Nobody uses any type of chemical/biological to get rid of sludge??????

The only way I know of to get rid of sludge is to vacuum it out. Sludge digesters in my opinion are just a way to trick people into giving up their money.

Good luck on your quest.

When you say "chemical" do you mean bacterial? I think the products you mentioned work on that level. Is the sludge in the bottom of your pond? And do you know what's causing it? (Lots of leaves falling in the pond, etc?)

Yes, these are bacterial/biologic additives - most of the sludge is from leaves/branches.

I don't have a vacuum to get the debris off the bottom - I have been using my hands/nets to get up most of the sludge but the water is still murky.

I was hoping that one of these products might help with the fine particulates - just thought people on this site might have experience with these products and let me know which one seems to work the best.

JM

What's your pond set up like? Submersible or external pump? Filtration? Fish? Plants?

If you're looking to get the particulate matter out of the pond, you may want to try filtering it through some quilt batting. Some people rig up a filtration "box" using a laundry basket, trash can, plastic crate, etc) and line it with qult batting and pump the water into it, allowing it to flow back into the pond. You'll have to rinse or replace the quilt batting more or less frequently, depending on the amount of fine material in your pond. Or you could invest in a filter designed for removing fine particulate matter, if you're thinking this may be a long term problem.

If you're just looking to pull the material out of floatation to clear the water, you may want to try a flocculant. Koi clay (bentonite and/or montmorillonite clay) is the product I use. It's great for fish (if you have them) as it adds minerals to the water, and it also grabs the suspended particulate and pulls it to the bottom.

I have a submersible pump - no filter. I have about 10 goldfish (pond is 3000 gal). I have oxygenating plants and lilies.

I will give the Koi clay a try and if that doesn't work, I will rig that temporary filter as you suggest.

Thanks for the info!!!