Product Review

Jacqueline (Hobbyist) on Wednesday 24 November, 2010
Product Reviewed: Matala Pond Vac II
Product Rating:

Review:
works pretty well. It is powerful enough to get stuff off the bottom of my 4 foot pond. But I don't like how quickly it shuts off to drain. It takes about 15 seconds then the vac is full of water and it shuts off and starts to drain. Then you have to stand then for what seems like over a minute (but probably closer to 45 seconds)and then it comes back on and you can vacuum for another 15 seconds. But after awhile you get into a rhythm and it doesn't bother you. It would be nice if it drained faster and you didn't have to wait so long. The Oase vac has a dual chamber so it never shuts off, one fills while the other drains, but it also costs twice as much as this one which is why I got the matala.

Jacqueline (Hobbyist) on Wednesday 24 November, 2010
Product Reviewed: Islandscapes
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Review:
Maybe its just me, but I couldn't get anything to grow. Not sure if it was my water or the way I planted in it or if this just doesn't work. But everything I planted in here died within 2 weeks. I tried again with different plants and they also died. But I have lilies doing well in my pond, so no sure why the plants didn't do well.

Jacqueline (Hobbyist) on Wednesday 24 November, 2010
Product Reviewed: Mosquito Dunks
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Review:
I put these in my bird bath. Keeps the bugs away and the birds don't seem bothered by it.

Jacqueline (Hobbyist) on Wednesday 24 November, 2010
Product Reviewed: Stowasis Forth
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Review:
I installed this myself. The fountain is very heavy and I needed some help to get it into position. They are very well made, the welds are solid. It works really well and is so beautiful. I get compliments on it from every person that sees it.

Jacqueline (Hobbyist) on Wednesday 24 November, 2010
Product Reviewed: Calcium Montmorillonite Clay
Product Rating:

Review:
I add this 2 times a week, year round. It really helps with water clarity and the fish love it. They swim through the clouds of it. I am told it cleans out the gills and helps their digestion. I like to feed them right after I add it to the water so they will get the clay in their digestive system and it really helps them digest food better and produce less waste.

Jacqueline (Hobbyist) on Wednesday 24 November, 2010
Product Reviewed: Pond HealthGuard
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Review:
This was recommended to me by a fellow koi club member. I have added it to my pond every spring for the past 3 years. I did have one outbreak of parasites last fall, but that was from a new koi I added. So other then that I have had no real problems with any of my koi. I can only assume this product has had something to do with that since its the only thing I ever really add to the pond other then dechlor and koi clay.

Jacqueline (Hobbyist) on Wednesday 24 November, 2010
Product Reviewed: UlcerAid Rx
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Review:
You think you are getting this huge jar of medication, but when you open it up its this tiny little jar inside, like those nesting dolls. Wasteful packaging if you ask me and misleading to the consumer. But aside from that the dip works great and the koi healed up quickly, so I guess I shouldn't complain about the jar it comes in. I used to use Tricide Neo and they koi never seemed to get much better. They didn't get worse, but they never completely healed. So I switched to this and after 3 dips I noticed a big difference.

Jacqueline (Hobbyist) on Wednesday 24 November, 2010
Product Reviewed: ProForm C
Product Rating:

Review:
This stuff saved my koi. They were all stressed and at the bottom of the pond with clamped fins and red veins. I added this and they started flashing about and I got worried, but then within an hour they calmed down and started swimming better. By the end of the third treatment there were no signs of parasites at all.

Jacqueline (Hobbyist) on Wednesday 24 November, 2010
Product Reviewed: Microbe-Lift Parazoryne
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Review:
This is good at preventing outbreaks with parasites, but it doesn't treat the koi if they already have problems. If your koi are already infested with parasites, then you need something much stronger then this. I used it after I got rid of the parasites with proformC. Then this product helped the koi recover and kept the problems from coming back. So its a good product but just know what you are getting and what it's designed to do.

Jacqueline (Hobbyist) on Wednesday 24 November, 2010
Product Reviewed: Jungle Labs 6 in 1 test strips
Product Rating:

Review:
I have been using these for years. Never compared the results to anything other test, but I have never had a need to. The test strips always give me pretty consistent results so I always trusted them. They are really easy to use and I have all my needed results in just a couple seconds.

Jacqueline (Hobbyist) on Wednesday 24 November, 2010
Product Reviewed: PondCare Pond pH Down
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Review:
I have read not to use any pH down type of thing, but I run a pH over 9.0 right from my tap and I don't want it that high in the pond. I only have to add this after a major water change to keep the pH from getting too high, then I never have to add it again until the next water change. I works great for me.

Jacqueline (Hobbyist) on Wednesday 24 November, 2010
Product Reviewed: Proform PC
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Review:
I am always surprised at how well this works. I add it whenever I notice any little bit of murky water and within hours I am back to crystal clear and I can see specs on the liner 4 feet down.

Jacqueline (Hobbyist) on Wednesday 24 November, 2010
Product Reviewed: FritzZyme Turbo Start 700
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Review:
This got my pond started FAST! Within 1 week I already started to see nitrites and within 2 weeks ammonia was gone and nitrates were showing up. I never got green water or the new pond problems most people get and I had koi in my pond less then 48 hours after I first filled it.

Jacqueline (Hobbyist) on Wednesday 24 November, 2010
Product Reviewed: Kordon Amquel
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Review:
I have been using Amquel for years and I am very happy with it. Powders are cheaper, but they don't work instantly. This stuff removes chlorine the instant it touches the water. It's the cheapest liquid dechlor out there other then Prime, but I don't use prime and its dangerous to overdose, this product is safe no matter how much you add.

Jacqueline (Hobbyist) on Wednesday 24 November, 2010
Product Reviewed: Laguna PowerClear Max
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Review:
The first bulb I got burned out in less then two weeks. But Laguna replaced it for free and it has been running well ever since.

Jacqueline (Hobbyist) on Wednesday 24 November, 2010
Product Reviewed: Watermark Skimmer
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Review:
This has been a great skimmer for the past 3 years. Very easy to clean. One word of caution though, the screen they have to prevent the fish from getting in will clog quickly if you don't remove the leaves by hand. I burned out a pump because of this so now I don't use the screen anymore. The fish don't seem to want to go in there anyway so I don't worry about it.

Jacqueline (Hobbyist) on Wednesday 24 November, 2010
Product Reviewed: HAKKO Linear Air Pumps (HK-40 HK-60 HK-80)
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Review:
I have the 40L. Its very quiet and gives me lots of air. I have 12 air stones in my pond and this gets plenty of air to all of them. Its been 2 years and I still haven't needed to replace the diaphragm, so I am very impressed with that because they usually only last about 1 year.

Jacqueline (Hobbyist) on Wednesday 24 November, 2010
Product Reviewed: Little Giant Flex
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Review:
I got this because it was easy to hook up to my matala ezbio. I used it in my quarantine and then moved it over to the main pond. So now I can easily move it back and fourth between the qt and the pond whenever its needed.

Jacqueline (Hobbyist) on Wednesday 24 November, 2010
Product Reviewed: Matala EZ Bio
Product Rating:

Review:
I used one of these in my quarantine and when I didn't need it there anymore i moved it over to my main pond. Now I have a filter ready to go anytime I want to set my qt up again. Its small and easy to move back and fourth and its very easy to clean.

Jacqueline (Hobbyist) on Wednesday 24 November, 2010
Product Reviewed: Ultima II
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Review:
I upgraded to this filter a couple years ago and I still really like it. I have the 4000 unit that filters all the water from my bottom drain. I opened it up last spring and even after two years it was not clogged or full of sludge like I thought it would be. The media was still in good shape too.

Jacqueline (Hobbyist) on Wednesday 24 November, 2010
Product Reviewed: TetraPond 1500, 2500, 4000 Pressure Filters
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Review:
I wasn't thrilled with this little thing. Its a pain to get the top off with all those things on the side and the sponges were really hard to clean and fell apart in less then a year. And it was really hard to find replacement sponges. I got it because it came with a built in UV which is nice, but other then that it wasn't a very good filter

Jacqueline (Hobbyist) on Wednesday 24 November, 2010
Product Reviewed: Savio FilterWeir
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Review:
This doesn't come with any filter media, its just a basin. But I filled it with the savio spring flo and I got a lot in there and now its a very nice waterfall filter at 1/3 the price of others designed to be filters.

Jacqueline (Hobbyist) on Wednesday 24 November, 2010
Product Reviewed: Dynamo Pumps
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Review:
I really like the two speed option on this pump. The high speed uses way too much electricity though, I was out of town and my neighbor watching the pond left it on high for over a week and my bill was $100 higher that month. But its great to have it on high for cleaning out the filter and for parties and such. The rest of the time its on the low speed.

Jacqueline (Hobbyist) on Wednesday 24 November, 2010
Product Reviewed: ShinMaywa Waterfall Pump
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Review:
This sits in my skimmer and sends water up to one of my waterfalls with over 10 ft of head. It has plenty of power and seems like a very well made pump. its not completely silent even when under water I can hear a hum, but its not too bad. energy use seems low.

Jacqueline (Hobbyist) on Wednesday 24 November, 2010
Product Reviewed: Leader Ninphaea Mag Drive Pump
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Review:
I got this before I knew what I was doing. It worked well until the fountain head broke off after the dog went in the pond. I guess you can't blame the pump for that, but ti wasn't really all that well made to begin with. The pump worked fine, but the fountain head was cheap and flimsy.

Jacqueline (Hobbyist) on Wednesday 24 November, 2010
Product Reviewed: Savio Springflo Bio-Filter Media
Product Rating:

Review:
This media is really cool. I had a small waterfall basin and so I just filled it with the spring flo. I managed to get almost the entire roll into the chamber and it was a great addition to my filter system. I didn't have to add any new equipment or plumb anything in. I just added it to what I already had and I pretty much doubled my filtration.

Jacqueline (Hobbyist) on Wednesday 24 November, 2010
Product Reviewed: Matala Sheets
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Review:
these are great filter pads. I gave 4 instead of 5 stars because of how expensive they are, around $35 for one half of a sheet. But they work very well and don't fall apart. You get what you pay for I guess.

Jacqueline (Hobbyist) on Wednesday 24 November, 2010
Product Reviewed: Tetra Koi Excellence Complete
Product Rating:

Review:
I tried this once. The koi didn't like it, they ate it but not quickly like they usually do. I found a big increase in the waste produced after feeding with this. It was cheap, but not worth the money.

Jacqueline (Hobbyist) on Wednesday 24 November, 2010
Product Reviewed: Yokozuna Koi Food
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Review:
I like the JPD food a lot. I currently use the blackwater formula, but for several years I used this food. i only switched because of cost, but I had great growth and color while using this.

Jacqueline (Hobbyist) on Wednesday 24 November, 2010
Product Reviewed: Blackwater Gold Koi Food
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Review:
I have a few very high end koi (and a few mutts) and I really want to feed them a premium food. Most of the high quality foods are very expensive, but this is a bit more reasonable in price and it is one of the best foods on the market. Great development and very little waste to remove from the filters. What more can you ask for from a food?

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