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Viresco™ is the name we give to a number of
different micro-organism based products that are used in aquatics
and horticulture. These products are all dry soluble powders which
have unlimited shelf life if kept dry. The products are usually
applied in solution. These powders also contain nutrients for the
microbes as they come back to life from their dormant state. One
of these nutrients is soluble Humate.
For the aquatic market, we sell Viresco™
products that take out of water nutrients that are the food
source for filamentous algae and algae bloom (green water).
Consequently the algae dies of starvation. Some Viresco™
products contain microbes that digest organic waste.
This
biodigestion is very efficient and very readily cleans up
the sides and bottoms of ponds as well as the filters. Filamentous
algae is also called blanketweed, string algae and silkweed
in different parts of the world.
These aquatic Viresco™ products also
improve the health, growth and disease resistance of pond
fish. |
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Technical Information about Viresco™ Aqua, Viresco™ Koi and Viresco™ Digester
The above mentioned Viresco™ products form a family of three based on two different micro-organism
mixtures.
Pack
sizes for Viresco™ Aqua,
Viresco™ Koi
and Viresco™ Digester are:
5g, 10g and 25g which are sufficient for 3000
gallons, 6000 gallons
and 15000 gallons respectively.
Viresco™ Aqua was the first of the products to be launched in Autumn 1997. Viresco™ Koi was launched in Spring 2000 and Viresco™ Digester, in Summer 2001.
Viresco™ Aqua is a 50:50 mix of two groups of microbial based products.
One group contains microbes that reduce the nutrients - particularly
nitrate and phosphate - on which algae live. The algae - as
algae bloom (pea soup algae or green water) or blanketweed
(string algae or curly weed) - then die of starvation. The
other portion of the mixture contains microbes that digest
organic waste on the bottoms and sides of ponds as well as
in the filters. |
The
microbial nutrient remover takes out nitrate and reduces phosphate
which are food for algae - green water and blanketweed.
Thus algae die of
starvation |
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Viresco™ Koi contains mostly nutrient remover whilst Viresco™ Digester contains mostly organic waste remover.
Composition and Shelf Life
The products are all dry powders with unlimited shelf
life. They are micro-organism based with the freeze dried micro-organisms
being carried on fine particles of bran. The remainder of the product
consists of support materials which, when added to water, dissolve
to provide a food source for the microbes as they come back to life.
BLANKETWEED?
ALGAE BLOOM? |
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Think
Nitrate !
Use Viresco™ !
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Results
in
» Zero
Nitrate!
» No
Blanketweed!
» No
Green Water
» "Happier
Fish"
» Healthier
Fish
» Cleaner
Ponds
» Lower
Maintenance |
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Application Rates and Frequency
of Use
Small amounts of the Viresco™ products are used to treat relatively large volumes of water
although the usage rates given are only indicative. Some pondkeepers
do need to use more than the recommended usage rate and we do
recommend the regular addition of maintenance doses of the products.
In theory, the micro-organisms contained in the Viresco™ products should last indefinitely in a pond as long as there
is a continuous supply of food. |
Which
of the three products should be used?
Viresco™ Koi contains mainly nutrient remover microbes and
few waste digesting microbes. Use it therefore to control
blanketweed in clean koi ponds. These ponds usually have bottom
drains and the pondkeeper uses vacuums and skimmers. Therefore
little organic detritus is present.
Viresco™ Aqua should be used to control blanketweed and green
water in all other ponds. These will frequently have no bottom
drains and the use of vacuums is infrequent. Ponds with aquatic
plants should be treated with Viresco™ Aqua.
Viresco™ Digester should be used when the organic waste in
the pond is excessive and for dealing with specific problems,
eg a build up of organic matter in under gravel filters and
also in sand filters where the microbes will remove the build
up of fats and protein on the surface of the sand particles. |
The food supply is usually there in the form
of nitrate and phosphate. However, in practice, the effectiveness
of the microbes reduces over time so the advice is to supplement
the numbers by introducing maintenance doses.
Nitrate will be taken 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, phosphate never drops to zero. However, whilst algae
needs both phosphate and nitrate to grow, nitrate at zero is enough
to prevent growth.
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