MICROBE-LIFT MLXSAG4 Sludge-Away Pond and Outdoor Water Garden Sludge Remover, OK for Live Koi Fish, Plant Life, and Decor, 1 Gallon

Works really fast and really well, keeping the water clear and free of buildup

We just started a pond in our back yard with little knowledge. We knew we needed something to clean up the green sludginess that we started seeing. Following the label, I was worried at first it wouldn't work because I had already done the 1st 2 weeks with little change. THEN, all of a sudden I could see the bottom, it was clearing up. This product works extremely well! Our fish are unbothered also!

We built our koi pond many years ago and over that time our koi have grown beautiful and huge -- over two feet in length. Since we use mechanical as well as a couple of biological filtration systems, we felt comfortable that the health of our pond was excellent. Since water readings were always good and fish and plants were thriving, I became lazy about testing the pond water regularly. Then we stepped out on our deck a couple of weeks ago to find our largest koi, Sid (yep, we name them), floating belly-up by the skimmer intake. After a fishy funeral, I hurried to test the water. All readings were okay with the exception of extremely high phosphates. The culprit turned out to be one of the biological filtration systems which was inefficient and malfunctioning. The organic waste was settling into an area of the unit and was degrading much too slowly (basically rotting) which raised phosphate levels and released gases that are toxic to fish. The fish had been less interested in food recently but I'd attributed it to the high heat. We began a fairly drastic water change-out which still left the phosphate levels way too high. I checked with our local pond supply store and they recommended Sludge Away. After disconnecting the faulty bio-filter, I added the product in the amount recommended for our pond size (I added it in the skimmer box near the recirculating pump). The pond water went from clear to chocolate-milk-brown quickly. The brown color only lasted a couple of days and then the water went amazingly crystal clear...MUCH clearer that it has ever been. The Sludge Away worked to quickly break down and remove sludge and muck that had accumulated in the bottom of our pond and throughout the rocks and pebbles that line the edges and bottom. This alone helped by getting rid of the slowly-decomposing gunk that was producing the high phosphate level -- but the product also contains a phosphate-binder that renders the existing phosphates inactive. The extra bonus was incredible water clarity. The bottle labeling recommends a treatment every week for four weeks. This will require 3-4 bottles for our pond. For very large ponds, Sludge Away is available in 1-gallon and 5-gallon sizes. Although we'll miss poor old Sid, we're relieved that our remaining fish are happy and healthy once again. I'm back to hauling my test tubes down to the pond every few days to check the various water readings so that we don't get surprised again. Whether or not Sludge Away works to clarify ALL ponds, I can't say. Perhaps some ponds are too small and other ponds may be so huge that it's impossible to gauge the water capacity of the pond in order to add the appropriate amount of product. Also, I think that the Sludge Away requires sufficient water movement and aeration to do its job. For our particular medium-sized pond with waterfall and other aeration, it worked like a charm. WARNING: If your pond is stocked with fish, make sure that it is sufficiently oxygenated before using Sludge Away. As it works, the Oxygen Uptake Rate in your pond will increase in the process, along with your fish's need for oxygen. Insufficient aeration while using Sludge Away will leave your fish gasping for air at the surface. Waterfalls, fountains, and other types of aerators all help to maintain oxygen levels in the water. Also, depending on when the Sludge Away is bottled, it has a nasty, rotten-eggs smell when you open it. I had sent an email to the Microbe-Lift folks because one bottle that I opened smelled bad and another bottle had practically no odor. Since I'm familiar with most of the Microbe-Lift products being smelly, I was afraid that the odorless bottle was ineffective. Instead, it turned out that the date on the bottle was very current (just bottled) so the product hadn't had time to build up a stink.

This worked really well in my small waterfall backyard pond. I didnt cover last year, so I had a lot of sludge on the bottom. It cleared it really well with continued use. Side note...it smells awful.

My pond was really dirty a big weed grew so I was digging and a lot of debris fell in pond , less than 24 hours my water looks so good . I will definitely be using this once a week moving forward.

Works fast.

Used as directed. No visible difference is sludge in bottom of otherwise pretty clear/clean/well-balanced koi pond.

Not kidding, it appears and smells just like the black septic sludge. Didn't see any change after 1 use and didn't want to poor thar black crap with my koi. Good news is they didn't die.

...what more can I say!

Have used for years to open my ponds - never found a better product for spring cleanup and loading the filters in the spring. Gallon size offers a 25% discount and my ponds needed the whole bottle. Highly recommend to clean up sludge, debris and hard to clean rock bottoms.

This really works but I ended up paying £11 import duty before I could get it delivered.

I’ve dealt with Pets & Ponds for years now, excellent retailer. Pleasantly surprised as the delivery this time way ahead of schedule. The product works great, really helps to take care of the leaf debris from the year before.

I added the recommended to my pond and was disappointed with the results in fact there was no change in the water clarity.