Summit...responsible solutions Summit 125 Clear-Water Barley Straw Bales, 2-Pack Treats up to 1000-Gallon

IDK how many of these I've bought. We have a couple big tanks that catch rainwater off the shed roof as there is no running water at my raised beds. Every year I put one in each tank and they really keep the scum from stagnate water away.

We have a new pond this summer and it gets about 9 hours of full sunlight. We got algae issues immediately. We knew it would take a while for the pond plants to grow and shade the water but it might take a long time. We used API Pond Algaefix (about half a cup) every 4-5 days to keep it from turning into complete pea soup. It would work a bit, but never get crystal clear which we were okay with. But every time we used it, some of the bigger fish we had (we inherited some 5 inch koi from friends) would look like they were in a coma for a day. They'd recover, but it didn't feel good to use a algae killer like that. Hence the search for an algae fixer that wasn't toxic to our fish. After reading, we decided to use this. It seemed like it would take up to a month for the barley straw to break down and release whatever miracle algae inhibiting chemicals. We also bought some Crystal Clear barley extract to jump start the process. So here's what happened. On day one, we added the two barley straw bundles to the top of our little waterfall. We added 1/4 cup of API Algaefix (because we figured there was NO way the barley would work that fast), plus about 3/4 cup of the Crystal Clear Barley extract. The pond was pretty cloudy. We couldnt' see the bottom (about 2 feet deep in some places). Day two: Pretty clear. Like, better than when we used the API Algaefix alone. We figured we're not sure what really worked, but hey, it worked, and the fish were swimming around looking very good. No coma fish. Day three-seven (it's been one week). Crystal clear. LIke, mountain stream picturesque crystal clear. There is NO way this sustained clarity has anything to do with the Algaefix or even the barley extract. WE can only think it's from the barley straw. It's amazing. The plants look great. The fish are healthy and getting fatter by the day. (We only feed them about once a week--most of the time they forage on their own and do great). The only caveat: we used to have water bugs and other water surface insects. We haven't seen a single once since the barley went in. No explanation for that. Weird. We have lots of dragonflies and they seem fine. All in all, SUCH an amazing product. We are so happy we did a little research and found this. No more algaecide! No more waiting for the pond plants to grow in. I'm shocked that it worked so fast and it's still going so great!

I have a new Pond setup. I have 125 gallon pond and have read that barley straw is really great for deterring algae. I have had this in my pond since the setup so I can't say how great it works but I'm sure it is doing the job. I live in El Paso Texas where we get nothing but direct sun and my pond is in full sun half of the day. So algae is a concern and it still happens but I do believe that this is helping. It does get water logged after about a week. I just take it out let it dry a little and then put it back in

This stuff is amazing! I was VERY skeptical that a hay bale would clear up my emerald green Koi pond, but dang if it didn't! One review said they last 3 months, and after about 3 weeks it was much clearer, but it wasn't crystal clear and it didn't seem to be improving, so I threw in another one. Now, it's crystal clear. I'm curious how long it will stay that way, but I'm ready with a new order if it starts turning green again. My only problem is, I would love to find this in bulk, but I found that the feed stores don't have barley based hay. I love having a clear pond but $10 for a few small bales when a huge bale from the feed store is $15, seems a bit high. I've included some photos. The green photo is from June 25th and the clear one is from July 17th. Booya!!! :) (Note: I put the first bale in on June 17th, but didn't take a picture until the 25th). UPDATE 5/27/2016: So, they worked the first time, but not the next. I tried them a few times and got frustrated because they weren't working. I read the instructions and it says, "put near a water fall" but I don't have a waterfall that runs 24/7. I do, however, have spitters that run all the time. So, I bought some of these http://www.amazon.com/Improved-Secured-Closure-Replacement-Guarantee/dp/B00KGEDB60?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00 and broke open a bale. Put the hay inside the wash bag and used that in my filter http://www.amazon.com/TetraPond-SF1-Submersible-Flat-Filter/dp/B0024EFYU6?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00 I just replaced one of the filter pads with the was bag. This worked amazing! I just wish I could find bulk barley hay for a reasonable price! UPDATE: 8/10/2015 - So, I still love this stuff, but I've noticed it stops working after about a month. I just put in a new bale on 8/8/2015 because it was starting to cloud up again. I'm also using the barley flakes. The reviews said they work faster than the bales. I also noticed if you leave the bales in, they do disintegrate and you'll find the barley splinters in your filter and floating in the water. I'll update regarding the flakes, but will probably continue to use both.

I don't know if we did not give it enough time, but this did not work for our pond. We still had a lot of green murky water even after three weeks in the water. PS We placed it in the pond tank right after cleaning and two days later the water was dirty again.

Works well to keep algae down.

Great for keeping our pond water clear! Slowly break down over the course of the summer. Great item.

Have a very small pond maybe 200 gallons, it filled by my ground water sump and I'll also have a hose dripping, the pond is water source for my honey bees. Bees love it but I've always had pond scum and algae issues, we put minnows in to eat the mosquito larva and gnats. Pond was noticeably clearer after 3 days, but bale sunk, so I rigged up rope to keep it near aerator bubbles and I can swap bales out with ease without have to go all the around house (I have a handicap and walking can be a challenge) would of been 5 star rating but sinking after 3 days, and directions say if it sinks you need to remove and let it dry out, so I'll rotate them when one sinks replace it with the dry one. 1st picture is after aerators were installed next 2 are after 4 days with the barley bale was placed in pond.

Cela devrait purifier l'eau de mon bassin mais il faut attendre 1 mois pour voir le resultat.J'esere que cela va marcher

Very happy with the product. Smells and feels like Hay

Tengo mi estanque al aire libre y en una zona que le da el sol la mayor parte del día. Tenía tiempo batallando con las algas. Después de un mes de tener las pajas en el agua el alga disminuyó notoriamente.

To try to restrict algae in pond!

its a great and effective product