MICROBE-LIFT PL Pond and Outdoor Water Garden Cleaner, Safe for Live Koi Fish, Plant Life, and Decor, 1 Gallon

This stuff really works. It doesn't work miracles however. You must be removing solids from your water and have some biological filtration to remove harmful chemicals produced by fish waste. But assuming you have tackled those two areas first adding Microbelift will turn your pond water crystal clear in no time. Moreover, it will improve your biological filters efficiency so it does a better job as well. It does not remove algae per se but it does reduce the conditions that promote algae growth. Many Pondkeepers are obsessed with clear and clean water. And for good reason, clean water promotes healthy fish that you can see in the pond. This product is the finishing touch achieve that goal. Regular use, especially in warm summer months, will allow you to drop a coin in your pond tell if it is tails or heads sitting on the bottom. I have used Microbelift for 5 years and no other additive on the market performs as well in terms of improving water quality and clarity. It is not a miracle solution however. You must take care of basic mechanical and bio filtration. If you have done that this product will multiply your efforts making your pond and fish the best they can be. I only ever add three things to my Koi pond; water, pond salt and Microbelift. My Koi thrive in the clean water and I enjoy being able to admire my fish and the peaceful beauty of my backyard pond. It is not inexpensive and the smell, at least initially is awful. But if you want to keep healthy fish, be able to see them don't waste your money on any other products. Microbelift just works, plain and simple.

I started using Microbe-Lift this past winter for their cold water and winter enzyme packet and liquid bacteria cultures. They worked so well that I decided to try them out this spring. I usually use Seachem’s pond products, and decided to try Microbe Lift PL to get my filter bacteria population kick-started after giving it a deep clean, instead of Pond Stability. I had also just started my UV for the season and had dead suspended algae everywhere, and was hoping that the enzyme packets would help digest it. I was amazed by the results! Within a day of adding Microbe Lift PL and the spring/summer enzyme packets, my water turned crystal-clear. The water is so sparkly and clean that it looks like my koi are floating in the air! The cycle also started up immediately, and is almost finished. I continue to use Seachem’s Pond Prime to help keep the ammonia and nitrites detoxified while the bacteria population gets established. I’m also feeding lightly, just once per day. I plan to continue using this product. I do agree with other reviewers—be prepared for an extremely foul odor upon opening the jar. It smells very earthy with a hint of sulphur, not unlike manure. However, that’s a great sign—that’s the odor of bacteria metabolism by-products, so you know it’s a live culture.

I have been doing maintenance on our 3000 gallon outdoor pond and 3 dozen goldfish for 5 years now and in the past have used CrystalClear ClarityMax for the warmer weather months. I love that product but $120 for a 6 lb bucket was always painful. Since we retired last year, I switched to Microbe-Lift PL which was highly rated and much cheaper. After using it for one year now, I have to say that I'm fairly happy with the results. Water clarity was just as good as in previous years The only negative I noticed was that I had to deal with more algae in the main pond area before the plants got really going. In the end this wasn't a big enough issue to stop me from using it next year. If it really bothers me, I may use some algaecide in the early Spring.

If your filtration is adequate, this is a perfect compliment. It gives a boost, helping to clarify the water and also reduce sludge to a small extent. The only drawback is the unholy smell that can penetrate any container. For the first two weeks after opening a container there is a rotten-egg type of aroma that will add a flatulent smell to any room you store it in. I resorted to putting the bottle in two, gallon-sized ziplocks, in the original box, in the original shipping box, in a bathroom cabinet. The smell is so strong that the adjoining room will still reek. This has happened with all 3 bottles I've purchased. Putting it in the garage isn't a good solution as the temps swing too wide. Regardless, if you can find a way to store this for the first couple weeks after opening, until the smell dies down, it's a wonderful way to keep your pond healthy and clean.

great product

I’ve been very happy with all of the Microbe-Lift products that I use. This bacteria seems to work well with keeping my pond clear and holding down algae growth. I use it to keep my bog filter seeded. As far as I can tell it’s working great.

I really love this stuff! I had my concerns. Right? Is it safe? Will it work? IS IT SAFE??? Answers to all: YEP! Forgive me; I admit my "koi" ponds are not exactly proper, but my fish are thriving! We put them in about fifteen years ago (God bless our Kabota!). Most of the water comes dashing in off the roof via PVC pipes that land on these groovy rain chains (another terrific Amazon purchase), which splash into our ponds. But they were more than a bit "fluffy" or cloudy. We have lots of established plants, but "fluffy" happens. So, I took a leap of faith and tried this product. WOW! Happy fish and happy me! I ended up buying three gallons in total and will be ordering a couple more. I am so impressed! YES - IT SMELLS RATHER WRETCHED AT FIRST, BUT THAT DOES NOT LAST - THE CLEAR WATER DOES! Buy this! I waited over a week before writing the review to make sure it was safe—YAY! THIS IS SAFE AND RATHER FABULOUS! Just toss it in a few days before your next soiree so the initial smell dissipates. IT IS WORTH IT!

I was not impressed at all. Actually, it was quite disappointing. It wreaks as soon as you open the box, even though it is wrapped. I recommend not buying it, but if you do, open it outside. I’m surprised the delivery person didn’t toss the package out of the window driving down the road. And when that funk gets on your hands, and it will, then don’t plan on anyone wanting to be anywhere near you until you wash it off, even if you have to use gasoline. Yes, it’s that bad! The performance wasn’t any better. Every time I put it in my pond, it became extremely dark, and it wasn’t dark for just a short amount of time. It stayed that way. I know the temperature of the water was warm enough because my water lotus had already started growing again. Beneficial bacteria should not be added in after plants become dormant because it then feeds the string algae. Any company advertising it as year round is banking that you won’t research it when they have totally screwed your pond up. I did research it because this liquified corpse caused string algae to overtake my pond. I have NEVER had string algae until I started using this product. Even though the lotus had begun growing, they obviously had not grown enough, and the string algae was all over them, the walls, everything! I thought that I had not added enough, so I used more, and you guessed it, it was out of control at that point. I tried the barley pellets also made by this company. They basically turned to an oatmeal looking paste and just sat there doing absolutely nothing. I have had fish for at least 30 years, and I have never had anything that caused more of a NIGHTMARE than using these products! It did create the ideal situation for giant Bullfrogs who worked along with this in destroying everything that I had spent so much money on creating to be just like I had wanted. There will NEVER be another product manufactured by this company to ever make it near my pond again, and that goes for frogs as well!

Good for our onf

Good but very expensive,Much cheaper substitutes as effective are available

Great product. Really stabilizes the water in my water feature fountain. Thank you

works good ,have used it for a couple of years

Amazing this has made our pond crystal clear . Can see all of our fish and some we did not know we had brilliant