Click to go to the following headings:

“THE NATURAL SYSTEM.”
POND SIZE AND VOLUME
BIOLOGICALLY EFFICIENT POND VALUE “BEV”
THE LOGIC BEHIND “BEV”
HOW BIO-CLAIRE WORKS
SUMMER AND WINTER MAINTENANCE DOSES:
THE “SECRET” OF BIO-CLAIRE®
BIO-CLAIRE AND SALT
BIO-CLAIRE® MONTMORILLONITE 'GOLD' - THE POND'S FINAL POLISH !

GOOD WATER CONDITIONS......MEAN HEALTHY FISH AND PLANTS.

“THE NATURAL SYSTEM.”

Nature really is wonderful - but as Pond Keepers, we spend much of our time trying to harness it, mostly by using man-made chemicals in the attempt to 'balance' those natural elements - of which we ourselves are only a minuscule part............But in a word;- Impossible!

Therefore, on these pages, we want to portray a logical approach to Fish Keeping as well as the reasons why Bio-Claire® Products can help you keep your Pond or Aquarium in perfect condition.

Your Pond is a natural entity; and your first job is to work out the true and exact volume. Knowing and understanding its correct volume will, without a doubt, affect the way you are able to eventually establish a natural balance, allowing for any additions, be it treatment-wise or cosmetic - and/or other changes you may make to your pond to create that very enjoyable feature of your life.

POND SIZE AND VOLUME

Here is the generally accepted formula for you to do just that.
Rectangular Ponds: Average Length (ft) x Width (ft) x Depth (ft) x 6.25 =
Approximate Gallons.
Circular Ponds: Average Length (ft) x Width (ft) x Depth (ft) x 4.90 =
Approximate Gallons.

However.....it is important to note that when you calculate the gallonage of your pond, you must also consider the following five extremely important factors: (i) Hours of direct sunlight, (ii) Depth of the pond, (iii) Fish stock, (iv) how many feeds per day and (v) any other prevalent pollution like trees, ducks or even frogs. These factors have a direct bearing on the natural biological balance of any pond and the then relevant percentage allowance must be added to the physical volume to achieve what we call the Biologically Efficient Pond Value.

“BEV” or BIOLOGICALLY EFFICIENT POND VALUE

Here is a guide, together with a typical pond example to help you to work out your “BEV” -and - for this purpose; we will use the following measurements.

Our Example pond is of oblong shape, 10’2” in length, 9’5” in width & 2’6” average depth. The calculation is therefore 10.16 x 9.42 x 2.5 x 6.25 - and our pond has a volume of 1,495 Gallons. To simplify our calculations, we'll round that up to 1,500 Galls.

We must now consider:

(i) The Depth of the Pond: If the average depth is less than 2’ 8”, you have to allow an extra 2.5% for every inch less than the 2’ 8”….. This is due to the fact that the Sun's rays tend to lose their strength below that depth. So, because our example pond is only 2’ 6” deep, we must allow 5% extra on to our rating.

(ii) Hours of Direct Sunlight: If your pond ‘enjoys’ an average of more than 6 hours of direct sunlight per day (based on the summer months), you have then to allow an extra 5% for every hour over and above the 6 hours. Example: Our pond gets about 7 hours of direct sunlight per day so we need to add a further 5% to our calculations.

(iii) Fish Stock: Noted Zoologists advise us that your natural stocking levels should be calculated on the basis of 10" of fish per 250 gals of pond water. (Yes, you did read that correctly) Now, our pond has a physical volume of 1,500 Gallons, so we therefore are able to calculate that in the size of the pond… ideally, we ought to have a stocking level of only 60 inches of total fish stock.
Our Example pond has a total of 72 inches of fish stock - and we then calculate: 72 x 100/60 = 120(%). Our pond is thus 20% overstocked in relation to the true volume and that relevant allowance must be made. Difficult to 'swallow' - but true!

(iv) Fish Feeding: If you feed your fish once a day. you need make no allowance but you will have to make an allowance of at least 7.5% for every extra time per day you feed your fish.
It isn’t a crime to feed your fish more than once a day and most experts as well as all the reputable Fish Food Companies advise: - “Little, but often” is the best way to nourish your fish to achieve growth as well as good health. -- But then.....One must remember the other side of the coin by the realisation that the extra food WILL create more Nitrates and we must therefore not delude ourselves…..and….make the necessary adjustment as mentioned above.
In our Example pond, we feed our fish three times every day and an extra 15% must therefore be added to our calculations.

(v) Other Pollution, such as leaves from nearby trees, the occasional duck and/or other bird (or animal) life. These factors may be generally vague but must still be considered, each on their own merits. For the sake of our Example we shall discount this element.

We can now calculate the BEV of our example pond as follows:
Depth of Pond = an extra 5%
Direct Sunlight = an extra 5%
Fish Stock = an extra 20%
Feeding = an extra 15%
This totals up as an extra 45%

Our pond has a physical Volume of 1,500 Galls = 1,500
and we multiply this by the 45% = 675
Therefore the Biologically Efficient Pond Value (“BEV”) = 2,175 Gals.

And, with great respect, it is this “BEV” gallonage on which you ought to base your future pond treatment calculations:

THE LOGIC BEHIND “BEV”

Many people will say “Poppycock” or maybe something even stronger to all this but we ask you to think for a moment !! ....... and... maybe, you will allow us to jog your memory with just a few everyday facts:

Your pond will be as different in the morning as it is at night - and vice versa; mainly due to Temperature, Chemical and/or Biological changes and Plants which need Nitrogen by day but Oxygen by night. The pond’s environment changes every time you add even one fish (let alone more than the one at any one time). You must not forget that your fish keep on growing on a daily basis too (we should certainly hope so) - and if you add any plants - or - that little extra morsel of food,..... when no-one’s looking! We are all guilty of feeding our pets with that odd little extra! - (I know - the writer does it all the time).

We are also all guilty of buying ‘just that one more lovely fish’ we see in an Aquatic or Garden Centre - or at a show. We also buy plants for decorative purposes or for oxygenating, etc., etc. We try to look after them as best we can and as a part of the family, dependant on the depth of our pockets, we buy and install Fountains and lights, Cascades and Waterfalls, Filter Systems, UV filters, Magnets and possibly other devices.

We want our fish to thrive and grow - and just even be able to see them, without some green mass or slime or suspended algae, which stops us having a clear view.

We are also sometimes limited to where our pond is situated and how deep we can make it or afford to make it. These things are all very well but we cannot get away from the fact that the above ‘factors’ are relevant and valid because our pond’s environment changes on that daily basis.......

......and....

....how, for instance, can we possibly combat something such as the strength of the sun’s rays, when we know full well that the sun’s rays alone greatly affect the water in our pond as well as the livestock and plants we keep there.

It certainly isn't a crime to want your pond to be a joy to look at and maybe the best one in the neighbourhood. However, to have all those extras as well as possibly having to limit your physical pond to its environment by size (or whatever), we must compromise in some way to achieve the correct balance. The important thing therefore - is to be able to overcome those forgivable ‘excesses’ - so that we end up with a beautiful well-conditioned pond with nice fish and plants - and, above all, which is easy to maintain.

If one takes that extra time to think about it, the facts stated and used in the above calculations may, and most times undoubtedly will; certainly have a great effect upon the ongoing environmental changes within your pond’s very life.

If, therefore, the “BEV” is included in the equation as a logical (and biological) part of your pond, then we are quite certain that you and your fish will benefit from the more evenly balanced environment you pond is bound to enjoy.

Most manufacturers of various other pond products advertise and promote similar ‘allowances’ in their literature - but it is always wise to check with each specific supplier for their own particular version. This is particular of paramount importance where the use of chemicals is involved and we would ask you to read all instructions carefully, before embarking on any type of treatment or medication.

We at Bio-Claire advocate that the above “BEV” is always taken into consideration. This is especially important for the Bio-Claire Starter Dose and for the first Maintenance Dose of the Bio-Claire treatment programme.

As time goes on and as experience has shown, it may be necessary only to use the physical (rather than “BEV”) volume values in the future, except in extreme cases. In any case, after using Bio-Claire for some time, you will get to know the right dosage of Bio-Claire for your own pond - just as you know how much water your house plants need on a regular basis,

But.....That is why Bio-Claire Pond Conditioner really is so wonderful and comes into its own because - it is in itself a natural product - and it works naturally towards that utopian balance which everybody would like to enjoy in their pond all the of time.

On the other hand, Bio-Claire is no miracle either….. because if we could foretell the workings of nature’s way only to a small part of reality, we would all be millionaires.

Back to that Reality .... and the question .... How does ‘All-in-One’ Bio-Claire really work ?? --- What does it do ?? --- How will it work in your Pond ??

Once you have started using sufficient Bio-Claire for the biological volume (“BEV”) you will no doubt see a marked change in the water, even after a couple of days. Your pH will begin to find the correct level and generally the water will be in good condition.

Bio-Claire Pond Conditioner is made up by using varying sizes of small granules of finest quality natural Zeolites which include Clinoptilolite and Montmorillonite. We blend these granules together with chosen and blended micro-organisms in bacteria, both aerobic and anaerobic, together with carefully selected enzymes, and other natural materials. The careful processing will create the perfect balance in your pond in such a way that it will nurture normal plants but eventually inhibit the growth of algae. In essence, the Zeolite is used only as a carrier for our special formation and blend of Bacteria and Minerals. As soon as the sufficient (a definite must) Bio-Claire starter dose is strewn over the water surface - it literally starts to work right away. The modified bacteria that have lain dormant in our product suddenly wake up and start to multiply - by doubling every 20 minutes.

HOW BIO-CLAIRE WORKS

To explain and illustrate the sheer enormity of the natural activity…..Each 100 grams of Bio-Claire contains at least 200,000,000 bacteria…. and if we use only an average small example pond of 500 Gallons - that pond will need a Starter dose of about 700 grams of Bio-Claire Pond Conditioner.

This then means that when you introduce the Bio-Claire into the pond, you are effectively putting in (and waking up) about 1,400,000,000 bacteria - all in one go! After 20 minutes there will be 2,800,000,000. 40 minutes after starting there will be 5,600,000,000 and after only one hour - 11,200,000,000 would be the count.

It is mind-blowing to imagine what the count is likely to be after just one day.

So where do all these ‘good’ bacteria go?…………………… Please read on!

The process, however infinite it may be, continues - until the older of the little 'beggars' start to get tired…and eventually leave this life.

Fear Not ! - Help is at hand….…In the shape of the Bio-Claire maintenance dose, which then regularly rejuvenates the process.

Back to where we were -- at the Bio-Claire starter dose.

The first action that takes place within the pond is that rather than the Zeolite absorbing any ammonia that is latent in the water, it changes the ammonia by ion exchange into nitrogen gas. This gaseous nitrogen then escapes through the water surface and then into the atmosphere.

The formation, first of Nitrites NO2 and then, Nitrates NO3 is therefore inhibited and as most pond owners know, -- these are the most potent nuisances to have present in your pond. They are the ‘naughties’ or maybe even the ‘nightmares‘ which can cause most problems for you.

Blanket Weed ?? -- What's that ??

From the now many hundreds of calls (in fact over 2,500) that we have had from people over the last 2½ years, it is now quite clear that the biggest bugbear in the life of almost every pond keeper, is the dreaded blanket weed (or filament Algae).

There are numerous killers, controllers and other types of materials on the market, which claim to ‘rid’ any pond of that ugly stuff.

But, as the experiences of the thousands of Bio-Claire users have proven up to now, - this is where Bio-Claire Pond Conditioner really comes into its own.

When you commence the Bio-Claire treatment, you must virtually declare war on the existing Blanket Weed in your pond and….. this is where you will need perseverance. You will need to “drag” out the horrible stuff on a very regular basis and then.....after a while....... anything between 2 and 12 weeks, sometimes maybe even longer, - the blanket weed will become easier and easier to remove........

......and then suddenly you will realise that all the perseverance and patience have been worth the effort because your pond will “shine”!

The really wonderful thing about it is that once you have given sufficient time and effort to allow nature to take its own course; the blanket weed then tends not to want to grow anymore. It really is worth waiting for! ...... Dozens of our overjoyed Bio-Claire users have picked up the 'phone to call us……. just to thank us….. and to tell us that Bio-Claire has worked for them, but more so they have thanked us for advising them to have that patience because their blanket weed problem has now completely disappeared.

Yet another very important matter to consider, is something which we mentioned earlier. Many hundreds of people have now used Bio-Claire right through two winters and have not had to restart the full dosage again in the spring because the bacteria were kept alive by the persistent and regular monthly Maintenance dose.

Our feed-back has shown that those ‘all-year-round’ users of Bio-Claire have seen their ponds ‘glowing’ as early as March, and as one excited Bio-Claire user from Bracknell (recommended by World of Water at Shinfield) phoned to tell us at that time (March 1997), .....and to quote from the letter he sent us afterwards, “The fish normally at this time of year were stressed and swam off every time I approached in the past. Since I've been using Bio-Claire, they have not scurried around the pond in fright and my Mirror Carp which in summer sits on my hand to have its belly tickled, has even come over to me - which I think is marvellous.”

The same gentleman also signed his letter off, by saying, “Once again I thank you, my fish thank you, and my congratulations on a superb product!” (Ed: Need I say more?) This year (1998) we have already had dozens of calls and letters telling of their wonderment at the marvellous condition of their ponds and fish since they regularly started using Bio-Claire - praising our product and thanking us for bringing them something which “does what it says!” (We couldn’t have put it better ourselves) One lady wrote to us in early March 1998 telling us how overjoyed she was with her pond after regularly using Bio-Claire for 11 months. Her query was that she had a problem with some plants in another part of her garden. - It had nothing to do with her pond, but because her pond plants were thriving since she started to use Bio-Claire she asked whether we (Quote) "had another 'Miracle Product' to help her plants". We're not able to help at the moment…. But we're working on it !

Summer and Winter Maintenance Doses:

As a guide there are seven main (warmer season) months in each year, in Europe, from March to September (inclusive) at which time you should use a full maintenance dose of Bio-Claire, as calculated in accordance with the biological volume in your pond. Then there are the three other months, October, November and February where we advise you to use only half the required maintenance dose of Bio-Claire. The other two remaining months which are normally the coldest, i.e. December and January, we advise that you use only a quarter of the normal monthly maintenance dose.

Even if there is ice on the pond during these coldest months, we suggest that you bore a hole in the Ice and pour a little Bio-Claire through. As we said earlier, the fish are certainly alive and they still need a certain amount of nutrition, however deep the winter may be. (Please note however; it is not wise to crack the ice because you don’t really want to shock the fish with your hammering [we’re quite sure that you wouldn’t like it if someone were using a hammer on the other side of your bedroom wall] )

The continuous 12-month treatment will ensure that the bacteria, which are a major component of your Bio-Claire Pond Conditioner, will have the regular availability of the nutrients they need to survive and multiply at their natural rate. It is also important to allow them to carry on with their good work in your pond. (This development, though, may be a little slower during the colder months)

Revealed !! - The “Secret” of Bio-Claire®

The only real “secret” about Bio-Claire is - That it works!

We brought Bio-Claire to the market place about 3 years ago and since that time, have been very fortunate to experience good increases in the sales of our great natural product. We’ve also been very lucky to have so many - now thousands - of regular Bio-Claire users come back to us just to tell us how wonderful the product is and how well it has worked for them.

Bio-Claire is definitely an ‘All-year-round’ product because (as we have already pointed out), fish only go to sleep in the winter - they do not die!

Nature still works on - even during the winter months.... And likewise, as I said in the previous chapter, bacteria still live on, feed and multiply - maybe not quite as prolific during the colder weather - but they remain alive just the same.

We at Bio-Claire have not in the past, nor do we now, make any rash claims or promises about our product -- But then who can honestly make any promises about anything to do with Nature.

NATURE WILL ALWAYS WORK IN ITS OWN WAY AND TIMESCALE !

Since we put Bio-Claire Pond Conditioner onto the market, we have always been very careful to tell everyone the whole truth at all times. We feel we must make this point clear, yet again! It is because of the rapport which our Bio-Claire Pond Conditioner seems to have struck up with Nature itself, that we are able to relate to prospective users, the fact that if they just manage to be patient about the workings of our wonderful product, they will soon enough discover that same rapport for themselves.

So.o.o….You, too, can discover that rapport when you use Bio-Claire Pond Conditioner. The added bonus is that very well known fact that if your pond water is kept in good condition, your fish will be very happy - and so will you !

BIO-CLAIRE AND SALT:

It is a well-known fact that many pond keepers still use salt in their pond for various reasons such as stress relief and as an astringent antiseptic......

......and here it is important to note that Bio-Claire is not made up of just an ordinary type of the Zeolite which is normally used as a filter medium or 'Ammonia Absorber'. (We have, by the way, our own brand of high-grade filter Zeolite, called ‘Zeo-Claire’).

Bio-Claire will not, under normal circumstances be affected by salt if you start using our product whilst there is salt already present in your pond. The saline presence can, however, inhibit the function and workings of the Bio-Claire Pond Conditioner and to get the best out of our product, it would be prudent to allow the percentage salt solution level to decrease to an acceptable level before commencing your Bio-Claire treatment.

The logical reasons for NOT creating a problem with this scenario are that when you strew the fresh Bio-Claire into your pond, salt or no, there certainly is no ammonia present in the Pond Conditioner at that time for it to be released into the pond. Although we fully understand the reasons why so many people use salt (NaCl and CaCl) - and we are not here to dictate to anyone about its use - the truth is that salt is an irritant and we are told by our zoologist Consultants that prolonged use of Salt can even harm your fish - and furthermore.....…..they say that if cold water fish felt at home in salt water, they would swim in the sea. ---

The writer's logical, maybe forthright, comment (or question) is -- Would you bathe your face in a salt water solution with your eyes open ?? - I know for sure that I wouldn’t.

But then, after you use Bio-Claire Pond Conditioner regularly, your pond water will be in good condition in any case - and the use of salt can be avoided.

As we said earlier, we do not advise the use of salt in ponds. If, however, you feel that a particular fish needs salt for any possible 'medication' reason of your own (or advised) assessment - then, at least, take that poorly fish out of the pond and put it into a quarantine tank to treat it there, rather than in the pond with all the other fish.

Our parallel reasoning for that situation is that:- in a human family of four persons, if one person is ill - you certainly wouldn’t treat the whole family with the same medicine !!

We hope that with this simple truthful account we will have been able to help you better understand our wonderful product, Bio-Claire Pond Conditioner. It will not only help you as a Bio-Claire user - if you are not already one, but we sincerely hope that you will also find it useful whatever environment or other products you may have in your pond.

Bio-Claire® Montmorillonite 'Gold' - The Pond's Final Polish !

We've just added this new product to our range; which again is a pure and natural mineral and works extremely well in tandem with our Bio-Claire® Pond Conditioner.

Koi Carp normally live in very clayey, muddy environments as their natural habitat and as we all know, Koi Keeping has now become a world-wide hobby.

It is mooted that the main reason for keeping Koi is the fact that as well as having such glorious colours, they are a very friendly species which often come to feed directly from your hand and even allow themselves to be stroked.

It is obvious therefore that Koi Keepers will always want to have an unfettered view of their possibly expensive specimens whilst they gambol playfully around in their pond.

But, one must remember that when these beautiful and sometimes expensive creatures are taken out of their natural habitat, they have to be nurtured by more artificial means.

Experience of many Koi Keepers over the last 20 years has shown that the first step to a Koi Pond with as natural environment as possible is to include effective Biological filtration. This factor is not always as simple to create and/or maintain as one would imagine and the different schools of thought on the matter are almost as numerous as there are different species of Koi Carp.