How To Use Viresco Aquatic Products In Ponds of All Sizes
Introduction
Viresco AQUA and Viresco KOI are based upon 2 different micro-organism mixtures. The same highly concentrated freeze dried product is packed into different (but small) packs to cater for ponds up to 5,000 gallons and to be able to ship worldwide. Viresco Digester lacks the nitrate removing microbes.
Viresco AQUA and Viresco KOI are essentially a mix of organic destroying bacteria and nitrates removal bacteria. These latter bacteria turn the nitrate into gaseous nitrogen which escapes into the environment. Because all the available nitrate food for the algae is consumed by the Viresco AQUA and Viresco KOI then the algae ... the algae whether it be blanket weed or suspended algae literally starve to death.
The Viresco products (AQUA, KOI and DIGESTER) are all powdered and are all dry. They have unlimited shelf life. The micro-organisms are freeze dried and are carried on fine particles of bran. The rest of the product consists of nutrient materials which, when added to water, dissolve to provide a food source for the bacteria microbes as they come back to life.
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How Much Viresco To Apply and How Frequently
Only small initial concentrations of the bacterial mix are required. This initial addition grows rapidly on the pond water nutrients and additives in the initial freeze dried mix. In most ponds it is sufficient to add a single addition that will last for a considerable period of time. However take this with some caution since every single pond is different and you may find in some circumstances that an extra occasional maintenance addition would be beneficial. What's important to bear in mind is that there is no need for weekly maintenance additions as is the case with chemicals.
The microbes supplied will last (in theory) as long as the available food supply (nitrates) is present in the pond and fish produce nitrogen chemicals as a normal metabolic process. In practice an occasional top-up is recommended
Nitrate in the pond water will be reduced down to zero when either Viresco Aqua or Viresco Koi is used and when this happens, algae, in whatever form, will die from starvation. Phosphate will also be reduced but from tests carried out, the phosphate level drops more slowly and never drops to zero. However, whilst algae needs both phosphate and nitrate to grow, just getting the nitrate down to zero is enough to cause death of all algae materials including blanket weed
Where To Use The Different Products
Viresco Koi contains mainly nutrient remover bacteria and little waste digesting bacteria and microbial life. Use it therefore to control blanketweed and algae in clean koi ponds. These ponds normally have bottom drains and the pond keeper uses vacuums and skimmers. Therefore little organic debris should be present in the pond.
Viresco Aqua should be used to control blanketweed and green water in all other types of fish ponds. Most fish or garden ponds do not have bottom drains or skimmers and use of a vacuum is not normal. Ponds with aquatic plants of all kinds should be treated with Viresco Aqua.
Viresco Digester is for use when the organic waste in a pond is high and if you need to handle a specific problems such as excessive build up of organic matter in under gravel filters. This type of microbe mix is ideal for those situations where sand filters are used (such as here in South Africa). The digester bacteria will remove the build up of fats and protein on the surface of the sand particles.
Viresco Aqua and Viresco Koi are available in 5g, 10g, and 25g packs. These will treat pond volumes shown belows:
Viresco Aqua and Viresco Koi pack size and treated pond volume in Imperial UK, Gallons US Gallons, Litres
5 gm treats 3,000 3,750 13,600
10 gm treats 6,000 7,500 27,300
25 gm treats 15,000 27,300 68,200
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Usually one application is enough to reduce the nitrate level to zero and keep it there for a number of weeks or months. Customers make one application and then are free from blanketweed for more than one year in many cases.
Some other customers need more than one application of Viresco Aqua or Viresco Koi. The pond keeper is advised to check nitrate levels, say, once or twice per week to see how the Viresco Aqua or Viresco Koi is reducing nitrate (keep a simple graph going). Many people see nitrate moving to zero in less than a week while for others it can take a few weeks to drop to zero. If hardly any change is seen say, within, three weeks, add another dose or part dose.
We would suggest that the pond keeper considers the application of maintenance doses. We don't recommend specific amounts at specific times. Our microbial mixtures do lose some of their viability over time as each generation of new ones succeeds the previous. So we do suggest regular nitrate testing as an indicator of when more product might need to be applied.
However, every pond is different and each pond keeper will do things differently. One customer decided to double dose with Viresco Koi to begin with and then to put in half a dose every two weeks. This turns out to be a successful method for him.
How To Apply Viresco Aqua and Viresco Koi
Dissolve the freeze dried powder in a small amount of pond water, leave for a few hours and then bulk up with more pond water before adding direct to the water in different places around the pond. Ideally the powder should be mixed in the morning, left with an air-stone and added into the pond in the evening. Intermittent use of a cake or egg whisk can be made if an air-stone is not available.
It is important to keep the mixture in a shaded place indoors once you dissolve in water. This is because the UV radiation from daylight could damage some of the bacteria in our products.
DO NOT USE TAP WATER which contains chlorine
What's the solution, how much and where can I buy it now?
Viresco product more details and pack sizes ... shows pictures & details on labels
How Viresco products work in ponds of all sizes
Bringing Viresco back to life after it arrives in the post
All about algae and why it forms
The Nitrification Cycle ... ammonia to nitrite to nitrate and when anaerobic to nitrogen
Organic waste treatment in ponds and how Viresco helps solve the ulcer problem too
Independent test results and performance of Viresco. Test 1
Independent test results and performance of Viresco. Test 2
Testimonials from very satisfied users
Page showing links to all articles on the website
Interview with John McLauchlan the inventor of Viresco
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