The Iongen, is it good or bad? Well, let me tell you about my experience and you can decide for yourself.
I started my pond experience with a small preformed pond without doing alot of research on all that is neccessary to keep your pond clean and clear. I purchased my pond, filled it with water, added a filter, landscaped it, and added my fish. I was ecstatic, I always wanted a fish pond and couldn't understand what took me so long. This was a breeze. Two to three weeks went buy and everything was great, but after those few weeeks I noticed my water becoming cloudy and cloudier and eventually turned so green that it looked like "pea soup". So began my quest for eliminating the algae that forms in your pond water, which I now know is the number one complaint of all pond owners. I started doing research by asking other pond owners, pond supply store clerks and doing internet research, everyone with different ideas. I was told to try barley bales, add different products that had chemicals to kill algae, make water changes and so on, all with no avail. After fighting with the issue for several seasons, I tried a UV light and with great surprise it worked. I continued to use the clarifier for a couple more seasons until the fish that I had originally bought had become too large and as they were reproducing my pond was becoming overcrowded. So that next season, I built a larger pond. After hearing about the Iongen I decide to buy it and give it a try. I waited to fill my new pond and to add my fish until I recieved the Iongen. The Iongen doesn't eliminate the green water once you have it, it will only help you prevent algae from growing by adding carbon particles to the water. Once I recieved it, I filled my new pond, added my fish and placed the Iongen right in my skimmer as per the manufacturers instructions. I installed the other components as instructed. The instuctions included said you were to set the Iongen to different bar markings on the unit as you tested your water to see how much carbon was being released into the water. Too much carbon is harmful to your fish. After a few days of testing and trying to change the markings on the unit, I called the company that I purchased it from and told them that the unit was not working properly due to the fact that I could not get the control to change the amount of carbon being released because the bars on the unit would not change. The clerk then informed me that this was a new unit that was self- calibrating and you could not change it, the unit controled the carbon itself. The instructions sent with my unit were for the older units.
So I left it alone as he said and continued using the Iongen throughout the season. It did seem to be working as far as the algae problem, but that entire season I had all kinds of issues with my water quality. I increasingly became concerned for my fish because they seemed to be having problems with a lack of oxygen in the water, They were constantly at the surface, gasping for air. I would try water changes along with other remedies that were to help with this type of problem. None of it seemed to be working. As the season progressed my fish started slowly dying, one by one. I tried everything I knew, but at the end of the season all of my fish had perished. A total of eight. They had survived 6 previous seasons with no problems. The Iongen had only been in for about 4 months.
I winterized my pond that season by completely disassembling the entire pond. When I removed the Iongen from the skimmer and removed the probe, the prongs on the probe were almost completely gone. The prongs on the probe are made of carbon and that is where the carbon particles are released. The probe is to last at least one entire season, if not longer. One of my tongs was almost completely gone and the other almost half.
This Iongen was releasing too much carbon into the water, it seems that the self-calibration part does not work properly. It is my belief that too much carbon in the water is what caused the lack of oxygen and what eventually killed all my fish. I had no problems until I added the Iongen to my pond.
Needless to say I no longer use the Iongen, I started anew the next season and have no problems today.
I hope this helps with anyone considering trying the Iongen so you are aware of what could happen. I would be interested in hearing from anyone with similar issues.
Good Luck and Happy Ponding!
