These are excellent questions. So on the bacteria...yes they are somewhat different...in what we have I view them as pond wide microbials and muck reduction microbials. If I have an algae issue I usually start with pond wide treatments...trying to lower nutrients in the water column. I think we get faster results that way honestly. And muck of course is an issue in all this, being nutrient rich...but reducing that takes some time...it takes a decent commitment and repeated doses to work the stuff down and most good muck digesting bacteria are best in warm water...60 degrees and above. I don't know of any that work well in cool or cold water. Some pond wide microbes to though...our spheres have an all season blend in them so they work in a decent temp range. Anyway, while there are similarities in some of the bacteria in the products, they are different based on the job you are trying to do with them. Having an aerator is a great first step. If you have found some benefit out of a bacteria product, you may want to look around for something less costly and try that...usually the big thing is just seeing if you can get a good response with one...then maybe see if you can find one that gives the best bang for the buck. Pay close attention to dosing...that's really important with microbes...use enough...as too little won't shift the pond very much. But I like the idea of targeting nutrients far better than any other approach. Although it's really hit and miss, if you can find barley straw from a farm, you might research that and apply it in the early spring before algae blooms. It may not work but then again, it does help some people...and if you can get it locally it could be really cheap. Remember it is best used as a retardent to algae growth, not as a treatment and it won't do anything to clean the pond as microbes would do. Finally, I think it's best to maintain as much depth in the pond as you can. Most of the time. That said, if you are able to wash any of that algae out via an overflow, I would do it...it's best to get it out of the pond, period. Even if you did nothing to treat it, it will die off in cooler weather and sink, adding more "compost" to the bottom...so wash it out when the opportunity is there. Would you lose a little bacteria? Probably a little...but the payoff is better just moving that algae along. I hope this is helpful for you!

Are you spheres pond wide microbes?

@@TheTcking yes, I consider them more of a pond wide treatment. Our muck reduction pelletized bacteria is the PondBiotix ME pellets.

Thank you