Argosformulated by AquaFix
Argos Lagoon Algaecide
Copper-based algaecide for wastewater lagoons, controlling filamentous, planktonic and blue-green algae. Tank mixed with a biocatalyst to handle the dead biomass.
What it is
Argos is a copper-based algaecide for wastewater lagoons that controls filamentous, planktonic and blue-green algae, restoring clarity and oxygen transfer while lowering BOD load. It is tank mixed and sprayed evenly over the target area, and it is normally paired with a biocatalyst so the dead algae degrades instead of settling into the sludge blanket.
Buy this when you are seeing
- An algae bloom blocking light and surface reaeration
- TSS climbing with a visible green cell
- Filamentous mats collecting at the outlet structure
- A seasonal bloom that returns every warm spell
How it works
Argos penetrates algal cells and disrupts their metabolic function, producing fast die-off across a broad spectrum: filamentous, planktonic and blue-green algae, which is to say cyanobacteria. It reaches both surface and subsurface growth rather than only what you can see.
The treatment benefit in a lagoon is not cosmetic. An algae bloom clogs surfaces, depletes oxygen as it respires overnight and dies, and contributes organic solids. Clearing it restores clarity, improves oxygen transfer at the surface and reduces the BOD load the cell is carrying.
The pairing with a biocatalyst is the part that separates a lagoon treatment from a pond treatment. Algae cells are shielded by a slime layer of extracellular polymeric substances; the biocatalyst breaks through it so the copper works, then degrades the dead plant material so it does not settle out and add to the sludge blanket you are already managing.
Check these before you buy
These decide whether this product can work at all. If one fails, fix that first, because the money spent here will not survive it.
- Confirm your state's pesticide permit requirementsApplications to waters, including treatment lagoons in many circumstances, can require Pesticide General Permit coverage, a licensed applicator, or both. The label is law and your state rules sit on top of it.
- Calculate acre-feet, not acresDosing scales with volume. Surface acres multiplied by average depth in feet is the figure the dose table is built around, so a deep cell needs more than a shallow one of the same area.
- Plan sectional treatmentA whole-surface kill on a loaded cell puts the entire decay load into your treatment train at once. Treat in sections sized to your cells' oxygen budget.
- Schedule around discharge eventsProduct labels carry discharge and irrigation restrictions, and treating immediately ahead of a discharge is the classic self-inflicted permit problem.
Is this the right fit
Good fit for
- Filamentous, planktonic and blue-green algae
- Restoring clarity and surface oxygen transfer
- Seasonal blooms and warm-weather surges
- Routine algae management alongside a biological program
Not the answer for
- Duckweed and watermeal, which need an aquatic herbicide
- Treating a whole loaded cell in one pass
- Fixing the nutrient loading that grows the algae
- Use without checking your state's applicator requirements
Dosing and application
- Moderate dose tank mix
- Per acre at 5 feet deep: 100 gal water, 7.5 gal Argos, 3 gal PondZilla Pro.
- Light dose tank mix
- Per acre at 5 feet deep: 40 gal water, 3.5 gal Argos, 1 gal PondZilla Pro.
- Acre-foot dosing
- Per acre-foot, calculated as lagoon acres multiplied by depth in feet: 17 gal water, 1.7 gal Argos, 0.6 gal PondZilla Pro.
- Method
- Spray evenly over the targeted surface area for best results. Uneven application leaves untreated refuges that reseed the bloom.
- Timing
- Effective as routine management or as a response to a seasonal bloom. Treat in sections rather than the whole surface at once.
What to expect, and when
- Before treatingConfirm permit and applicator requirements, calculate acre-feet, and decide your section plan.
- First daysVisible die-off. This is also when the decay load begins, which is why sectional treatment and adequate oxygen matter.
- Following weekClarity improves and surface reaeration recovers. Watch dissolved oxygen through this period, particularly pre-dawn.
- Weeks afterRegrowth timing tells you about your nutrient loading. Fast recolonisation is a loading diagnostic, not a product failure.
How you prove it worked
Track dissolved oxygen and TSS through the treatment rather than judging by appearance alone. The useful question afterwards is how quickly the bloom returns, because that interval is a direct read on the nutrient load driving it.
An algae bloom in a treatment lagoon is not the same problem as an algae bloom in a decorative pond, even though the chemistry that kills it is the same. The bloom is blocking the sunlight and surface reaeration a facultative cell depends on, respiring oxygen out of the water overnight, and adding organic solids that end up in your blanket.
That makes the treatment worth doing on process grounds, not appearance. It also makes the second half of the job non-optional: whatever you kill has to be degraded rather than left to settle, which is why the dose tables here are written as a tank mix with a biocatalyst rather than as an algaecide rate on its own.
Before any of it, confirm what your state requires for pesticide applications to a permitted system. The vegetation guide covers the permit and infrastructure side in full.
Specifications
| Manufacturer | AquaFix |
|---|---|
| Type | Copper-based algaecide and water clarifier |
| Targets | Filamentous, planktonic and blue-green algae |
| Application | Tank mixed, sprayed evenly over the target area |
| Dosing basis | Acre-feet, area multiplied by depth |
| Pairs with | PondZilla Pro biocatalyst |
Works alongside
Common questions
Do I need a permit to apply this?
Often yes. Pesticide applications to waters, including treatment lagoons in many circumstances, can require coverage under your state's Pesticide General Permit, a licensed applicator, or both. Two phone calls, to your state environmental agency and your county extension office, settle it before you spray anything.
Why tank mix it with a biocatalyst rather than using it alone?
Two reasons. Algae cells are shielded by a slime layer that the biocatalyst breaks through, so the copper is more effective. And the dead algae has to go somewhere: without something degrading it, it settles into your sludge blanket and returns later as BOD and TSS.
How do I calculate my dose?
Multiply surface acres by average depth in feet to get acre-feet, then apply the acre-foot rate of 1.7 gallons Argos and 0.6 gallons PondZilla Pro in 17 gallons of water. A three-acre cell at 5 feet is 15 acre-feet.
Will it hurt my treatment biology?
The larger risk is the decay load rather than direct toxicity: a big kill releases organic material into a cell that then has to treat it. Treat in sections sized to your cells' oxygen budget and watch dissolved oxygen through the days after.
Why does the algae come back?
Because the nutrients that grew it are still there. Recolonisation speed is a direct read on your loading. If it returns within weeks, look at water-column phosphorus and at benthal feedback from the sludge blanket rather than buying more algaecide.
Read before you buy
How to Get Rid of Cattails and Duckweed in a Wastewater Lagoon
How to remove cattails and duckweed from a wastewater lagoon the permit-safe way: mechanical, herbicide, and aeration options for treatment cells.
AerationWastewater Lagoon Aeration: The Operator's Complete Guide
How lagoon aeration works, surface vs diffused systems, sizing basics, winter operation, and how to choose the right aerator for your cells.
SludgeLagoon Sludge Removal: Costs, Options, and How to Decide
Dredging vs biological sludge reduction for wastewater lagoons: real cost ranges, how to measure your sludge blanket, and a decision framework.