Product Review

John da Pond (Hobbyist) on Tuesday 21 December, 2010
Product Reviewed: HAKKO Linear Air Pumps (HK-100 HK-120)
Product Rating:

Review:
I had the 100 and i kept burning out the diaphragms. Hakko was great with the warranty, but after my third set in less then a year I asked why it was happening. Turns out I had way too big of a pump and not enough air stones. I guess if you oversize the pump you create too much back pressure and wear out the diaphragms. So I opened up a bleeder line to let some air out and I didn't have to replace them again for over 4 years.

John da Pond (Hobbyist) on Tuesday 21 December, 2010
Product Reviewed: Jungle Lab Nitrite/Nitrate Test Strips
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Review:
quick, easy and reliable. what more do you want? Just keep them sealed and dry. I got a lot more shelf life when I kept them in a zip lock. Even humidity will spoil the strips.

John da Pond (Hobbyist) on Tuesday 21 December, 2010
Product Reviewed: PondMaster Pro 5000 Pond Skimmer
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Review:
very good skimmer. I have used it for over 10 years and its still in great shape. I had to replace the basket about two years ago and the padding has to be replaced every 2-3 years. When i upgraded my pond, I didn't have to upgrade this skimmer and just used it on the new pond.

John da Pond (Hobbyist) on Tuesday 21 December, 2010
Product Reviewed: Kusuri Sealer Spray
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Review:
the sealer only works for a short while. I sprayed it on and followed up the directions. A few hours later I wanted to see if it was still working, but the wound was completely exposed again and all the product washed away. It was sealed for a short while, but not long enough.

John da Pond (Hobbyist) on Tuesday 21 December, 2010
Product Reviewed: MinnFinn
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Review:
This is another product that works so well that it will kill your bio filter if not used properly. So be careful and make sure you completely bypass all filtration until it is completely neutralized. I guess if it didn't harm the filtration then it wouldn't really be doing anything, so the fact that you must bypass the filter proves it really is working. There are other products that make the same claims this one does but say they won't harm the filter...those don't ever do a dang thing for the koi from what I have seen. Minn Finn lives up to the hype and truly helps heal the koi.

John da Pond (Hobbyist) on Tuesday 21 December, 2010
Product Reviewed: UlcerAid Rx
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Review:
Beware, this will wipe out your bio filter! Do not let any of it get into your pond. I sprayed the koi using the spray bottle that comes with the kit. After spraying I put them right back into the pond. Even the tiny little residual on the koi from the spray pretty much destroyed my filter which caused all sort of problems. It was my fault, I should have rinsed the koi before putting them back. I guess it shows what a powerful anti bacterial product this really is. Just be CAREFUL.

John da Pond (Hobbyist) on Tuesday 21 December, 2010
Product Reviewed: Zapp Pure ZP-5
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Review:
Great UV. I had the 5 and it was supposed to be undersized for my pond, but it held up very well and I never felt like I needed the larger unit. Low watts and a well built. Not the cheapest UV on the market, but worth every penny.

John da Pond (Hobbyist) on Tuesday 21 December, 2010
Product Reviewed: Laguna PowerClear Max
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Review:
I used one of these for over 5 years. The bulbs always lasted at least 18 months or longer and the unit held up very well. Water was always crystal clear and I pretty much never had to do any maintenance on it.

John da Pond (Hobbyist) on Tuesday 21 December, 2010
Product Reviewed: AquaScience Cloram-X
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Review:
I use this as my every day dechlor. I love the fact that you can add as much as you want and never have to worry about hurting the koi. So I always dump in an extra scoop or two just to be safe. really cheap when you compare to the amount of water it treats with other liquid types.

John da Pond (Hobbyist) on Tuesday 21 December, 2010
Product Reviewed: Ultimate Water Conditioner
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Review:
Its the best on the market. I have been using it for years. Its overkill for regular water changes, so I use ChloramX for that, but when I do big water changes or move the koi or set up a holding tank, I always use Ultimate.

John da Pond (Hobbyist) on Tuesday 21 December, 2010
Product Reviewed: Atlantic FastFalls
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Review:
Its a well made weir, but don;t expect to get any filtration out of it. The basin is too small for any substantial filter material. But if you are just looking for a basic weir and a nice looking waterfall, then this should work fine.

John da Pond (Hobbyist) on Tuesday 21 December, 2010
Product Reviewed: Biotek
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Review:
I upgraded to this filter and I am very happy with the results. The price was right and it does an excellent job keeping my pond clean. Super easy to backwash and the valve is very solid and well made.

John da Pond (Hobbyist) on Tuesday 21 December, 2010
Product Reviewed: HozeLock Bioforce
Product Rating:

Review:
It did its job for a few years and then I moved on to something better. Very difficult to clean, but it kept the water pretty clear and that's its main job. I did have the one with a built in UV. The bulb died and had to be replaced every 6 months, usually most UV bulbs last a full year, but I went through 4 inside of 2 years.

John da Pond (Hobbyist) on Tuesday 21 December, 2010
Product Reviewed: Iron Might Pumps
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Review:
I got this as a back up pump. I used it once when my old pump broke and it worked so well I kept it as my main pump. I cut my watts in half, it was quieter and the flow was not noticeably less. I highly recommend this pump!

John da Pond (Hobbyist) on Tuesday 21 December, 2010
Product Reviewed: Sequel Power Ginrin Pump
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Review:
these are top of the line sequence pumps. Very well made and can handle very high flow at high head pressure and reasonable watts. They aren't cheap to buy, that's for sure. But it has held up very well for me and my 25 foot waterfall/stream. very quiet too!

John da Pond (Hobbyist) on Tuesday 21 December, 2010
Product Reviewed: Laguna Max-Flo
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Review:
These don't handle head pressure very well, so don't plan on a 10 foot waterfall or anything. But the are low watts and handle solids, which is a hard combo to find. The little plastic pieces that hold the prefilter cage together break pretty easily, so I had to use some wire to hold it together.

John da Pond (Hobbyist) on Tuesday 21 December, 2010
Product Reviewed: HozeLock Easyclear
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Review:
the fountain shape was not very nice, it didn't give an nice even effect which looked kinda tacky. But the pump and prefilter held up very well over the years and that's all that was important to me.

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