I use hydrogen peroxide in water for growing indoor plants. It works great for fending off root rot and algae growth in the growing medium. It has the happy side effect of oxygenating the root system as it gives off oxygen and water as it deteriorates.
Your underwater video shots are very good. It’s fascinating to have the glimpses from a perspective of the fish at their aquatic world which I must say you did a nice job putting together.
I use hydrogen peroxide on the roots of orchids when repotting. I've heard of people using it in their hot tubs instead of chlorine or bromine. I'm going to give this a try come summer when I'll have this problem. Thank you.
Dr.mark.C.Ferris - what 😮 ! Do you mean HP is like another certain unmentionable 02 product that is prevalent after a thunderstorm? Be careful what you write here, some one might get offended 😮
30 years ago we used potassium permanganate to treat our big koi pond for parasites, followed by hydrogen peroxide to stop the potassium action. Every fish is still alive today.
I use hydrogen peroxide in reversing the effects of potassium permanganate. I add it directly to my pond with big kois and all. Totally harmless to the fish. And I reckon a scientist who also a koi enthusiast said that HP helps the kois to grow even bigger. Very interesting video indeed. Kudos, from a fellow pond guy in the Philippines. ❤🇵🇭🐟
We use this method as well. Only as you stated, at the initial outbreak. If your pond is out of control ( lets say, from covering for the winter like me), you are better off waiting until spring when your filters are up and running. We've also seen no ill effects from fish or plants, using this method. Great video, thanks.
If anyone unaware. API's Pond & Waterfall Cleaner uses Sodium Percarbonate which is essentially a dry form of Hydrogen Peroxide. It comes with instructions and they have Safety Data Sheets available on their website.
@Ozponds if you believe that sodium and carbon are a d r y form of H2O Then that is evidence that you never did even basic chemistry at school. Beware of experts DYOR (Do you're own Research)
@Ozponds if you believe that sodium and carbon are a d r y form of H2O Then that is evidence that you never did even basic chemistry at school. Beware of experts DYOR (Do you're own Research)
@ozponds - Did you know that Chlorine gas was used in the first WW as a weapon to poison British troops ? My grandfather was gassed twice ! This led ultimately to his premature death. Medically proven fact. Check out the company who supplied it.
Robot reptile 4 - sodium percarbonate has no connection whatsoever with hydrogen or oxygen. It is a compound of Sodium and Carbon. "Dry form of hydrogen peroxide ????😮 Didn't you do chemistry at school ? I hope nobody mistakes you for an expert, it could be injurious to their health listening to people like you.
I have used 3% hydrogen peroxide in my aquariums and I have over dosed more than once by accident and it has hurt fish (Gouramis) and plants (moss and val) to name two that I remember. So do be careful.
I have been thinking about adding some ponds and possibly one to swim in, so you came up in my recommended and since you’re an Aussie too I subbed. Cheers.
I have always added bags of barley straw to my pond in the spring. As it decomposes, it produces a weak H2O2 which helps the pond stay clear. I have always had a thriving pond and never noticed any adverse effect.
We used to use it on a salmon farm I worked on. The boss in a space suite used 100% pure because it is highly corrosive neat.(He was intentionally excessively careful as it was believed locally that the reason the previos owner had developed an accelerated form of M.S. was through using it in shorts etc.) We would poot a 3 foot deep open bottom skirt around a cage with from memory 2000+ salmon and the sea lice would adsorbe it through their skin and when it re-gassed inside them and they simply over inflated and exploded. The wonderful thing about it is that as soon as it is used it starts converting back to harmless gasses, so will never accumulate over successive applications. Interesting video and some verry interesting suggestions bellow.
If you treat with beneficial bacteria and use plants to absorb the excess nutrients and filter the water, you won't need to add peroxide. If you mimic natural processes in your pond you won't have to do hardly any maintenance. I would recommend researching biofilters, bog filters, and beneficial bacteria for ponds.
This was just an experiment. My whole channel is about bogs/ natural processes/ saving money building and maintaining a pond. But thanks for the tips I’ll try and implement your suggestions 😉
Hi! Thanks for the video. I live in Portugal and I keep a 2000 liter pond. I only have 3 Oscar fishes and a couple of plecos there but, since those are tropical fish, I only keep them there between mid spring and the end of Summer. I have been catching them (which is not that hard if done by night with a torch) and moving them to a 500 liter indoor tank for the last 3 winters and they are healthy and happy. The water in the pond is crystal clear year around but there is a huge amount of detritus in the bottom as well as very generous amounts of thick and ugly algae in the walls. Since it is winter here and the fish will not come back for at least 5 months, it is the ideal moment to give it a try with the recommended dosage (around 0.65 liters) and share the results here. My main concern is to somehow create a shock into the ecosystem's balance which would change the water quality dramatically and from which there could be no recovery without a full reset. Let's see how it goes.
@@Ozponds I just poured the recommended dosage into the lake a minute ago. Let's see how it goes. Water temperature is around 11 C. Maybe this will slow things up a bit...
@Ozponds 24h and the algea looks more or less intact, maybe a little lighter but ceartainty not white. Having said that, the water is crystal clear like never before. Not that it wasn't fully transparent, but I never saw it like this. Another interesting point is that snails and mosquito larvae that live there, as well as the Lotus plants, look normal and apparently unaffected. I will update soon.
Quick update: Algae look much weaker and more whitish but they are surely alive. I also took the opportunity to add some peroxide to an aquarium which was having some cyanobacteria bloom and they are dying quickly. My main conclusion is that there are probably some algae species which are quite sensitive to peroxide while others can resist to the regular dosage. Eventually all algae species will die given the proper concentration of peroxide but some probably resist until a point which is not safe for fish or aquatic plants. Since I have no fish in the pond, I might try again but with a higher dosage.
I have a small pond that I recently refurbished. It got one hell of a string and blanket algae bloom almost overnight. Tried scooping it out but that was a losing situation. I dumped a whole bottle of peroxide in - I have no fish - and the next day the alga was gone but it had apparently died and dropped to the bottom because all of my rock bottom was brown. Should be able to filter it out, I hope.
I would like to see a video even if it doesn't work. I would be curios to see if there are any negative affects to using hydrogen peroxide. Thank you for your continued inspiration and information.
When I had a pond I used a bundle of barley straw in the pond to prevent that green growth. I found it at a local farm supply store for use in livestock water tanks. I married and left my pins behind. I am thinking hard about building another. And yes peroxide does kill the green growth. Used it before the barley. Don't remember losing fish. For info on the bakery straw just google barley straw in fish ponds.
But barley straw just works by releasing hydrogen peroxide into the water as it decays. So you might as well skip that, and have more control over the dose and rate, but just adding peroxide. It really just depends on what you have easier access to. Every pharmacy should have peroxide, and every pet shop or large supermarket should have barley straw, as it's used for rabbit bedding.
I just started using hydrogen peroxide in my fountain. It works so much better than the chlorine bleach, and our water is so much clearer (however, o dos have to clean the dead algae first to clear things out). Also, it isn’t harmful to the birds who drink from the fountain.
People who keep saltwater reef tanks also add hydrogen peroxide to the water, there is a special diffuser you can add it to that leaks it through clay for slow release.
@@Ozponds I did too and thought they were hard but they are not really if you just know the basics. One of the easiest ways to make it easy is lots of biological media which keeps the nitrogen cycle very stable, and the most amazing secret of all time to that is zeolite for biological even though it's sold for chemical media, seachem denitrate has the best pore structure of anything for anaerobic bacteria to finish the nitrogen cycle turning nitrate to gas which makes it leave the tank. So putting a tonn of that into low flow very important it has to be low flow for the anaerobic bacteria to be able to live areas of the filter system is the secret and to seed it with a bacteria product that specifically states it has anaerobic bacteria. Said a lot but explain the why it's important. Then you only need to do water changes every few months just top off with filtered water that's how stable it is. So just throw in some sand, some fake rock so no pests and two cool types of designer clownfish you think look cool and say two bubbletip anemone and you got a simple but really cool tank.
Can be deadly to living things in the water. H202 decomposes to water and dissolved singular atoms of oxygen (not O2). Those unbonded oxygen molecules are irritating to creatures in the water. Even a highly dilute solution, which i set aside for a week to off-gas, killed most of the bladder snails in my tank, which created a new mess to deal with. Strangely, the Gambusia Affinis were unharmed. Those mosquito fish are tough. So I suggest getting native nanofish out of the local waters for your tank while learning to care for fish.
Ericborling -someone else who has swallowed the hype and propaganda about hydrogen peroxide, like ozone h2O2 has free electrons/ions and needs to discharge them to become stable as normal oxygen , mammalian cells have an enzyme called superoxydismutase which protects the cell membranes, fungus and anaerobic organisms do not. Hence their effectiveness in killing cancer cells. Big pharma doesn't want the peons to know this. Oxygen is the breath of life....end of.
I can’t wait to try it, here in Ohio the weather has been up and down temperature wise. One day is 20f, the next it 45-57f. The string algae was gone nuts, normally we don’t see that until late May or June. My pond is raise above the ground about 2 feet, with a max depth of 5-1/2 feet in the middle and it has a constant flowing water fall circulating the water with air stones going all year. I’m going to try it now and see what happens in a week, then I’ll vacuum out any dead algae and let you know how it worked. Thanks again
Hey bro are you using a bio filter? I've built them using 55 gallon plastic pickle barrels with tall aeration towers for ponds this size and they work very well to control the overabundance of organic growth as you had. If you have one you may wish to switch it into bypass mode while treating as you don't want to kill off the good organics within the filter. Smart usage and dosage of the H202!
Undersized bog filter is on the pond with lots of buildup. I’ve often considered flipping it into a high flow filter, but my narrow stream couldn’t handle more flow, it would cause a leak. I really should just flush the bog more often.
Just FYI on another use for hydrogen peroxide…. nothing to do with ponds. years ago I managed a tropical fish department in a huge pet shop in Chicago. We regularly ordered tons of gold fish, many used as feeders so usually they came in on a Friday and by Monday most were already sold. BUT… we would put 300 goldfish into a 20 gal tank. INSANELY over crowded. And as expected keeping oxygen up was difficult. BUT…. a few cap fulls of hydrogen peroxide would keep them alive long enough to be sold out. Kinda like infusing the water with extra oxygen.
How about turtles? Does anybody know the effects of H2O2 on turtles. We have a Yellow-bellied slider in our pond and would love to try a H2O2 treatment.
You can buy 30% HP and dilute it down to 3%. I did this a lot when I worked in a chemistry lab. I don’t know if it would be cost effective as 30% is much more expensive. You have to be very careful with it. Wear safety goggles. If you get it on your skin, your skin turns white. I know, personal experience. I didn’t have any lasting effects on my skin.
Add once per month and the amount required will decrease over time. The small jug amount in the volume of your pond makes the actual amount of H2O2 very little. If you want to save on shipping cost, see if your supplier sells H2O2 in 12%, 20%, or higher. Buy the highest percentage and then dilute down to 1, 2, 3% to add to ponds :) 100 litres of 3%... vs 50 litres of 6% vs 25 litres of 12% vs 12.5 litres of 24% (these are not exact % and volumes but are within a range to figures to give you an idea of how much less you pay to have 10 litres shipped than 100 litres).
The level of algae in water is an indicator of soluble nutrient levels in the water. Water temperature will also affect this because warmer water twill hold more nutrient in solution further increasing algae. Exposure to light will also increase it even further. Treating the water with any chemical will not remove the nutrient but transform it for a short time. More plant life and shade are probably the best way to control algae.
This is all true and I talk about this all the time on my other videos. Would we call hydrogen peroxide a chemical when it’s simply hydrogen and oxygen (same as water)? I’m also curious about its oxidizing properties. Does the nutrient level still exist? Having said that, I’m still experimenting and exploring the answers. But you are correct everything that caused algae in the first place still exists and the algae will return.
My understanding is, essentially what has happened is that you have stopped the algae living and it is now broken down and is in solution or has added to the precipitate on the bottom of the pond where it will probably break down further. The actual matter is still there and unless it is chemically bound in some insoluble or inert way (or removed) it will re-enter the nutrient cycle. Generally speaking, the algae requires CO2 while the things that eat it need O2. Aerating the water will help boost the O2 which might boost the things that eat the algae. I have always wanted to do an experiment along these lines. I have thought about making an aerator using an impeller like Jay Harmon's 'Lily Impeller' as well as building a 'Wilks Flowform'. A fellow who is doing something very interesting, effective and simple is David Pagan-Butler. He is building chemical free pools which use aeration and plants to keep them clean. He has a youtube channel - th-cam.com/users/davidpaganbutler The difference between water (H2O) and Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) is that it has an extra oxygen. Compared to H2O, H2O2 is very reactive and essentially corrosive to organic matter - it's the extra oxygen that does the work. Oxygen itself can be explosive in high concentrations in the presence of certain compounds, H2O2 is even more explosive. During WW2 the Germans used H2O2 as a component in the rocket fuel that powered the Me-163 rocket interceptor. In small concentrations it can be OK but in high concentrations it is quite volatile. Thanks for replying - I'll have to look at some of your other videos! @@Ozponds
It’s all rather fascinating. I do understand that pure hydrogen peroxide is quite volatile, we need to remember though in this situation I used a 3% solution, it’s pretty safe. I love David’s channel and watch all his vids (I wish he published more). His “regeneration zones” and “bog filters” (which I use) are essentially the same. His use air and are down-flow, mine use pumps (I like streams) and are up-flow. Both are incredibly effective at growing large populations of different types of nitrogen processing bacteria.
Yes, it is fascinating. I have been interested in this type of stuff (water, fluid dynamics, aeration) for a few decades now. As with any chemical, concentration is a major factor and I agree that H2O2 is a much better chemical to use than many other options. I love the idea of aerating with a stream but my understanding is that it can be tricky to get enough turbulence to get sufficient aeration and pumping a heavy liquid uses more energy. I think DPB's solution is brilliant as it moves and aerates the water simultaneously. It would be nice to use both. Many years ago i designed a solar powered aerator for ponds but I was never able to build it due to the difficulties of fabrication with the minimal resources I had at the time. That is something I hope to get back onto in the not too distant future as accessible CAD, CNC, and 3d printing has made so much possible these days. @@Ozponds
i brush my teeth with it. the rare occasion i have to visit him, (broke my jaw, shattered a few...) my dentist tells me off... whilst winking slyly... he has never told me to actually stop it. oh yeah. it hurts if you dont water it down to about 0.5%. anyway. for ponds... i prefer the aeration treatment. shove a venturi into the pump outlet. works just as well. no point spending money on it.
How does your pond compare, to a natural pond in your area? Is there as much algae in the natural ponds? Can you introduce some algae eaters into your pond? Maybe too many fish are eating the inverts, that eat the algae. A try a fish free area, in the pond.
"Food grade" is a poor label for the stronger peroxide it is. Food grade peroxide can be about 30% H202 and will certainly kill all lifeforms in your waters.
@@erickborling1302you can purchase food grade from 3% to 35%. 35% will burn your skin off. Food grade is a quality that can be ingested. Any % can be diluted using distilled water. Purchasing 3% food grade is mostly water and more expensive to ship verses buying 12% and diluting yourself. You are confusing your terms.
Hey Kev Thanks for the great video. I did use the liquid hydrogen peroxide and it brokedown the algae that was great to see but now all the dead algae has collected.on rocks and pebbles as muck, should i use more of h2o2 to clear the dead algae deposits ?
How to use hydrogen peroxide for algae in my waterlily tub? Its 40 litres tub, so according to video description, i should use 13 ml. what should be the maintenance dose and duration? I don't have fish in my tub. Only waterlily plants. Much Thanks
hmm might give this a go hair algae just keeps taking over even with duckweed / azolla on top not too sure where in AU your paying $100 for 3% pool shops stock 50% for that much ? and i would be looking for powdered version why pay extra for water ?
Hydrogen Peroxide is a liquid, and high concentrations can be very dangerous when contaminated. Storage containers for high % H2O2 are pleated, like an accordion, so if it does become contaminated it will expand, preventing pressure buildup. Should contamination occur, immediately dispose of properly.
You can pick up food grade bulk H2-O2 35% on line for around $50 a gallon. Much more economical as you're not paying for water. Just do the math to get the concentration you need. Be careful of splashes, wear gloves and GOGGLEs for protection. I would first try reducing feeding to lower the nutrients HP is powerful stuff avoid overdose at all cost.
That's really cool! I use hydrogen peroxide to clean some of my filter parts in my aquariums (the parts that are hard to get to, like the curves in intake tubes). I've never tried it for algae control. Hydrogen peroxide is pretty amazing. Even bees make it!
Indeed they do. H202 is one of the reasons that honey is a good topical ointment for wounds and burns. It also contains pain reduction, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and other healing qualities. Some types of honey, like Manuka, are more potent than others. It is now being used in hospitals and has been used for thousands of years by many cultures.
I have a wildlife pond that’s riddled in string algae, I’ve created one of your bog filters using a waterfall… would you use hydrogen peroxide in a wildlife pond?
Many of my plants I had in my pond died due to the cold weather of winter. My pond now has a bad case of string algae. I can’t seem to get rid of it using the “pond-Zyme Sludge Destroyerby API”. I’m thinking perhaps I need to clean out my bog, as I haven’t done it in about 4 months. I have koi, and I’m debating if I should try hydrogen peroxide to kill the string algae.
Does this work for any kind of algae? 👀 I have snails, shrimp, guppies and plants and I’m scared to dose with anything now that I have the crustaceans. I don’t have a sump or skimmer, just a couple sponge filters. I’m at my wits end with the algae. After scouring the internet, I think it’s the cladophora
I estimate this pond and stream system at around 5,000L (around 1000G). I thought I put recommended dosages in the description (I might be mistaken). Remember though every pond is different. Start with low dosages and monitor, increase if necessary.
@@Ozponds thank you so much for the quick response. I have a 5000 gallon pond so I’m gonna start with two bottles of 3% and I’ll let you know how it works out.
Does anyone have thoughts about hydrogen peroxide in smaller doses in bird baths - drinking fountains? We get blooms of green algae which covers the insides and floats upon the surface. Thank you.
We tend to learn more from our failures than our successes. Please post, there is no shame in learning. As for baking soda PH balancing, while a kid, we generated O2 gas as a means to fill a party balloon. Place some baking soda in a balloon, seal the balloon lip around a soda bottle containing peroxide. Keep it dilute, IMO, so as not to harm the fish. Yet concentrated peroxide is sold at beautician supply houses, for hair coloring purposes.
I had greenish brown water and did a 90% water change and added well water. The pond is about 8000 gallons. The water turned dark black as soon as I added the water. Does anyone have any ideas what the black stuff could be
I use a lot of 3% hydrogen peroxide for a lot of different things for the past 40 years. The least cost per ounce is the common 32 oz. brown bottles of hydrogen peroxide sold in all drug stores. Wal-Mart sells it for $1 per bottle delivered. The brown bottles keep it form degrading under light. 3% hydrogen peroxide is a simple product with only one ingredient -diluted H2O2 (water is H2O) so it is water that has some of the molecules with and extra oxygen atom. There is NO difference in quality among brands.
Great idea Kev, I'll give this a shot with my pond. I've tried pretty much everything and the string algae will just not go... perhaps I'm releasing spores scooping it out. Hopefully your suggesting will do the trick.
You can dose up to 30mg/l once a week without killing a biofilter (ammonia and nitrite oxidizing bacteria)(from aquaculture sci lit.). I have used this very sucessfully in freshwater aquariums. All living things produce hydrogen peroxase (enzyme) and it will consequently break down quite quickly.
Hey Kev..l have just filled my pond using bore water for the first time and although lm extremley happy to finnaly reach this stage wasnt exspecting the high iron content which means l cant see the bottom.. in your opinion will the wetland filter filter out the iron from bore water?
I don’t think so, at least not quickly. The iron will probably exist until the plants soak it up. The next issue is going to be that you’ll constantly be topping it up with the iron bore water?
@@Ozponds Hey Kev Happy New Year...positive news is that my pond has cleared snd is chrystal clear in only 3 weeks..lm assuming its the over sized Bog filter..lm snokeling every morning :) Q-what are some non invasive plants to put in the Bog and can l plant them direct or should the stay in pots? Im going to emaol you some pics.. Thanks Brad
Pond looksd amazing! Thanks for your donation and sending me the pics😊👍. In my large bogs I have milfoil, bacopa, tassel cord rush, tree ferns. The tree fern is a trunk that re-sprouted, the rest are planted into the pebble. I keep them on the margins I don’t want them taking over the entire filter. Hope that helps.
@@Ozponds No problems! I used to wonder about them a lot as well. Most of the real mayfly larvae i see in the riffles are much smaller, and often need a magnifying glass for my bad eyes.
Very interesting video!!! IMHO, I don't know which kind of Education you have, (although you appear to be pretty smart and intelligent), but unless you are a Chemist, I think you need to consult someone from the Department of Agriculture at your local College for assistance of the use of high concentrations of Hydrogen Peroxide- I know it is normally used in Aquaculture to control certain microbes that affect fish farms, and in Horticulture to enhance root development and plant growth. This compound/chemical is a very strong oxidizer, is about 1000 times more acidic than water, and in high concentrations it can damage the respiratory membranes of living organisms in ponds, including Fish, crustaceans and the like, and when adding, the most recommended way is to add it slowly. Getting concentrations higher than 6% comes with an SDS coz they are considered hazardous, specially if it is 35-40% and the vapor is considered highly toxic if not handled properly. And I am not sure, but I think that at higher concentrations above the ones used for medical purposes sold in pharmacies, are considered carcinogenic, but I could be wrong. Although your body produce H2O2, it is produced within special cell organelles called phagosomes inside white blood cells called phagocytes that help to control infections. I would stay with the low concentrations of 3-6% coz that one release low amounts of oxygen that could be beneficial to small fish, and you will obtain the disinfecting activity you want without the complications.
A small bail of barley straw works too! As it decomposes in the pond , there's a fungus that decomposes the straw into humic acid that produces hydrogen peroxide naturally!
@@Ozponds no worries. I know from experience how algae can take over if you haven't got enough oxygenating pondweed in the pond. Here in the UK I use native plants like water violet to take care of that problem, and my water is beautifully clear despite having no pump (Being in partial shade helps too).
@@Ozponds Cheers, yes it is. My only problem with it is water loss. I wanted a totally natural look so I blended the edges of the liner in with turf and mud - and I think that means the marginal plants are constantly sucking up water.
10,000 years ago the air was 25% O2. Now it’s 20% and dropping. You are just getting the water back to the O2 content the world used to have. Try 28% for hot tubes it’s a bit cheeper just dilute it properly before adding.
It’s a fuel too non -polluting, no emissions,combustible. Germany had experimental sub marines that were propelled by engines that used H2 O2 hydrogen peroxide!!!
Little combo of baking soda and some peroxide always did my little ponds some nice justice. Fish stay happy, and decor plants love the extra 02 I imagine. Thanks Kev!
@@Ozponds Always used it to work wonders on the Ph level in a safe and inexpensive way. I've also got a dense population of koi fish. Every time I treat with it, it also seems to help bundle up some muck and help it sink to the bottom- but you dont have that problem!
@@Ozponds I should add that I use it in very small doses and turn off my filtration for an hour or two after adding it. The oxydators are more for keeping the water oxygenated, I recently had a powercut for a week and managed to keep a lot my shrimp alive with the help of h2O2. And always check the product you are using is pure. I get mine from a pharmacy. Cheers mate, look forward to seeing the results on your pond.
A stronger concentration of H2O2 can be very strong and I can tell you from experience, BE VERY CAREFUL AND WEAR GOOD RUBBER GLOVES. A drop will burn into you and is hard to dilute quickly enough with plunging it into plain water.
I added 3% food grade to my pond after watching this video. After 4 days all the pond snails are dead. I put in 2 ltrs maybe I should have halved the amount
I used to breed axolotls and have used hydrogen peroxide for years to kill algie and for general cleaning. I keep it away from my filtration and animals. Great video
@Ozponds I had used about 5 ltr of peroxide for 4000 g pond and almost everything was gone but the algae is coming back again. The pond is in full sun for most of the day. What do you recommend to get rid of the algae, Treat it again with the peroxide with higher dosage ?
The algae will constantly come back. You can continue to treat with peroxide as needed if you like. Remember the peroxide just kills algae it doesn’t stop the root cause of the algae.
Thanks you Kev, I have also heard that salt is beneficial to treat pond water with...Have you heard this as well? I think I will definitely try the Hydrogen Peroxide though. Thanks again for all the great information you pass to us!!
I always was taught to add salt to my aquariums. It’s beneficial to the fish and puts minerals in the water. Tap water is stripped of lots of materials nasty and beneficial. In a pond we have lots of organics breaking down also minerals to a degree from the rocks and pebble. It certainly doesn’t hurt to add some salt. I recently got sent a water test instrument, it measures stuff like TDS amongst others. I’ll make a video on it and try and explain the things it measures and why people might want to know those numbers.
You have to use sea salt or pond salt, so far so good no problems using it but do not use table salt or cooking salt (iodize I think is not to be used) I heard about hydrogen peroxide in ponds but have never used it myself.
The chemicals that made up the organic material is now suspended in the water so maybe have the water tested for excess nitrogen(?) and your old H₂O₂ might have been a lower % if it was old so the new batch might be stronger. Better to always use new H₂O₂ so you know the % is closer to the label. Can you vacuum the dirty pond before using it?
@@Ozponds sorry, sorry, ok your sorry, but never ever let it happen again or you get taken out to the wood shead and it wont be pretty....lolololololol
Thanks for sharing. I do not have ponds but I use h2o2 on my plants and myself. H2o2 functions a bit like food/fuel as long as we have enough of the other nutrients to handle using it and breaking it down. My tomato plants do not have blight if I spray them about weekly with 1 cup h2o2 per 1 gallon of water. I consume a few drops of food grade h2o2 sometimes, rinse my mouth and soak various body parts in it. If I ever get into ponds I might try dripping a small amount of h2o2 constantly
Need more Gudgeons and rainbow fish IMO. Throw a bit of food in or put a UV light over the pond to pull insects? Probably could do a little solar thing
I use hydrogen peroxide in water for growing indoor plants. It works great for fending off root rot and algae growth in the growing medium. It has the happy side effect of oxygenating the root system as it gives off oxygen and water as it deteriorates.
Very cool 👍
Wow... that's good info. But is it scientifically sound?
It will also kill gnat larvaes if you have a gnat infestation.
Your underwater video shots are very good. It’s fascinating to have the glimpses from a perspective of the fish at their aquatic world which I must say you did a nice job putting together.
I use hydrogen peroxide on the roots of orchids when repotting.
I've heard of people using it in their hot tubs instead of chlorine or bromine.
I'm going to give this a try come summer when I'll have this problem. Thank you.
I put a capful in the water can every time I water my plants. Have done so for 20 years. Always have had healthy plants.
Cool 👍
For what it is worth, Hydrogen peroxide is found naturally in ponds and streams for a short time after a thunderstorm.
Very cool 👍
Dr.mark.C.Ferris - what 😮 ! Do you mean HP is like another certain unmentionable 02 product that is prevalent after a thunderstorm?
Be careful what you write here, some one might get offended 😮
Hi ! Do you have a link to a study or something for me to dig into it ? Thanks !
@@RTiff I completety concur!
@@pabeloo_5832 I could not get my reply to 'stick' last month. Looks like it worked today
30 years ago we used potassium permanganate to treat our big koi pond for parasites, followed by hydrogen peroxide to stop the potassium action. Every fish is still alive today.
That’s great to hear 👍
I use hydrogen peroxide in reversing the effects of potassium permanganate. I add it directly to my pond with big kois and all. Totally harmless to the fish. And I reckon a scientist who also a koi enthusiast said that HP helps the kois to grow even bigger. Very interesting video indeed. Kudos, from a fellow pond guy in the Philippines.
❤🇵🇭🐟
We use this method as well. Only as you stated, at the initial outbreak. If your pond is out of control ( lets say, from covering for the winter like me), you are better off waiting until spring when your filters are up and running. We've also seen no ill effects from fish or plants, using this method. Great video, thanks.
Thanks for sharing your experience
Bad things thrive in sugars and die from oxygen.
Good things thrive in oxygen and die from sugars.
There is a lot to be said for the combined effects of research and procrastination!
I’m the master of procrastination! Still got a bit of work to do on the research side 😉
If anyone unaware. API's Pond & Waterfall Cleaner uses Sodium Percarbonate which is essentially a dry form of Hydrogen Peroxide. It comes with instructions and they have Safety Data Sheets available on their website.
I think I’ll keep sodium percarbonate on hand, much easier to store. Thanks for the info 👍
@Ozponds if you believe that sodium and carbon are a d r y form of H2O
Then that is evidence that you never did even basic chemistry at school.
Beware of experts
DYOR
(Do you're own Research)
@Ozponds if you believe that sodium and carbon are a d r y form of H2O
Then that is evidence that you never did even basic chemistry at school.
Beware of experts
DYOR
(Do you're own Research)
@ozponds - Did you know that Chlorine gas was used in the first WW as a weapon to poison British troops ?
My grandfather was gassed twice !
This led ultimately to his premature death. Medically proven fact.
Check out the company who supplied it.
Robot reptile 4 - sodium percarbonate has no connection whatsoever with hydrogen or oxygen. It is a compound of Sodium and Carbon.
"Dry form of hydrogen peroxide ????😮
Didn't you do chemistry at school ?
I hope nobody mistakes you for an expert, it could be injurious to their health listening to people like you.
That’s so interesting. I could listen to your voice all day.
🤣 you’re crazy! No one wants to listen to a nasselly Australian!
I have used 3% hydrogen peroxide in my aquariums and I have over dosed more than once by accident and it has hurt fish (Gouramis) and plants (moss and val) to name two that I remember. So do be careful.
Solid advice 👍
Me too. Fish died and the beneficial bacteria cycle crashed.
How much do you reckon is safe for a ten gallon tank?
We had an artificial waterfall in the Conservatory where I worked " no fish in that feature) I used to use H2o2 periodically to control algea on it
I have been thinking about adding some ponds and possibly one to swim in, so you came up in my recommended and since you’re an Aussie too I subbed. Cheers.
One of the best things I’ve ever done was adding ponds to my yard👍. I hope yours bring you as much happiness as mine bring me.
I have always added bags of barley straw to my pond in the spring. As it decomposes, it produces a weak H2O2 which helps the pond stay clear. I have always had a thriving pond and never noticed any adverse effect.
Cool 👍
We used to use it on a salmon farm I worked on. The boss in a space suite used 100% pure because it is highly corrosive neat.(He was intentionally excessively careful as it was believed locally that the reason the previos owner had developed an accelerated form of M.S. was through using it in shorts etc.) We would poot a 3 foot deep open bottom skirt around a cage with from memory 2000+ salmon and the sea lice would adsorbe it through their skin and when it re-gassed inside them and they simply over inflated and exploded.
The wonderful thing about it is that as soon as it is used it starts converting back to harmless gasses, so will never accumulate over successive applications.
Interesting video and some verry interesting suggestions bellow.
Wow! That’s fascinating and terrifying at the same time.
If you treat with beneficial bacteria and use plants to absorb the excess nutrients and filter the water, you won't need to add peroxide. If you mimic natural processes in your pond you won't have to do hardly any maintenance. I would recommend researching biofilters, bog filters, and beneficial bacteria for ponds.
This was just an experiment. My whole channel is about bogs/ natural processes/ saving money building and maintaining a pond. But thanks for the tips I’ll try and implement your suggestions 😉
You must be new to this channel.
@@ie8443I was new too. This video gives a bad first impression. It's terrible advice. New pond keepers might see this and try it. 😮😮
Hi! Thanks for the video. I live in Portugal and I keep a 2000 liter pond. I only have 3 Oscar fishes and a couple of plecos there but, since those are tropical fish, I only keep them there between mid spring and the end of Summer.
I have been catching them (which is not that hard if done by night with a torch) and moving them to a 500 liter indoor tank for the last 3 winters and they are healthy and happy.
The water in the pond is crystal clear year around but there is a huge amount of detritus in the bottom as well as very generous amounts of thick and ugly algae in the walls.
Since it is winter here and the fish will not come back for at least 5 months, it is the ideal moment to give it a try with the recommended dosage (around 0.65 liters) and share the results here.
My main concern is to somehow create a shock into the ecosystem's balance which would change the water quality dramatically and from which there could be no recovery without a full reset. Let's see how it goes.
That is the worry whenever we tinker with the pond. I’d love to hear your experiences 👍
@@Ozponds I just poured the recommended dosage into the lake a minute ago. Let's see how it goes. Water temperature is around 11 C. Maybe this will slow things up a bit...
🤞
@Ozponds 24h and the algea looks more or less intact, maybe a little lighter but ceartainty not white. Having said that, the water is crystal clear like never before. Not that it wasn't fully transparent, but I never saw it like this.
Another interesting point is that snails and mosquito larvae that live there, as well as the Lotus plants, look normal and apparently unaffected. I will update soon.
Quick update: Algae look much weaker and more whitish but they are surely alive. I also took the opportunity to add some peroxide to an aquarium which was having some cyanobacteria bloom and they are dying quickly.
My main conclusion is that there are probably some algae species which are quite sensitive to peroxide while others can resist to the regular dosage.
Eventually all algae species will die given the proper concentration of peroxide but some probably resist until a point which is not safe for fish or aquatic plants.
Since I have no fish in the pond, I might try again but with a higher dosage.
I have a small pond that I recently refurbished. It got one hell of a string and blanket algae bloom almost overnight. Tried scooping it out but that was a losing situation. I dumped a whole bottle of peroxide in - I have no fish - and the next day the alga was gone but it had apparently died and dropped to the bottom because all of my rock bottom was brown. Should be able to filter it out, I hope.
🤞👍
I do a 30-50 % water change after one hour, and turn off the bio filter to it or you can do a recirculating on the biofilter.
Sounds good 👍
I would like to see a video even if it doesn't work. I would be curios to see if there are any negative affects to using hydrogen peroxide. Thank you for your continued inspiration and information.
I’ll keep you posted 👍
When I had a pond I used a bundle of barley straw in the pond to prevent that green growth. I found it at a local farm supply store for use in livestock water tanks. I married and left my pins behind. I am thinking hard about building another. And yes peroxide does kill the green growth. Used it before the barley. Don't remember losing fish. For info on the bakery straw just google barley straw in fish ponds.
But barley straw just works by releasing hydrogen peroxide into the water as it decays. So you might as well skip that, and have more control over the dose and rate, but just adding peroxide. It really just depends on what you have easier access to. Every pharmacy should have peroxide, and every pet shop or large supermarket should have barley straw, as it's used for rabbit bedding.
you could always buy a higher concentrate and pre dilute for treatment.
I just started using hydrogen peroxide in my fountain. It works so much better than the chlorine bleach, and our water is so much clearer (however, o dos have to clean the dead algae first to clear things out). Also, it isn’t harmful to the birds who drink from the fountain.
People who keep saltwater reef tanks also add hydrogen peroxide to the water, there is a special diffuser you can add it to that leaks it through clay for slow release.
I’d love to have a saltwater tank one day.
@@Ozponds I did too and thought they were hard but they are not really if you just know the basics. One of the easiest ways to make it easy is lots of biological media which keeps the nitrogen cycle very stable, and the most amazing secret of all time to that is zeolite for biological even though it's sold for chemical media, seachem denitrate has the best pore structure of anything for anaerobic bacteria to finish the nitrogen cycle turning nitrate to gas which makes it leave the tank. So putting a tonn of that into low flow very important it has to be low flow for the anaerobic bacteria to be able to live areas of the filter system is the secret and to seed it with a bacteria product that specifically states it has anaerobic bacteria. Said a lot but explain the why it's important.
Then you only need to do water changes every few months just top off with filtered water that's how stable it is. So just throw in some sand, some fake rock so no pests and two cool types of designer clownfish you think look cool and say two bubbletip anemone and you got a simple but really cool tank.
Can be deadly to living things in the water. H202 decomposes to water and dissolved singular atoms of oxygen (not O2). Those unbonded oxygen molecules are irritating to creatures in the water. Even a highly dilute solution, which i set aside for a week to off-gas, killed most of the bladder snails in my tank, which created a new mess to deal with. Strangely, the Gambusia Affinis were unharmed. Those mosquito fish are tough. So I suggest getting native nanofish out of the local waters for your tank while learning to care for fish.
Ericborling -someone else who has swallowed the hype and propaganda about hydrogen peroxide, like ozone h2O2 has free electrons/ions and needs to discharge them to become stable as normal oxygen , mammalian cells have an enzyme called superoxydismutase which protects the cell membranes, fungus and anaerobic organisms do not. Hence their effectiveness in killing cancer cells. Big pharma doesn't want the peons to know this. Oxygen is the breath of life....end of.
I can’t wait to try it, here in Ohio the weather has been up and down temperature wise. One day is 20f, the next it 45-57f. The string algae was gone nuts, normally we don’t see that until late May or June. My pond is raise above the ground about 2 feet, with a max depth of 5-1/2 feet in the middle and it has a constant flowing water fall circulating the water with air stones going all year. I’m going to try it now and see what happens in a week, then I’ll vacuum out any dead algae and let you know how it worked.
Thanks again
I look forward to hearing how it goes for you 👍
I’m in Ohio too and would love to hear how it went. I’m about to add it to my 2000 gallon fish pond and a 300 gallon waterfall feature.
I added some of this to my diet. My toilet looks brand new! But for some reason my health insurance bill went up.. weird hey 🤔
😂😱
My bad 😞I’ll do it right now!
All good mate, I was only kidding, if you don't like Australian History then your probably not interested anyhoots. @@Ozponds
I like all history 👍
I added you on my Home page in the featured channel section. I have a feeling you don't mind me doing that 😎@@Ozponds
Hey bro are you using a bio filter? I've built them using 55 gallon plastic pickle barrels with tall aeration towers for ponds this size and they work very well to control the overabundance of organic growth as you had. If you have one you may wish to switch it into bypass mode while treating as you don't want to kill off the good organics within the filter. Smart usage and dosage of the H202!
Undersized bog filter is on the pond with lots of buildup. I’ve often considered flipping it into a high flow filter, but my narrow stream couldn’t handle more flow, it would cause a leak. I really should just flush the bog more often.
Just FYI on another use for hydrogen peroxide…. nothing to do with ponds. years ago I managed a tropical fish department in a huge pet shop in Chicago. We regularly ordered tons of gold fish, many used as feeders so usually they came in on a Friday and by Monday most were already sold. BUT… we would put 300 goldfish into a 20 gal tank. INSANELY over crowded. And as expected keeping oxygen up was difficult. BUT…. a few cap fulls of hydrogen peroxide would keep them alive long enough to be sold out. Kinda like infusing the water with extra oxygen.
Thanks for sharing your experience.
How about turtles? Does anybody know the effects of H2O2 on turtles. We have a Yellow-bellied slider in our pond and would love to try a H2O2 treatment.
I’m not sure. Hopefully someone else sees your comment and can give you a first hand experience.
You can buy 30% HP and dilute it down to 3%. I did this a lot when I worked in a chemistry lab. I don’t know if it would be cost effective as 30% is much more expensive. You have to be very careful with it. Wear safety goggles. If you get it on your skin, your skin turns white. I know, personal experience. I didn’t have any lasting effects on my skin.
Add once per month and the amount required will decrease over time. The small jug amount in the volume of your pond makes the actual amount of H2O2 very little.
If you want to save on shipping cost, see if your supplier sells H2O2 in 12%, 20%, or higher. Buy the highest percentage and then dilute down to 1, 2, 3% to add to ponds :)
100 litres of 3%... vs 50 litres of 6% vs 25 litres of 12% vs 12.5 litres of 24% (these are not exact % and volumes but are within a range to figures to give you an idea of how much less you pay to have 10 litres shipped than 100 litres).
Thanks for the tips 😊👍
This is a superb video. Thanks for this. I'm plagued by spirogyra the filament algae. Thanks Kev 👍🏻
Hope it helps 👍
@@Ozponds Hi Kev
Is there a formula for working out how much to add ie amount Hydrogen peroxide to litres of water?
There’s plenty of info floating around the internet. I put some common rates in the description. 👍
@@Ozponds Thanks so much. Sorry I should have read the info earlier. Should have known you'd be on it 😀👍🏻
You're the best kev!
I appreciate the support 😊👍
The level of algae in water is an indicator of soluble nutrient levels in the water. Water temperature will also affect this because warmer water twill hold more nutrient in solution further increasing algae. Exposure to light will also increase it even further. Treating the water with any chemical will not remove the nutrient but transform it for a short time. More plant life and shade are probably the best way to control algae.
This is all true and I talk about this all the time on my other videos. Would we call hydrogen peroxide a chemical when it’s simply hydrogen and oxygen (same as water)? I’m also curious about its oxidizing properties. Does the nutrient level still exist? Having said that, I’m still experimenting and exploring the answers. But you are correct everything that caused algae in the first place still exists and the algae will return.
My understanding is, essentially what has happened is that you have stopped the algae living and it is now broken down and is in solution or has added to the precipitate on the bottom of the pond where it will probably break down further. The actual matter is still there and unless it is chemically bound in some insoluble or inert way (or removed) it will re-enter the nutrient cycle.
Generally speaking, the algae requires CO2 while the things that eat it need O2. Aerating the water will help boost the O2 which might boost the things that eat the algae. I have always wanted to do an experiment along these lines. I have thought about making an aerator using an impeller like Jay Harmon's 'Lily Impeller' as well as building a 'Wilks Flowform'. A fellow who is doing something very interesting, effective and simple is David Pagan-Butler. He is building chemical free pools which use aeration and plants to keep them clean. He has a youtube channel - th-cam.com/users/davidpaganbutler
The difference between water (H2O) and Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) is that it has an extra oxygen. Compared to H2O, H2O2 is very reactive and essentially corrosive to organic matter - it's the extra oxygen that does the work. Oxygen itself can be explosive in high concentrations in the presence of certain compounds, H2O2 is even more explosive. During WW2 the Germans used H2O2 as a component in the rocket fuel that powered the Me-163 rocket interceptor. In small concentrations it can be OK but in high concentrations it is quite volatile.
Thanks for replying - I'll have to look at some of your other videos!
@@Ozponds
It’s all rather fascinating. I do understand that pure hydrogen peroxide is quite volatile, we need to remember though in this situation I used a 3% solution, it’s pretty safe.
I love David’s channel and watch all his vids (I wish he published more). His “regeneration zones” and “bog filters” (which I use) are essentially the same. His use air and are down-flow, mine use pumps (I like streams) and are up-flow. Both are incredibly effective at growing large populations of different types of nitrogen processing bacteria.
Yes, it is fascinating. I have been interested in this type of stuff (water, fluid dynamics, aeration) for a few decades now.
As with any chemical, concentration is a major factor and I agree that H2O2 is a much better chemical to use than many other options. I love the idea of aerating with a stream but my understanding is that it can be tricky to get enough turbulence to get sufficient aeration and pumping a heavy liquid uses more energy. I think DPB's solution is brilliant as it moves and aerates the water simultaneously. It would be nice to use both. Many years ago i designed a solar powered aerator for ponds but I was never able to build it due to the difficulties of fabrication with the minimal resources I had at the time. That is something I hope to get back onto in the not too distant future as accessible CAD, CNC, and 3d printing has made so much possible these days. @@Ozponds
I hope you do 👍
i brush my teeth with it. the rare occasion i have to visit him, (broke my jaw, shattered a few...) my dentist tells me off... whilst winking slyly... he has never told me to actually stop it.
oh yeah. it hurts if you dont water it down to about 0.5%.
anyway. for ponds... i prefer the aeration treatment. shove a venturi into the pump outlet. works just as well. no point spending money on it.
How does your pond compare, to a natural pond in your area? Is there as much algae in the natural ponds? Can you introduce some algae eaters into your pond? Maybe too many fish are eating the inverts, that eat the algae. A try a fish free area, in the pond.
I don’t really have a lot of algae this was just an experiment. All your tips are valid 👍
I use 12% food grade hydrogen peroxide in my hot tub. One cup a week works better than anything I have used before.
Nice 👍
"Food grade" is a poor label for the stronger peroxide it is. Food grade peroxide can be about 30% H202 and will certainly kill all lifeforms in your waters.
@@erickborling1302you can purchase food grade from 3% to 35%. 35% will burn your skin off. Food grade is a quality that can be ingested. Any % can be diluted using distilled water. Purchasing 3% food grade is mostly water and more expensive to ship verses buying 12% and diluting yourself. You are confusing your terms.
wow amazing. we need to give this a try. used powders and not sure they worked.
Hey Kev
Thanks for the great video. I did use the liquid hydrogen peroxide and it brokedown the algae that was great to see but now all the dead algae has collected.on rocks and pebbles as muck, should i use more of h2o2 to clear the dead algae deposits ?
No you need to remove it.
Are those gambusia fish
Used for controlling mosquitoes
Gambusia are a pest species in Australia. The small fish in this pond are firetail gudgeons.
How to use hydrogen peroxide for algae in my waterlily tub? Its 40 litres tub, so according to video description, i should use 13 ml. what should be the maintenance dose and duration? I don't have fish in my tub. Only waterlily plants. Much Thanks
I’d start with your 13ml see what happens. Then add as required.
Yes. That sounds good
hmm might give this a go hair algae just keeps taking over even with duckweed / azolla on top not too sure where in AU your paying $100 for 3% pool shops stock 50% for that much ? and i would be looking for powdered version why pay extra for water ?
Hydrogen Peroxide is a liquid, and high concentrations can be very dangerous when contaminated.
Storage containers for high % H2O2 are pleated, like an accordion, so if it does become contaminated it will expand, preventing pressure buildup.
Should contamination occur, immediately dispose of properly.
I noticed even the 3% solution expanded in storage.
Yes much cheaper ways to do it. This was the first time I used it on a pond. We have the 3% for cleaning around the house.
You can pick up food grade bulk H2-O2 35% on line for around $50 a gallon. Much more economical as you're not paying for water. Just do the math to get the concentration you need. Be careful of splashes, wear gloves and GOGGLEs for protection. I would first try reducing feeding to lower the nutrients HP is powerful stuff avoid overdose at all cost.
True. This was just an experiment. I’d never dosed like this before only spot treatments on the waterfalls.
That's really cool! I use hydrogen peroxide to clean some of my filter parts in my aquariums (the parts that are hard to get to, like the curves in intake tubes). I've never tried it for algae control. Hydrogen peroxide is pretty amazing. Even bees make it!
I didn’t know that. Super cool.
Humans make it too. It’s what turns your hair white eventually
Indeed they do. H202 is one of the reasons that honey is a good topical ointment for wounds and burns. It also contains pain reduction, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and other healing qualities. Some types of honey, like Manuka, are more potent than others. It is now being used in hospitals and has been used for thousands of years by many cultures.
I have a wildlife pond that’s riddled in string algae, I’ve created one of your bog filters using a waterfall… would you use hydrogen peroxide in a wildlife pond?
I probably wouldn’t.
Wheat grass mats control algea too
Many of my plants I had in my pond died due to the cold weather of winter. My pond now has a bad case of string algae. I can’t seem to get rid of it using the “pond-Zyme Sludge Destroyerby API”. I’m thinking perhaps I need to clean out my bog, as I haven’t done it in about 4 months.
I have koi, and I’m debating if I should try hydrogen peroxide to kill the string algae.
Maybe. Only you can make that decision.
Does this work for any kind of algae? 👀 I have snails, shrimp, guppies and plants and I’m scared to dose with anything now that I have the crustaceans. I don’t have a sump or skimmer, just a couple sponge filters. I’m at my wits end with the algae. After scouring the internet, I think it’s the cladophora
Just try a little bit on a small section of algae. See what happens.
The video was very helpful, it would be nice to know how big your pond is how many gallons is your pond to add the 2 L of hydrogen peroxide….
I estimate this pond and stream system at around 5,000L (around 1000G). I thought I put recommended dosages in the description (I might be mistaken). Remember though every pond is different. Start with low dosages and monitor, increase if necessary.
@@Ozponds thank you so much for the quick response. I have a 5000 gallon pond so I’m gonna start with two bottles of 3% and I’ll let you know how it works out.
I’d love to hear your results 👍
What is the name of the plant on timestamp 02:20?
That’s milfoil
What mixture of gallons to pond water do you use on the 3% peroxide
This was my first time using it, not something I regularly do. I left a good starting dose rate in the description 👍
this is something i didn't know. does it do anything for string algae ?.
Same thing. 👍
I’ve been using this for probably 15 years in my koi pond to keep string algae under control and alway with great results.
Oi what part of Australia are you from?
It sounds like you are near Newcastle
Victoria. Hour outside Melbourne
I have another question would this work to help kill the string algae?
Yes 👍
@@Ozponds thank you for all the help. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Does anyone have thoughts about hydrogen peroxide in smaller doses in bird baths - drinking fountains? We get blooms of green algae which covers the insides and floats upon the surface. Thank you.
My thought is that it would work a treat. But I look forward to seeing what others think.
For a bird bath put 2 or 3 pennies on bottem. Literally a game changer no algae build up with pennies!
@@tammydiedrich6674Thank you, I will try that. Hope our birds don't think I'm too cheap to use a dime ... 😂
Interesting. Are pennies made of copper? Copper kills algae.
@@tammydiedrich6674
Lovely. I will try that. The hawks splash most the water out. The ravens will love the shiny things!
We tend to learn more from our failures than our successes. Please post, there is no shame in learning.
As for baking soda PH balancing, while a kid, we generated O2 gas as a means to fill a party balloon.
Place some baking soda in a balloon, seal the balloon lip around a soda bottle containing peroxide.
Keep it dilute, IMO, so as not to harm the fish. Yet concentrated peroxide is sold at beautician supply houses, for hair coloring purposes.
Very interesting
What was the verdict on this method Kev? You noted you’d add another video… did it work, was it worthwhile?
The other vid was on the sodium percarbonate, it’s available to watch. Both products work.
I had greenish brown water and did a 90% water change and added well water. The pond is about 8000 gallons. The water turned dark black as soon as I added the water. Does anyone have any ideas what the black stuff could be
I don’t know. Hopefully someone else has some idea.
Can I use it in my window air conditioner drain pan?
I don’t know. I’m more pond focused 😂
But isn't doing this just treating the symptoms instead of the cause? Won't the algae come back later?
Yes. I’ve loads of vids on reducing nutrients, ect naturally. This was just an experiment.
I use a lot of 3% hydrogen peroxide for a lot of different things for the past 40 years. The least cost per ounce is the common 32 oz. brown bottles of hydrogen peroxide sold in all drug stores. Wal-Mart sells it for $1 per bottle delivered. The brown bottles keep it form degrading under light. 3% hydrogen peroxide is a simple product with only one ingredient -diluted H2O2 (water is H2O) so it is water that has some of the molecules with and extra oxygen atom. There is NO difference in quality among brands.
Yes I should have mentioned the light we store our 20L tub in a black container to keep it way from light.
Great idea Kev, I'll give this a shot with my pond. I've tried pretty much everything and the string algae will just not go... perhaps I'm releasing spores scooping it out. Hopefully your suggesting will do the trick.
Let us know how it works for you 👍
You can dose up to 30mg/l once a week without killing a biofilter (ammonia and nitrite oxidizing bacteria)(from aquaculture sci lit.). I have used this very sucessfully in freshwater aquariums. All living things produce hydrogen peroxase (enzyme) and it will consequently break down quite quickly.
Very interesting
Maybe try EM1?
Effective Microbes.
Most plants love hydrogen peroxide, btw, ......i add some to every watering pot I use to water my house plants. They grow faster and greener. Enjoy!
Hey Kev..l have just filled my pond using bore water for the first time and although lm extremley happy to finnaly reach this stage wasnt exspecting the high iron content which means l cant see the bottom.. in your opinion will the wetland filter filter out the iron from bore water?
I don’t think so, at least not quickly. The iron will probably exist until the plants soak it up. The next issue is going to be that you’ll constantly be topping it up with the iron bore water?
Bugger...lve done some research and will get a quote for filter for my bore...failing that lll have to cart some water in...
Let us know what you end up doing 👍
@@Ozponds Hey Kev Happy New Year...positive news is that my pond has cleared snd is chrystal clear in only 3 weeks..lm assuming its the over sized Bog filter..lm snokeling every morning :)
Q-what are some non invasive plants to put in the Bog and can l plant them direct or should the stay in pots?
Im going to emaol you some pics..
Thanks Brad
Pond looksd amazing! Thanks for your donation and sending me the pics😊👍. In my large bogs I have milfoil, bacopa, tassel cord rush, tree ferns. The tree fern is a trunk that re-sprouted, the rest are planted into the pebble. I keep them on the margins I don’t want them taking over the entire filter. Hope that helps.
You should never use H2O2 in nature. Just remove organic material to get your pond clear.
Just an experiment. I have many videos taking about removing organics.
My mother always uses a cup of chlorine. Works!
Well yes. Chlorine will definitely kill algae and bacteria. Does she use it on her pond? With fish?
Yes! Her Fish (Goldfisch, koi, rudd, frogs) are fine.
Great to hear 👍
@@Ozponds it is liquid chlorine, the stuff for cleaning toilets
The "mayfly larvae" are actually blackflies!
Thanks 👍
@@Ozponds No problems! I used to wonder about them a lot as well. Most of the real mayfly larvae i see in the riffles are much smaller, and often need a magnifying glass for my bad eyes.
I goofed and clicked to the end for results.
Your waterfall treatment was right away! 🎈🍻
Very interesting video!!! IMHO, I don't know which kind of Education you have, (although you appear to be pretty smart and intelligent), but unless you are a Chemist, I think you need to consult someone from the Department of Agriculture at your local College for assistance of the use of high concentrations of Hydrogen Peroxide- I know it is normally used in Aquaculture to control certain microbes that affect fish farms, and in Horticulture to enhance root development and plant growth. This compound/chemical is a very strong oxidizer, is about 1000 times more acidic than water, and in high concentrations it can damage the respiratory membranes of living organisms in ponds, including Fish, crustaceans and the like, and when adding, the most recommended way is to add it slowly. Getting concentrations higher than 6% comes with an SDS coz they are considered hazardous, specially if it is 35-40% and the vapor is considered highly toxic if not handled properly. And I am not sure, but I think that at higher concentrations above the ones used for medical purposes sold in pharmacies, are considered carcinogenic, but I could be wrong. Although your body produce H2O2, it is produced within special cell organelles called phagosomes inside white blood cells called phagocytes that help to control infections. I would stay with the low concentrations of 3-6% coz that one release low amounts of oxygen that could be beneficial to small fish, and you will obtain the disinfecting activity you want without the complications.
A small bail of barley straw works too! As it decomposes in the pond , there's a fungus that decomposes the straw into humic acid that produces hydrogen peroxide naturally!
True. Seems a bit messy. You can get just the extract, but then it ends up more expensive.
also humic acid can take away chloramines if that was a consideration
@samsaraarmada it is in my pond, the water supply in southern California is horrible, contains chloramines, calcium and God knows what else😅
Barley straw did nothing for me, plus it is only good for string algae, not floating
You are paying for water at 3%. If you purchase 12% or higher, you can save on shipping cost and dilute with distilled water yourself.
That is true.
I have 35% HP and a 2000L concrete trough. I’m too scared to add any to my pond in case I kill my fish 🐟 snails 🐌 water lilies and other plants.
If you’ve got concerns don’t do it. Or do more research first.
can do this on fishtanks too
For sure 👍
It's fish safe ??
When used in low levels yes. It’s approved for use in aquaculture.
you haven't got any submerged pondweed - pondweed produces oxygen and should clear up most of the algae.
This pond I added the peroxide is quite young, there are plants but not a lot. I’m learning a lot from everyone’s comments. Thanks for sharing yours.
@@Ozponds
no worries. I know from experience how algae can take over if you haven't got enough oxygenating pondweed in the pond. Here in the UK I use native plants like water violet to take care of that problem, and my water is beautifully clear despite having no pump (Being in partial shade helps too).
Sounds like a lovely pond 👍
@@Ozponds
Cheers, yes it is. My only problem with it is water loss. I wanted a totally natural look so I blended the edges of the liner in with turf and mud - and I think that means the marginal plants are constantly sucking up water.
Cheers thanks for sharing
You did WHAT? Will this kill blanketweed?
Yea it should.
@@Ozponds
got a load of ish in the pond. Its surely going to kill them?
If you have doubts don’t do it. Or at least do more research.
@@Ozponds yeah, I'll pass, thanks!
10,000 years ago the air was 25% O2. Now it’s 20% and dropping. You are just getting the water back to the O2 content the world used to have. Try 28% for hot tubes it’s a bit cheeper just dilute it properly before adding.
I recommend you invest in the purchase of a microscope to check pond organisms before and after treatment(s).
I really should 👍
It’s a fuel too non -polluting, no emissions,combustible. Germany had experimental sub marines that were propelled by engines that used H2 O2 hydrogen peroxide!!!
That interesting. Why didn’t it gain traction? As a replacement fuel.
Little combo of baking soda and some peroxide always did my little ponds some nice justice. Fish stay happy, and decor plants love the extra 02 I imagine. Thanks Kev!
What does the baking soda do?
@@Ozponds Always used it to work wonders on the Ph level in a safe and inexpensive way. I've also got a dense population of koi fish. Every time I treat with it, it also seems to help bundle up some muck and help it sink to the bottom- but you dont have that problem!
I was told baking soda stuns fish growth.
@@ronito346 That may be the most random thing I have ever heard lol. Like sitting close the the TV hurts your eyes kind of random.
Algae actually keep the water clean!
Yeap 👍
I breed shrimp and use h2O2 sometimes to treat algae, I also have a small device called an Oxydator that releases it slowly into the water column..
Sounds really cool
@@Ozponds I should add that I use it in very small doses and turn off my filtration for an hour or two after adding it. The oxydators are more for keeping the water oxygenated, I recently had a powercut for a week and managed to keep a lot my shrimp alive with the help of h2O2. And always check the product you are using is pure. I get mine from a pharmacy. Cheers mate, look forward to seeing the results on your pond.
A stronger concentration of H2O2 can be very strong and I can tell you from experience, BE VERY CAREFUL AND WEAR GOOD RUBBER GLOVES. A drop will burn into you and is hard to dilute quickly enough with plunging it into plain water.
Buying hydrogen peroxide in higher concentrations would be more dangerous to you. Special precautions are recommended.
Yes because this was my first time I wasn’t willing to attempt anything stronger.
I added 3% food grade to my pond after watching this video. After 4 days all the pond snails are dead. I put in 2 ltrs maybe I should have halved the amount
That’s not good. That’s why you should start conservatively.
I used to breed axolotls and have used hydrogen peroxide for years to kill algie and for general cleaning. I keep it away from my filtration and animals. Great video
Nice 👍
@Ozponds I had used about 5 ltr of peroxide for 4000 g pond and almost everything was gone but the algae is coming back again. The pond is in full sun for most of the day.
What do you recommend to get rid of the algae, Treat it again with the peroxide with higher dosage ?
The algae will constantly come back. You can continue to treat with peroxide as needed if you like. Remember the peroxide just kills algae it doesn’t stop the root cause of the algae.
@@Ozponds Thank you.
Thanks you Kev, I have also heard that salt is beneficial to treat pond water with...Have you heard this as well? I think I will definitely try the Hydrogen Peroxide though. Thanks again for all the great information you pass to us!!
I always was taught to add salt to my aquariums. It’s beneficial to the fish and puts minerals in the water. Tap water is stripped of lots of materials nasty and beneficial. In a pond we have lots of organics breaking down also minerals to a degree from the rocks and pebble. It certainly doesn’t hurt to add some salt.
I recently got sent a water test instrument, it measures stuff like TDS amongst others. I’ll make a video on it and try and explain the things it measures and why people might want to know those numbers.
@@Ozpondsvery bad for corydoras, which a lot of people keep.
I’ve used salt in my pond, the plants do not like it.
The salt? I have Cory sterbai for years. They must have adapted.
You have to use sea salt or pond salt, so far so good no problems using it but do not use table salt or cooking salt (iodize I think is not to be used) I heard about hydrogen peroxide in ponds but have never used it myself.
The chemicals that made up the organic material is now suspended in the water so maybe have the water tested for excess nitrogen(?) and your old H₂O₂ might have been a lower % if it was old so the new batch might be stronger. Better to always use new H₂O₂ so you know the % is closer to the label. Can you vacuum the dirty pond before using it?
Yes could vac pond or net out any larger debris 👍
should of show pourin the peroxide in so we could see you do it
Sorry.
@@Ozponds sorry, sorry, ok your sorry, but never ever let it happen again or you get taken out to the wood shead and it wont be pretty....lolololololol
Thanks for sharing. I do not have ponds but I use h2o2 on my plants and myself. H2o2 functions a bit like food/fuel as long as we have enough of the other nutrients to handle using it and breaking it down. My tomato plants do not have blight if I spray them about weekly with 1 cup h2o2 per 1 gallon of water. I consume a few drops of food grade h2o2 sometimes, rinse my mouth and soak various body parts in it. If I ever get into ponds I might try dripping a small amount of h2o2 constantly
So cool! Thanks for your insights.
Who's Larry?
Shirts off Larry
Thanks as always. I hope Santa brings you Hydrogen Peroxide.
Only if I’m a good boy 😉
Need more Gudgeons and rainbow fish IMO. Throw a bit of food in or put a UV light over the pond to pull insects? Probably could do a little solar thing
Just an experiment. 👍
1% peroxide is amazing to germinate seeds even up to 10% seeds sprout faster than plain water.
That’s cool! Seems to have many, many uses.