Morty
I added a 'bacterial muck reducer' for the first time this year. You can't possibly figure out which product is best by doing research because they don't list what is in the tablets. There is little controlled trials or research on this and as has been covered on this forum a lot, you don't know if the bacteria you are putting in is any more desirable than the bacteria that you already have in your pond. Bacteria do their work best with warmer water and with more oxygen too.
I had sticker shock with the name brand, off the shelf muck dissolving pellets. I figured for my 1/4 acre pond I would need a 25 pound bucket, and would administer in divided doses and give a little time to see what the outcome was.
I picked a no-name, nonadvertised, but made in America product. I'm guessing it is used in ponds, lagoons, and perhaps waste water treatment applications. Worked great to clarify the water even though it is not advertised as a water clarifier. I have yet to see how much the muck is reduced as I did not sample the deep muck areas. Shallows show such clear water that I'm afraid the predators will have an easier time of cleaning up the forage and smaller fish. I had much more algae on the bottom (or maybe I can see more of the algae that was on the bottom already..)
Water is down quite a ways, but I'm not refilling as this will help me rake more algae out and then hopefully we refill with fall rains.
...sorry, forgot an important point. I chose this 25 pound pail of 'muck reducer' because it came in a convenient 25 pound supply, shipped in a free five gallon bucket with well sealing lid, AND was a couple hundred dollars less than the other available products.
Excellent information, thanks for sharing your experience. I typically buy the brand that Jones Fish in SW Ohio sold but was on a budget so I used tractor supply's brand and had good results. Do you remember the name of the stuff you used or where you purchased it at?
Sounds like you noticed some drop in levels as well.
