barley seeds in pond?

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Would any of you fine brains out there know if you could use whole barley seeds instead of barly straw to clear your pond? Seems like I read that you could somewhere. I have plenty ot barly seeds left but no straw.
 

j.w

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I've never heard of using the seed. If you are talking about the kind that you can cook I wouldn't do it. Whenever I cook it the stuff kinda makes the water gluey looking. It would prolly mess up your pond water something awful but then who knows I could be totally wrong :fish:

Try putting some in a container of cool water and watch what it does as an experiment.
 
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J.W. posted a link sometime back in history about using bentonite clay (unsencted kitty litter). Put a sock full in my waterfalls last Monday and it is doing wonders on the string algae:highfive: with no adverse side effects at this time.
 

j.w

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I'm glad it is working for you. I need to get a sock full of it out there in my pond soon also :rolleyes:
 

fishin4cars

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I've been reading up on this in Koi clay. Kitty litter has been mentioned more than once in my readings. Any Koi folks care to chime in and give ther opinions, I'm all for using the cheaper if it gets close to the same results. The farm we went to today sold me large bag of salt he uses. Available at lowes for $5 and some change. Sure beats the $5 a cup (or so) at the pet stores! BTW, I got away from that a long time ago, been using Rock salt which was somewhat cheaper.
 

addy1

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I have heard the cheap kitty litter, pure clay, does wonders and is good for the fish.
I have some of my plants potted with it in the pond. It sure sticks to your fingers when you get it wet!

JW no algae yet! but they are saying we are going up to 87 on monday, then slamming back into the 60's. lol
 

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very interesting jw... im going to plant my lilies in it this year ... only thing i would be worried about just putting it straight in the pond .. does anyone think it might clog up a pump
 

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I would protect the pump from it somehow as I would think it could clog it :banana:
 

koiguy1969

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Fishin'......would that bag of salt from the fish farm be a Blue bag of Mortons Solar Salt? ......$4.50 at Lowes..been using it for a few years now...mentioned it in many posts....as far as clay kitty litter...bentonite clay is the one to use for a replacement for koi clay. it allows for nutrient exchange. and provides some trace minerals. i prefer Koi Vital from terapond myself...all the benefits of koi clay..no mess!...and i preferr to go with barley extract as well...thats just me. barley bales take too long to become effective. they have to break down and release humic acids that slowly become hydrogen peroxide, this is what kills the algae. the extract already contains humic acids.....quicker!! starting the pond with the exrtract along with your bales would likely greatly enchance the efectiveness.
 

fishin4cars

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koiguy1969 said:
Fishin'......would that bag of salt from the fish farm be a Blue bag of Mortons Solar Salt? ......$4.50 at Lowes..been using it for a few years now...mentioned it in many posts....as far as clay kitty litter...bentonite clay is the one to use for a replacement for koi clay. it allows for nutrient exchange. and provides some trace minerals. i prefer Koi Vital from terapond myself...all the benefits of koi clay..no mess!...and i preferr to go with barley extract as well...thats just me. barley bales take too long to become effective. they have to break down and release humic acids that slowly become hydrogen peroxide, this is what kills the algae. the extract already contains humic acids.....quicker!! starting the pond with the exrtract along with your bales would likely greatly enchance the efectiveness.

That's the salt he sold me, he sold it to me for $5 so I guess he made a few cents off of it, maybe. LOL This is the koi Clay I had been considering but now wondering if Clay kitty litter would be just as good to start off trying. http://cgi.ebay.com/16-5-s-Calcium-...448?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cb39c0d50 I do start up with the barely Extract in the spring but I've found that two small bales of Barley once th extract has been added seems to maintaian for the rest of the season.
 

koiguy1969

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if you like koiclay...try the KoiVital liquid from tetrapond....no mess and no cloudy water....this stuff does the same things,
heres a cut and paste of product description:
Specially formulated koi vital pond treatment creates the natural water conditions that help koi and related coldwater fish species thrive. The trace elements and minerals in koi vital promote greater vitality, improved coloration and spawning. Regular use will provide preventative treatment against diseases caused by vitamin b deficiency, goiter, lethargy and stunted growth from iodine deficient water. Treats 2500 gallons
heres a link to further check it out:
http://www.buycheapr.com/us/result.jsp?ga=us7&q=tetra+pond+koi+vital

***the good thing for this time of year is it helps induce spawning***
 

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