CrystalClear Barley Extract Pond Treatment – Natural Water Clarifier for Fountains, Water Gardens & Koi Ponds, Clears Cloudiness, Fish & Plant Safe, 16 Ounces

this is the stuff to buy. it works. seems to eat up the crud on the bottom of the pond and sends it to the top where I scoop it off. better price than all the other stuff I've tried too.

This stuff is incredible! I take care of two ponds that total 1.5 million gallons of industrial processed water. This will not only improve clarity in a matter of hours, but it will also breakdown oily biofilm deposits. It’s very safe to use without gloves - but still be mindful not to spill. I’ve had this product shipped several times, and not one of them has arrived damaged or leaking.

it works to help maintain algae, along with some other things

Like the title says, this product is NOT designed to KILL algae. If you want to KILL existing algae you will need a proper algicide. String or mat algae will form when organic materials are allowed to decay in your pond. In my situation we did not get the pond cleaned out in the fall, so once spring hit and the sun came out the algae started to form. We were only using beneficial bacteria and blue pond dye last year, however the combination of these two products prevented mat algae from forming. We now have fish in the pond, so we discontinued use of the blue dye so we could see the fish better. With more sun hitting the pond (which has virtually no shade at the moment), the algae reared its ugly head. Again, since we have fish I did not want to put a chemical in the pond. This is why I chose this product. This product is designed to prohibit the growth of algae, but it will not kill what is already in the pond. If you have algae now you will need to clean/scoop/drain the pond to get rid of what algae is there, then add this product. We have a 16,000ish gallon pond with a natural bog filtration system. We did not drain the pond this spring, rather we used a vacuum to suck out the existing algae and leaves. I then applied 1/2 a gallon of the barley extract along with the proper amount of beneficial bacteria. Using this product GREATLY DECREASED the growth of algae, which is exactly what it is supposed to do. The thing is, you have to use this product WITH your beneficial bacteria EVERY WEEK until you have the issue managed at a level you are happy with. Using a natural product like this helps balance a natural ecosystem by allowing the proper things to thrive in moderation. If this is not something you are willing to tackle, then you might want to consider the chemical route or a UV light system. If your pond is in the open sun like ours, it will be much more difficult for you to control the algae. Plants in and around the pond, shade trees, sun netting, pond dye will all help prevent the bloom of algae, but you will need a combination of things to keep your pond looking decent.

Worked great, but takes a while to do the job. Could be because of cold weather

Do not believe what you read! If you dig very deep and click just the right link you will find a disclaimer. My pond is less than a month old. I used exactly how directed & ended up with a cloudy pond. Brand new Crystal Clear to murky water in less than 30 days. "Maintains Clean & Clear Water -- CrystalClear Barley Extract is a powerful liquid concentrate that works with nature, providing a year-round solution to maintaining a clear koi pond or water garden." "....maintain beautiful, crystal-clear water." The above are quotes from their advertising that I found to not be correct for my pond. I have used Barley straw in the past successful & thought I would try this because it would be cleaner and easier to work with. What an EXPENSIVE MISTAKE!

Worked great for our pond. We also bought the floating straw and it was crystal clear in about a day.

Applied as instructed to two water features that have green algae. I had already cleaned the water features. Helped a little. Increased both dosage and frequency of application. Worked a little better. Finally alternated between barley extract and Algaefix. Worked a little better. So now I just alternate the two more frequently than instructed. This is the only brand of barley extract that I've tried, so I can't say if another brand would work better.