How it Began

I built a Koi pond in 1999 without a clue as to what I was doing. Luckily, I got a few things right. The pond is lined with vinyl. The sides are 90 degrees with no slope. The depth is 30 inches (minimum 24 inches.) I used a 1 hp swimming pool pump and swimming pool cartridge filter.  The filter has 120 square foot filtering area at 20 microns. The pond is approx. 4000 gallons. The pond design worked out just right to put a low bridge over the middle of the pond. This enabled me to bring all the plumbing into the pond and out of sight. I was also able to install an underwater TV camera.  Now that's the way to watch fish.

After filling the pond, I added six small Koi.  The first week I was saying “It’s no problem having a Koi pond.”  After the second week I wasn’t saying that any more. The water was cloudy green and I couldn’t see the fish. I started on an adventure of finding a cure. I tried just about everything on the market, including algaecides, bacteria, water clarifiers & UV lights. You name it, I tried it. This went on for about 3 years.  There would be a few days when I could see the fish and many more when I couldn’t.  Finally I tried laying penny’s in the skimmer (not on the bottom.) Copper is a mild algaecide. The penny’s worked for a while but not consistently and there was a little odor.  

We had two hurricanes in 2004 and one in 2005.  The pond settled into a nasty green.  In early 2006 I was getting desperate to find something that worked.  I  tried more chemicals.  After a couple of months I had gone from 40 KOI to 4 KOI and still had nasty water and had lost most of the fish to chemicals that were supposed to be harmless to the fish. Needless to say, I wasn’t successful. I made plans to fill in that messy green hole. 

By accident, I discovered a useful element that could be reduced to a liquid at the microscopic level. Some would call it a clarifier, but it’s really more like a cleaner. Unlike an algaecide, it promotes the clumping of algae, Phosphorous, microbes and dissolved organic carbon so that they can be easily removed by a filter. Removing these pollutants is the answer I had been looking for. 

As it turns out, this product is ideal for Koi ponds, Koi pools and aquariums. I applied for and received 2  patents. I have found that by using my clarifier, a good filtering system and pump, the water stays clear with safe levels of ammonia, nitrite and nitrate.  This eliminates the need for water changes, keeps oxygen levels up and the fish have a healthy environment.  I just add water for evaporation.