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I have a customer with two pond systems: 38,000# and 18,000#, full of big honkin' trout.
Jesse is absolutely right. Copper sulfate (Merit, Cutrine) may work, but it's way too risky for the fish and can make your water a weird blue or worse.
Barley mats or bales work pretty well, but take awhile. What works best for me is Bioverse bacteria. It comes in a plastic sorta ball which stays submerged, to which you add bacteria packets (think teabags) which you replace every month or so.
Horizon has 'em. Like barley mats, they take awhile to work...maybe a month... but they're 100% safe for everything and everybody.
Aquascape Designs has similiar products, but they cost more and don't work as well, at least the way I do it.
Another thing to MAYBE try is acid to lower ph to about 7 even. A pool supply co. can sell you a gallon for about 12 bucks. Be careful not to overdo it, though because acid can eat your pump and any non-plastic pipes, and also kill your fish. Plus you constantly hafta monitor ph and carry acid around.
Lotsa cool water plants help too. Bog Buttercup, Water Cilantro. Lilies, Swamp Iris, and on and on. Generally, the ones that float keep water cleanest. Maybe 'cause they shade, or at least cover more surface area. Even duckweed. I have alot of water hyacinth which doubles in about 12 days, but since you're in zone 9 I'd steer clear of that.
None of the water features I maintain (6, but these are the biggest) have any type of filtration at all besides plants, but all are clear. The bacteria starts to work at water temps of about 60 degrees, and it kicks a$$. A little pricey but your customer will think you're a genius, and you won't have to replace any fish.
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Bob
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