Eco-Sure™ Pond Clear Aqua Plus FAQ's

All you need to know about Eco-Sure^TM Pond Clear Aqua Plus


How frequently should Eco-Sure^TM Pond Clear Aqua Plus be used and how long does it last in the pond?
Many of our customers make one application and then see no more blanketweed for over one full year. Others keep blanketweed at bay for a few months with one application. However, a minority of pondkeepers need more than one dose to suppress blanketweed. Remember every pond is different.

What is the role of Nitrate (NO3) in pondwater?
The presence of nitrate in pondwater is the key to the growth of blanketweed and algae bloom. Our Eco-Sure^TM Pond Clear Aqua Plus products will take nitrate down to zero and, when that level is reached, the aforementioned algae will die from starvation. We advise that the nitrate level in the pondwater should be checked before the Eco-Sure^TM Pond Clear Aqua Plus  is applied and regularly checked afterwards to see how the level is dropping.

It makes sense to consider the application of maintenance doses of Eco-Sure^TM Pond Clear Aqua Plus. However, unlike recommendations for some other products, we do not suggest what these should be. We advise that nitrate levels should be regularly checked and used as a guide as to when more Eco-Sure^TM Pond Clear Aqua Plus should be added.

Many people see blanketweed dying back within 7 to 10 days. For most people it occurs within about 3 weeks but for some it takes longer. If, after this time, no noticeable change in the nitrate level has taken place, then apply a second dose. We now sell a simple to use nitrate test kit. It contains 10 dippapers for quick readings and no chemicals are needed.

What happens as the Eco-Sure^TM Pond Clear Aqua Plus starts to work?
The colour of the blanketweed starts to change from green towards brown. It also becomes brittle and pieces break off. Some people have reported that pH levels in the pondwater increase as the blanketweed dies.

Should the blanketweed be removed before applying Eco-Sure^TM Pond Clear Aqua Plus?

We would advise that as much of the blanketweed as possible should be wound out before the Eco-Sure^TM Pond Clear Aqua Plus is applied. This will reduce the need to clean up weed debris after it has died. It will also keep better control over rising pH levels.

Is Eco-Sure^TM Pond Clear Aqua Plus safe for fish and other wildlife? What about plants?
Yes, Eco-Sure^TM Pond Clear Aqua Plus is safe for fish. It was initially formulated for use on commercial fish farms to improve the growth, health and disease resistance of the fish. The fact that it suppressed algae growth by removing the nutrients on which algae feed turned out to be a bonus. Eco-Sure^TM Pond Clear Aqua Plus improves the health of fish. They eat better and grow quicker. They are less prone to fungal and bacterial diseases. Many of our customers have referred to their fish becoming “more lively”. One of our first customers had a 70,000 gallon pond. About 18 months after starting to use Eco-Sure^TM Pond Clear Aqua Plus, he told us that he “dare not stop using it” as he had not lost one fish since he first introduced Eco-Sure^TM Pond Clear Aqua Plus to his pond! There is also no problem for other wildlife, eg newts and, frogs. Additionally, Eco-Sure^TM Pond Clear Aqua Plus does no harm to plants.

However, because Eco-Sure^TM Pond Clear Aqua Plus reduces nitrate levels in the water, plants may grow less strongly. For example, leaves of, say, water lilies grow less vigorously but the bonus is that they should flower better.

What are the benefits of using Eco-Sure^TM Pond Clear Aqua Plus in ponds?
Eco-Sure^TM Pond Clear Aqua Plus Aqua gives three benefits to the pond keeper. It removes nitrate and reduces phosphate that feed algae in pond water. As a result, blanketweed (string algae) and algae bloom (green water) die of starvation. Secondly, it digests waste organic matter in the pond. Thirdly, Eco-Sure^TM Pond Clear Aqua Plus will improve the health, growth and disease resistance of fish.


What differences to fish stocking levels and overfeeding make?
Many ponds have filters with capacities that are far greater than those needed for the pond volume. More fish tend to be introduced knowing that the filters can cope with the increased amounts of ammonia. Where this is the case, then more Eco-Sure^TM Pond Clear Aqua Plus  than our suggested dose should be used. The amount required is linked to the increased amounts of ammonia produced rather than just straight water volume. Many people know the length of their fish but few will know the weight. We can give guidance on calculating the weight of koi. Assuming that the fish have a shape that is either thin, standard or fat, then the weight of a fish can be calculated as W = L³/10000, W = 2L³/10000and W = 3L³/10000 respectively for thin, standard and fat shapes. W is the weight in kilos and L is the length in inches.
Where the total weight of the fish in the pond adds up to more than, say, 2½ to 5kg per 1000 gallons, we suggest that more product should be applied. Year on year, fish can increase appreciably in weight. Also, where overfeeding occurs or when very high protein foods are used, more ammonia is produced. More ammonia means more nitrite and more nitrate. More Eco-Sure^TM Pond Clear Aqua Plus  should again be used.

How is Eco-Sure^TM Pond Clear Aqua Plus  applied?
Eco-Sure^TM Pond Clear Aqua Plus  is a dry powder. We advise that the appropriate amount be mixed into water and allowed to stand for a few hours. The water should be taken from the pond. Ideally, it should be mixed in the morning and applied to the pond in the evening. Also some air should be introduced into the solution via the use of an air stone or regular whisking. Never leave the solution for more than 24 hours before applying to the pond. Most people put the solution of Eco-Sure^TM Pond Clear Aqua Plus  directly into the pond although some put the concentrated solution directly into the filter.

Do pH levels affect Eco-Sure^TM Pond Clear Aqua Plus ?

We are finding that, in high pH water, Eco-Sure^TM Pond Clear Aqua Plus  seems to take longer to work.

How does Eco-Sure^TM Pond Clear Aqua Plus  improve the health and disease resistance of
the fish?
A fish succumbs to a bacterial or fungal disease because the bacteria or fungi that form the disease become predominant. If the pond system were kept in better balance and the disease microbes had greater competition, then they would not become predominant and form the disease. The microbes in Eco-Sure^TM Pond Clear Aqua Plus  are present in huge numbers and in a number of different species. They do not remove the disease forming ones but compete with them for food and space and keep their numbers down so they do not take over.

What does Eco-Sure^TM Pond Clear Aqua Plus  do to aeromonas bacteria?
Aeromonas bacteria, which can cause severe problems to the health of fish, particularly in koi ponds, are kept at bay in the same way as other pathogenic microbes by the competitive action of the micro-organisms in Eco-Sure^TM .

Are the Eco-Sure^TM Pond Clear Aqua Plus  products chemicals?
The Eco-Sure^TM  products are micro-organism based and the method of operation is biological and not chemical. Eco-Sure^TM  contains a number of species of micro-organism carried on bran. In addition there are support nutrients that are included in the mixes. One critic on a website chat page suggested that, because Eco-Sure^TM  worked so well, it could only be a chemical and not a biological/microbial product. We corrected him!

How do water changes affect the effectiveness of Eco-Sure^TM Pond Clear Aqua Plus ?

Obviously as water is removed from a pond, the microbes in that water will be lost. However, because micro-organisms are always growing and multiplying as long as there is food and space available, those that remain in the pond will increase in numbers until a microbial balance is reached. One customer told us that he lost approximately 85% of his water shortly after applying Eco-Sure^TM.Our product went on to clear his blanketweed.

What about the use of salt in koi ponds?
There is some evidence that using salt can inhibit the effect of Eco-Sure^TM. We have had reported by one customer that salt levels of over half an ounce per gallon can affect Eco-Sure^TM. Yet another report suggests that half an ounce per gallon of salt is OK.

Can I use Eco-Sure^TM Pond Clear Aqua Plus with chemicals?
Any chemical that knocks back the microbes in a filter system will also knock back the microbes in our Eco-Sure^T products. Wait until these chemicals have dissipated. However, other chemicals that are known not to affect microbes can be used at the same time as Eco-Sure^TM. Some people use herbicides to remove blanketweed and these types of chemicals would not normally reduce the efficacy of Eco-Sure^TM. However, it would still be best to leave a gap of a few days between using such chemicals and using Eco-Sure^TM.

What does Eco-Sure^TM Pond Clear Aqua Plus  do to the micro-organisms in the filter?
Eco-Sure^TM  helps to maintain an efficient biological filter as it contains microbes that are used in the nitrifying process in the filter.

Is Eco-Sure^TM Pond Clear Aqua Plus temperature dependent?
Yes, Eco-Sure^TM  works best in water temperatures above about 10°C (50°F). However, it will work in lower temperatures but more sluggishly.

What effect does Eco-Sure^TM Pond Clear Aqua Plus have on nitrate and phosphate?
Eco-Sure^TM removes the nitrate arising from the biological filter. Nitrate is formed from the conversion of nitrite that in turn has been oxidised from ammonia. Nitrate can be reduced to zero within a few days and kept at zero by the action of the microbes in Eco-Sure^TM. Phosphate is also reduced but usually much more slowly. When the nitrate level in the pondwater is zero or very, very low there is no food available for the algae – either blanketweed or algae bloom.

Can Eco-Sure^TM Pond Clear Aqua Plus  be overdosed?
Eco-Sure^TM can be overdosed with no problem. It is organic not a chemical. We have one customer who each year uses 6 times our recommended dose all at once and for three years has not seen any blanketweed. The only qualification is that enough oxygen should be present in the pond when Eco-Sure^TM  is used.

What is the shelf life of Viresco™?
The Viresco™ microbial products are purposely sold as soluble powders. The Viresco™ range, unlike liquid microbial products , have unlimited shelf lives if kept dry. Liquid microbial products deteriorate over time. The end user of a liquid product is usually uncertain of its shelf life. Also, the end user might not know how long it has been in the supply chain since manufacture.

What about trials work using Eco-Sure^TM Pond Clear Aqua Plus ?

In the summer of 2000 David Brown conducted a trial using Eco-Sure^TM  Koi in his 4000 gallon pond. David does research work and writes for the UK magazine, “Koi Ponds and Gardens”. Prior to the trial, his pond had blanketweed growing at about 2 feet (about 60cm) per day and the nitrate and phosphate levels were 80ppm and 10ppm respectively. The trial started on June 26th. David applied one full dose of Eco-Sure^TM  to his pond and then took daily nitrate and phosphate readings. After 9 days the nitrate level had dropped to zero! The blanketweed by that time had died back and had stopped growing. In the same period of time, the phosphate level dropped from 10ppm to 5ppm. It continued to drop and bottomed at 1.5ppm after about 3 weeks. However, once the nitrate had reached zero, the phosphate level was not relevant to the growth of blanketweed. David produced a report for “Koi Ponds and Gardens”. It was published in the September 2000 issue of the magazine. Eight weeks after the trial started, nitrate was still zero and blanketweed was still absent.

A second trial was done on behalf of “Koi Ponds and Gardens” by Brooksby College in 2001. Out of 6 different blanketweed control products tested, Eco-Sure^TM  Koi came as “The Winner”.

What is the effect of UV light and UV filters of Viresco™?
It is widely accepted that ultra violet light from the sky destroys bacteria. To protect the bacteria in Viresco™, we recommend that the solution of the product be applied to the pond in the evening, during low daylight levels followed by a period of darkness. Initially, we also recommended that UV filters be turned off as the UV light from them again could affect the efficacy of the product. However, we now believe that UV filters can be left on, as the intensity of the emitted light is generally not enough to kill bacteria. In support of this, David Brown who did the trials work mentioned above, did not switch off his UV light!.

UV lights are primarily used to agglomerate algae bloom, clumps of which are caught up in the physical filter. Viresco™ removes the nutrients on which both blanketweed and algae bloom live, so there should be no need to use a UV filter once the nitrate levels have been taken to zero. It is still advisable to apply the product to the pond in the evening as the intensity of UV from daylight, even on bright cloudy days is much greater than the UV from pond filters.

How much does it cost the pondkeeper to use Eco-Sure^TM Pond Clear Aqua Plus ?

Using the best situation as an example, ie one application lasting more than one year, the cost for treating a 1000 gallon pond would be just over 8p per week. This implies the purchase of a 3000 gallon pack for £13.75. We know our product is very good value for money. There are many other algae control products on the market. In the May 2007 issue of “Gardening Which?”, there was a feature about controlling blanketweed and green water.

Of 21 products tested that were tested, 15 products (all named) were dismissed. The other 6 products were declared as “best buys”. Of these 6, 4 were classed as equal top for removal of both blanketweed and green water. One of these was Eco-Sure^TM Pond Clear Aqua Plus. In the feature, the cost of the initial application was given as was the number of applications required per year. When the annual cost of treatment is calculated, Eco-Sure^TM Pond Clear Aqua Plus  came out far and away the Best Value product.

The next best value product was over 5 times more costly and the worst value product was over 41 times more costly than Eco-Sure^TM Pond Clear Aqua Plus.

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