Koi Clay

[frogman3]

How many of you use it on a regular basis and since many claim it has mutiple benefits for fish color and water quaility why do you use it?

[Vickie]

I use it and have for years. It helps clear the water and make the koi healthy. It makes my koi and goldfish colorful. I use it more often in the spring. And then maybe every few weeks all summer. If I see a problem with green water I use it more often.

[Esther]

I have used it. I can't swear at it or for it. Just am not sure.

[Reedman]

Ditto what Esther posted.

[Jerry]

I agree   I tend to think it's all in our heads.

[SueSTx]

I don't mind it being in my head if the water will just clear a bit.

I use kittie litter to pot my lilies.  I have noticed that the water seems clearer after I add several new pots...might be the clay...who knows for sure.

[frogman3]

I personally have never used Koi Clay or Calcium Bentonite in my ponds. It is purported to inhance the colors of your fish, add beneficial minerals plus polish your water. I happened upon a cheap source posted on another forum for just over 1.00 per lb from the manufacture with a fifty pound minimum. Pond supply houses charge over 4.00 per lb. Just wondered if it was worth the investment. Fifty pounds would last me a lifetime.

[tinkster]

I love it.  I alway dose very heavy in the spring while the plants are filling in and the fish sluggish and it clears things up for me.

tink

[marla]

I've used it for years, and feel it helps with clarity, but not sure how much.

[Bearb]

Last year I was having trouble with stringish algae floating up to the top of the pond late in the afternoon early evening. I think it was becoming buoyant from the oxygen it put out during the day (if I tried to net it out it would break up and sink leaving tiny bubbles on the surface). It would sink back down when the sun would go down. After some discussion here I tried cat litter (and accidentally dropped 7 pounds in) the problem seemed to go away shortly afterward; now I think I may have been too hasty in giving credit to the kitty litter. I just had too much gong on and changing at the time to make a reasonable guess as to cause/effect. I am now starting to see the phenomenon again. There is still some litter in the bottom of the pond but most has dissolved away over the last year. I also am seeing more true string algae than ever (I'm sure because this year I switched to UV). This weekend I will try to remember to add some kitty litter and take note of what happens. I'll put it on one side and see if I notice a difference with the string algae and see if the floating stuff subsides as well. As for fish health. . . who can tell? My fish seem healthy but they did before. . .

[Jerry]

If one uses it and is pleased, God bless you!  I am skeptical.  No I don't know for sure.
Sometimes things improve on their own!

[Bearb]

That is exactly right Jerry and it applies to most things pond. . . That is why this forum is so valuable, we can read other experiences (not just our one pond) and hopefully draw our own conclusions and have success. As long as a product/technique doesn't do harm and is not a huge outlay of money, no problem with using it. . . I'll probably spend another dollar on some kitty litter and try it again. I will likely not have an answer afterward but there is that (very unlikely) chance that I will see a dramatic result. If so, I can try to do more controlled experiments over the years. . . either way that give me a lot of tinkering fun for $1. . . 

[Vickie]

Make sure you use the same brand kitty litter. There is a difference in kinds.

[Bearb]

It will be the same brand, since the mountain of bags at the dollar store has not shrunk since I bought one last summer. Even though it will be the same (brand and batch), I can't place much stock in the "science" of whether or not it will help. Let's face it, I am not using "Koi Clay" and its "special formulation. . ." just a cheap source of bentonite clay. Who knows what trace minerals are present or lacking from batch to batch, let alone the ramifications on any given pond environment. The best answer I can expect is something along the lines of "Does bentonite clay APPEAR to have an effect on my floating scummy stuff?" "Does bentonite clay appear to have a local effect on string algae?" If it seams like it does curtail the floating stuff or I see diminished string algae growth near where the clay was added, then I get to play around with it next year. . . In the end, it is still just anecdotal evidence.

[reddad35]

I only get string algea at my falls, on my rocks that water flows over. It does not appear anywhere else. I have the exact rocks in other portions of my pond submerged but no algea there.  I have not been able to retard this by use of Koi Clay nor kitty litter. Other than at my falls I have not had trouble with clarity or any other algea for 2 years.

[tlc]

How many of you use it on a regular basis and since many claim it has mutiple benefits for fish color and water quaility why do you use it?

I use koi clay Froggie