lake. Website says it is a powder and just sprinkle it on the water, no need to make a slurry. No mention of adding lime. I was thinking I could apply over top of the Vertex diffusers, letting them do the distribution. Big project, but there doesn't seem to be a reasonable company to hire around here. Any thoughts/experience greatly appreciated. Thanks.

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Hire Rainman to do an aluminum sulfate/hydrated lime application. Basically the same thing for less $$.

I have a client that has roughly 30 surface acres of water that is nutrient heavy. I'm trying to get them to spend the money to do a nutrient reduction program, and he is who I'd call to do the application.


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A quick look at the pricing on the name brand product mentioned showed to be $120 for 40 pounds...also claims to treat 1-2 acre feet. The name brand product is priced at $3/lb...Alum/Hydrated lime is the exact same effective result at ~1/3 that price per pound, applied.

Also, a treatment rate as described for the name brand is between 20 and 40 pounds per acre foot of water volume. Even for simply binding Phosphorus, and not also clearing colloidal clay, I have never seen, nor heard of, an application rate under 100 pounds per acre being effective. If only 40# per ac/ft were needed, I highly doubt you'd have a vegetation issue needing addressed to begin with.

In fact, to emphasize that you will likely need at least 3 times what the website claims per acre foot....The Koi pond shown on the company website says 1.5 pounds of phosclear is applied to 5500 gallons...that is a .0272% concentration. At a 20 to 40 pound per acre foot rate as described/recommended on the product website, 40 pounds equals a .0122% concentration and at 20 pounds per acre foot, only a .0061% concentration.

A .03% concentration is close to the bare minimum concentration needed to create the chemical reaction required for effectiveness.

Last edited by Rainman; 09/18/15 11:01 PM. Reason: added concentrations claimed from name brand company website


Rainman #424320 09/19/15 09:40 AM
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Rex, I applied 880# to a 3/4 acre pond, 8' depth max. It cleared the water up pretty well, but I would have preferred to use alum/hydrated lime. Just no way to get the equipment to the pond due to the manicured landscape surrounding the pond.


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loretta #435200 01/21/16 05:00 AM
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I wonder how well it would work if I applied the phoslock over a frozen pond? I'm thinking a regular fertilizer spreader would work but not sure if the product would stay stabil as the ice thawed??

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Originally Posted By: ToddM
I wonder how well it would work if I applied the phoslock over a frozen pond? I'm thinking a regular fertilizer spreader would work but not sure if the product would stay stabil as the ice thawed??


Todd, since the best results will be obtained by evenly and proportionately spreading the product, it would probably take far more product, spread on ice, than it would normally for equal results. I could be wrong, but having cleared many ponds in various ways, I have found broadcasting Alum/Hydrated Lime, it takes at least 3 times the product as other methods to get the desired results.



Rainman #435389 01/21/16 11:31 PM
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Phosloc is a LOT more expensive than alum/hydrated lime


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loretta #435442 01/22/16 11:56 AM
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Scott, I fear that blue-green algae (BGA) is not just a hazard to the fish. BGA gives off BMAA, a neurotoxin strongly associated with dementia caused by brain plaques in mammals. That includes humans.

I'll link to a recent article about research on the subject. Best advice: treat BGA aggressively & early, don't eat fish from a lake with BGA, and don't swim or wade in it.

By the way, if someone is exposed to BGA, they might consider L-serine supplements. Cheap insurance.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/soc...a902_story.html

Last edited by anthropic; 01/22/16 12:07 PM.

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BGA is harvested in Klamath Lake and sold as a dietary supplement.

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That author of the Washington post article does a disservice to the public. 1. She does not identify any specie of bluegreen algae (Cyanobacteria) and lumps all bluegreen algae as toxic.
This is basically the same as saying a person was bit by a snake and he died of snake venom. So all snakes are poisonous.


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loretta #501047 01/22/19 11:07 AM
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Anybody have any experience with or new information on Phoslock for Phosphorous control in the last 3 years?

Cody note - yes, I agree. It would be very good to get some testimony about Phoslock.

Last edited by Bill Cody; 01/22/19 04:52 PM.

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Rex performed alum, lime, and copper sulfate treatment at my place in 2017. Was very successful. I feel like my pond gained 5+ years of water quality youth.


Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau

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loretta #502409 02/23/19 10:47 PM
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We have done a number of phoslock applications over the last four years. Alot of discussion about alum but in our area (coastal SC) our waters are soft and alum is usually not a candidate. In one case we had a 2 acre lagoon 15+ years old, routine HAB boom and bust blooms and finally a fish kill (even with aeration). After testing phosphorous levels we did a complete reset, or attempted to remove all the phosphorous. We've had no HABs or treated algae in 4 years. Note this was not managed for fish but for aesthetics. Have also done partial phosphorous removal to reduce fertility. Yes phoslock is expensive but it works. Invest in proper water chemistry tests.


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