Sounds like you are going through your first obligatory bloom cycle for floating algae.

Things will balance if you have the right elements with aquatic plants and seeded filters (beneficial bacteria). I recall my water cleared itself almost overnight one evening after having neon green-colored water for about 3 days. This was following a complete water change last summer after I rebuilt my pond.

Pondcare's products are perfectly fine for aquatic life when used as directed. You probably pay a premium for what you are getting though. SEARCH the forum for use of 3% hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) because it often does what the barley products aim to do, generally kill algae, even the tougher string/hair algae. The hydrogen peroxide is much less expensive and is pretty safe... and, hydrogen peroxide does occur naturally in the environment so when used in the correct quantities, should be fine.

I've used Pondcare products before but not the specific one you mention.

Please sont band aid any problems. By dumping things into your pond. Like what was stated earlier your pond is going thru a normal cycle. It will clear up on its own. But if it doesnt fix the problem. Dont band aird (cover up) the problem by putting anything into your pond. One exclussion beneficial bacteria. They will come on their own but you can buy them to jump start your balance.

Thanks Billinpa,

But if I want to add algea-kill, I am going to. I prefer a nice clear pond. If that requries some chemicals so be it.

OP, your product is "natural", as is hydrogen Peroxide. If you would like to use them to help control your inital algea bloom, go right ahead.

I have included the beneficial bacterial when I started 3 weeks ago. I also included aquatic plants and Japanese trapdoor snails.
I might consider Peroxide. What dosage would you recommend?
And what do you think of using Barley pellets?

thanks again!

Hydrogen peroxide mainly kills string algae. If you have a lot of string algae you should remove as much as possible with a toilet bowl brush because the breakdown of the algae uses up free oxygen in the water and your fish will be gasping for air. The breakdown of barley straw produces Hydrogen Peroxide. A bottle of Hydrogen Peroxide costs about a dollar sometimes a bit more. Generally the dosage is one bottle per 1000 gallons. It can work overnight but it usually takes a little more.

I am not sure what prices they are getting for Barley straw products. Barley pellets are a very expensive way to produce Hydrogen Peroxide. Information current to publications of the Purdue Co-operative Extension Service say that Barley straw is not proving particularly effective in controlling pond algae. They don't know why yet.

Hydrogen peroxide does not harm plants, beneficial bacteria, frogs, toads, tadpoles or fish. I'm pretty sure it wont hurt snails either but I wouldn't mind. Sandy

Pondgirl. I've been using it for the past 3 years with great results. All it is is concentrated barley straw which is not a chemical. I've used barley straw and barley pellets and the advantage to the clear is it goes to work immediately while the straw and pellets need time to break down. I've got fish and frogs and never have had an agae bloom. Only thing is it's expensive.
Good Luck

Thanks donaldb -- how long did it take for your water to clear?

sleeplessinftwayne-- you mentioned using one bottle of peroxide per 1000 gallons-- Is that a 32oz bottle of 3% peroxide? I've had no luck finding precise dosage in the forums.

A pint of Hydrogen Peroxide (3%) would treat 1000 gallons. I've used it several times and it does work. You will have to deal with the dead string algae after using peroxide. It will clog the water intake of your pumps and your filters. It's a good idea to remove as much string algae as you can before adding peroxide. Try attaching a brush to a plastic pipe with duck tape. It will extend the reach of your algae removal tool. It works for me.

Algae killer chemicals for suspended algae are going to have some negative effects on the rest of your pond plants. If you can't wait for the pond to balance, I would try a UV device. They treat the algae outside of your pond without consequences to plants and fish.

Hello
I have kitties. Will using enough hydrogen peroxide for a 2000 gal pond, hurt my kitties??

Thanks
I have plants, but no fish at this time. Only one tree frog.

Before you bother to read this long-winded thingy please understand that I toss in barley straw in the head end of my pond not because I particularly believe it will help but - for me - its very cheap and canÂt really do any harm. But I donÂt use any of the so-called barley straw extracts...as to why, well, youÂve got to read the rest of this mess.

I guess I have a different take on all of this starting with the difference between a "hypothesis" and a "theory". There are several hypothesis out there as to what barley straw does for removing or suppressing algae growth. The link IÂve provide below sums up a lot of what is believed to be known about how barley straw works...but this is all in the "hypothesis" stage. As best I am able to determine there are no peer-reviewed journal publications where someone has actually measured the hydrogen peroxide supposedly generated by the barley straw and in a situation which constitutes a decent experimental design; such an experiment should contain multiple ponds half of which receive barley straw treatment and the other half not along with in situ measurements for turbidity/chlorophyl or other quantitative measures of algae and measurements for those "things" that are believed to be contributed by the straw for suppression of the algae. Furthermore, if it was in fact hydrogen peroxide being produced from the straw then the continuous addition of small amounts of hydrogen peroxide from a dosing or metering pump should be capable of performing the same process but does not appear to do so. Also, there are some very sensitive assays for measuring hydrogen peroxide at the cellular level and yet I have not seen where anyone has actually measured hydrogen peroxide production.

Many companies used to advertise barley straw as an algicide or algistat but no longer do so. Why? To quote Dr. LembiÂs write-up (see link below): "...The EPA defines a pesticide as "any substance or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling, or mitigating any pest." If a claim is made that barley "controls" algae (a pest), it is legally considered to be a pesticide. However, no company has ever registered barley for use as a pesticide. It has not gone through the testing required for registration. Therefore, barley cannot be sold as a pesticide to control algae. This ruling has serious implications for certified commercial applicators (individuals who have been state certified to apply aquatic pesticides for hire) and lake management specialists. These individuals cannot recommend or apply barley for algae control; this application would be the same as distributing an unregistered pesticide.
Likewise, garden shops and nurseries cannot legally sell barley straw for the stated or implied purpose of algae control. Registration is required for all pesticides before they are sold or distributed, regardless of whether most applications go into larger bodies of water or into water gardens, even though the latter usually are privately owned, very small, and not likely to have an impact on the
natural environment.
A homeowner with a "private" pond or lake is in a different situation. For the homeowner who does work on their own pond, barley qualifies as a "home remedy" and does not come under EPA authority. ..."
The key being that insufficient testing exists to register barley straw according to EPA.

So now back to the main point of this thread: using a product that is derived from barley straw. If it is not known what the active agent(s) is/are in barley straw then how can one be sure that the "extract" really contains the active agents? What tests have they performed? IÂm obviously discounting the typical product endorsements that come without adequate data. IÂd go ahead and add it if I thought it would help. But maybe you might be just as well off taking some dollar bills, carefully shredding them and putting them in the pond instead. At least you could cut back on shipping and handling costs! LOL! As I have mentioned to some folks in other conversations there is a strong "placebo effect" here: having paid money for something, been told by the seller that it will work we really, really want to believe that itÂs doing itÂs job. But maybe not. So I say go for it if you will feel better having bought the product and if you want to believe. However, the hard data doesnÂt seem to currently exist to support the various hypotheses surrounding barley straw and barley straw extracts. Excuse me, IÂve got to go add a bit more barley straw to my waterfalls!
ÂDavid

chefcarl, you are right -- my pond has started to clear up. Thanks!

FWIW I found that two things got my little pond algae under control: plants and oxygen. Lots of surface floating plants (>50% coverage) and a fairly large bubbler.

I also toss in a little barley extract from time to time; I don't think it does much but I already have a bottle of it.

I know this a old conversation but I recently switched to barley extract and all my fish just died

No this isnt an old conversation. I recently just switched and my most of my fish just died too. I may have overdosed some because the writing is so small on the bottle made it hard to see. So iwas dosing once a week instead of monthly. The sides of my fish have turned completely white like a chemical burn and have lost all their scales. Im just sick about this and will never again use barley extract. Every few months I add about half a small box of baking soda to my pond. To keep my ph stabilized.But that couldnt have caused that. This is a definate chemical burn and just sickening to look at. Never again!!!!!