Scottish Barley Straw And Algae

[titusmighty]

Has anyone here tried using scottish barley straw to control algae? Does it work?

 

[ceejay123]

Hello Titus the first part of the answer is yes I have used "Barley Straw" to get rid of the algae but it didn't.
Mind you it wasn't from Scotland.
I take it you are talking about a pond and not an aquarium.
I had a fair sized pond which was about 4 foot deep and I was troubled with algae so went to see a farmer whom i new quite well to blag a bale of Barley straw. He charged me for it and it did not work.
In the end I bought a U V and fixed it in line before the filter and within a day the water was clear.
Filter needed a lot of cleaning though.
Chris

 

[RadaR]

Don't really see the point to be honest. Give the plants what they want and they will out compete algae.

 

[garuf]

barley only works in ponds to the best of my knowledge, id adress the cause and not the effects

 

[plantbrain]

Very few of the researchers testing ponds in the USA ever found that it did work if you review the published literature on it.
Not just one test, but several. Maybe 40% found it worked.

They sell barley straw extract here, we also tried straw back in thre late 1990's, neither worked with an algae bloom.

So I can only conclude based on that and the test we did, it's not effective at all in aquariums.
I honestly do not think it works in ponds either, who wants a bale of rotting straw in their pond?

Use a UV, cover the pond with a tarp etc, Add plenty of surface plants like hyacinth to block the light, add more weeds, add sodium percarbonate etc.

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[Liam]

Its used in waterways in the UK, it seemed to work in a small pond I have, it could have been something else of course but I keep a little in the pond, its been used in the UK since medieval times not that that is any proof. Here is a link to a New Scientist article about some British research. New Scientist and another link So there is a possibility that it would work in aquariums.

 

[vic]

So I did get quite into this subject a couple months back. The following sites will provide some interesting reading. The primary gem that I gleaned from this data was that barley straw will act to inhibit the proliferation of algae. Barley straw will NOT cure an algified (just made that one up) tank. In essence it is preventative medicine and not a silver bullet. Having done all this research I have NOT succumbed to the lure of the barley except in the form of a good ale or single malt. Another point that seemed quite clear was that there is really no necessity for the barley straw to come from "the old country". I live in a part of the world that grows an enormous amount of malt barley (beer brewing barley) and therefore I have what could be described as unlimited access on a free for the taking basis. That seems wonderful however, I have some serious concerns for what nasty chemicals may well be in that straw. These chemicals could come from leaching relative to previous herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers used in the malt production. However, I would be even more concerned with the contamination as a result of the current crop year use of the noted chemicals. One could use say a 20G tank with a few inexpensive fish for a test run. I will not get into the moral issues that surround "live testing". I had intended to visit some of the horticultural establishments in search of the "holy straw' in this area but, I just haven't go around to it as yet. I would try this preventative maintenance process if I was able to satisfy myself that I was not "issuing a death warrant" to the critters in my tank. It's almost like the search for the "organic" barley straw. Whoa, maybe there is an alternative market here for a malt grower or perhaps for the seed farm that is producing malt barley seed.
The mind boggles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cheers;
Vic



http/barleyworld.org/barleystraw/Barley%...nal%20Final.pdf

http/www.azgardens.com/aquarium_chemicals.php

http/barleybales.ca/

http/www.naturalsolutionsetc.com/garden-...gae-control.htm

http/www.btny.purdue.edu/pubs/APM/APM-1-W.pdf

Forgot the following:

Authentic Scottish Barley Straw

The Natural Solution to Algae Control

Now you can promote a healthier ecosystem for your aquarium or pond by using authentic Scottish Barley Straw, a technique which has been employed since the Middle Ages to naturally promote an ALGAE FREE environment. 100% safe for ALL wildlife, including the most delicate shrimp, fish, and plants because it is 100% natural and biodegradable.
In the aquarium, install a small portion (about a handful) of barley in your canister or hanging filter, or sump. We recommend using a micron filter bag (see below). Our small 4oz size should last a normal home aquarists, a long time.

In your pond, install it in your waterfall spillway, skimmer basket, or just throw it in anywhere! Most smaller ponds will require the 4 or 8 ounce size barley straw. (4 & 8 oz barley come already packaged in a mesh bag, the 30lb bale comes with 3 mesh bags)

Algae growth in ponds or aquariums can pose several problems. It can clog pumps, block filters, cause odor problems, and is generally considered to be aesthetically unacceptable. The proliferation of algae appears to be closely associated with the high levels of certain nutrients, especially phosphorous and nitrates in the water. High nutrient levels are often found in ponds and lakes associated with parks, golf courses, housing complexes and industrial sites.
Conventional control of algae can be either mechanical or chemical. Both methods can be expensive and inefficient. Depending on the pesticide or herbacide used, chemical control may limit irrigation use or harm non-target aquatic plants and other aquatic life and fish. In some instances the algae problem may increase over time if competitive plants and algae-feeding fish are not present.

In addition to using beneficial alage eating fish and snails, barley straw has been suggested for use in ponds and aquariums for algae control. The barley, as it decomposes, slowly releases hydrogen peroxide and humic acid into the water at levels that are toxic to algae.

The algae are suppressed best when the straw is decomposing in a well-oxygenated environment.

Too much straw can deoxygenate the water.

It is best if the straw is applied loosely so that water can move freely through it. A cage or netting can contain the loose barley.

The barley works best when it is at or near the water's.

It is better to use multiple "barley stations."

No negative side effects have been reported; in fact, increased invertebrate populations and improvement of gill development in fish from ponds where barley straw was applied have been observed.
Here are some other important features:

These are made from High Grade Scottish Barley (the same kind high quality Scotch is made from)(NO. Not the kind of straw you might find in a cattle-feed store!)

They are fully biodegradable.

They can provide natural food for your fish.

Each bundle comes with it's own sturdy mesh bag. 30# bales will come with three (24x36) mesh bags.

This method can be started any time of year, new or old.

No chemicals used ever in the processing of this barley!

4oz Barley Straw Bundle-Bale treats up to 500 gallons of water for 4 months-YOUR COST ONLY 9.99

8oz Barley Straw Bundle-treats up to 1000 gallons of water for 4 months-YOUR COST ONLY 17.99

30 POUND Barley Straw Bale (bale size is compressed into 24" x 18" x 10") treats up to 1/4 (quarter) acre or 10,000 sq ft of water for 4 months-YOUR COST ONLY 96.99

 

[plantbrain]

If you want to review the method and research, you should look at all the research that's been done, not just the few that support a particular point of view.Then see which researchers did a good job addressing things.

Then see if such methods can/could be aplied here and why they do not work in aquariums.
"Preventative" is a hard to show because algae can be caused by many things, most if not all having nothing to do with the barley.

You'd have to run many samples to get decent stats and when it comes to ponds, aquarists tank's, that's a very hard thing to do.

http/www.barrreport.com/articles/1451-ba...ew-article.html

The review artilce tends to be good looking at what everyone's learned.

You'll note the species of algae there are not the species in aquariums.
Nor do we have as much light as a pond does, we have about 10X less light.

A water change could be considered preventative, adding zeolite could be considered preventative, adding aquatic plants...........could be cosidered preventative..................

I do consulting for large lakes and ponds for clients, we have never found this stuff to work well in practical terms, nor is a bale of rotting straw aesthetically pleasing
Adding about 50% coverage of aquatic plants does cure 99% of the algae issues though, and we have about that or more in aquatic plant tanks

Regards,
Tom Barr