Pond and Water Garden Tip of the Day #2:

Have unwanted weeds growing in your pond?  We have a large selection of aquatic herbicides to get rid of those unwanted weeds.  For submersed weeds you might want to use a broad-range herbicide like our Avast! or Sonar.  For cattails and other partially submersed weeds try spraying them with a mixture of 3 oz. of Cide Kick, 3 oz. of Shore-Klear and 1 gallon of water.  Hardy, waxy surfaces like cattails may need more than 1 application.  Check out our selection of aquatic herbicides.   The trick is to treat them at the right time, usually when they first start actively growing or ideally, when the brown cattail has started to form. Of course, see the manufacturer's recommended application rates for more details.  As with any application of any chemical treatment, proper identification is important.  Be sure you know what you're treating! Check out our aquatic herbicides and other pond and lake chemicals here.

Pond and Water Garden Tip of the Day # 3

When choosing a filter for your pond, remember that a filter should be the correct size in order to filter the entire volume of water in your pond at least every 3 hours.  So, if your pond is 1200 gallons, you would need a filter that filters 400 GPH or more.  If you have a lot of leaves or debris in your pond, too many fish for that size of pond or a pond in full sunlight you will want to go with a larger filter.   Filtering the entire volume of water every 2 hours is not uncommon particularly for those wanting a very clear pond.  (You really can't 'over filter' your pond!)

Don't skimp when it comes to your filtration system.  It's the most important part of your entire pond!  A proper sized filtration system will be the difference between clear water and green water.  Don't think that a small, pre-filter on the inlet size of a pump is large enough to filter a pond.  These small filters are just pre-filters in that they filter the water before the water gets to the pump.  This is to help keep the pump from clogging, that's it.  They are not meant to be used for ponds with fish in them but simply, backyard patio ponds that have aquatic plants in them.  You can see a selection of filters at the following page that are meant to be used for ponds or water gardens with fish.  Remember, don't skimp on the filter.  It is the most important part of your pond!

As a side note filters are used for ponds that are less than a total of  50' x 50' in size.  For larger ponds, filters are not practical and the size of the filter would be gigantic and not feasible. For ponds larger than 50' x 50' a mechanical filter is not used.  An aeration system and regular treatments of beneficial bacteria added to the pond act as part of the biological 'filtration' system.

Pond and Water Garden Tip of the Day # 4

To have correct water flow in ponds less than 50' x 50' you will need to have a pump that pumps 1/2 the total volume of water in the pond. For example, if you have a pond that is 1200 gallons you will need to use a 600 GPH (gallons per hour) pump for your pond and have your pump on the opposite end of the pond as where the water flows back into your pond.  This creates optimal water flow so your pond doesn't become stagnant.  For ponds with waterfalls this calculation is a bit more involved since you will not only have to calculate what water flow the POND needs but what your WATERFALL will need in order to have the look you want.  Check out our Ponds Online Course for complete information in determining pump size, filter size and so much more.

Pond and Water Garden Tip of the Day # 5

Green pond water is caused from an imbalance of too many nutrients and  not enough beneficial bacteria in your pond.  The excess nutrients in your pond provide nutrition for algae (green pond water) to grow.  Some examples of these nutrients are from:  sludge, muck, fallen leaves, dead aquatic plants, fish wastes, lawn fertilizers, etc.

One thing that you need to do is 'starve' out the algae to have clearer water.  You can do this by trying to eliminate as much debris from entering your pond and settling to the bottom.  Try 'catching' the debris by using a pond net or skimmer. 

In addition to reducing the nutrients that build up in your pond year after year, you also need to be adding beneficial bacteria on a regular basis.

Beneficial bacteria does many vital things for your pond.  It breaks down all of the nutrients from fallen leaves, twigs, dead aquatic plants, sludge, muck, etc. that's in your pond and causing your water to turn green. It also breaks down toxic ammonia from fish wastes, improves dissolved oxygen levels and so much more.  Every body of water has beneficial strains of bacteria in it; it's just when there is an imbalance between too many nutrients in the pond and too little of beneficial bacteria is when there are problems like having unsightly green pond water (algae). 

So what can you do to clear up the green pond water?  Here's a list of some things:

Do what you can to eliminate the nutrients in your pond.  If you have too many fish, get rid of some.  If you have a smaller pond and can clean it out, do so.  If your filter is too small, get a bigger one or get rid of some fish that is over-taxing your pond filter.  If your pond is quite large and has years of debris on the bottom of it, start using an aerator and beneficial bacteria treatments right away.  Whatever you can do to eliminate the excess nutrients in your pond, do it.  It will only save you a lot of time and money now and in the future.  Try using a lake rake to rake out the debris or use a pond vacuum.  Get a pond skimmer or pond net to catch the debris before it settles to the bottom of the pond.  We also have filamentous algae seine nets that can be used to scoop the floating algae, leaves and debris off the top of large ponds before it settles.  Start adding our beneficial bacteria product right away.  We recommend Microbe Lift ™ for small ponds less than 50' x 50' and our PlanktoniX™ for ponds and lakes larger than 50' x 50'. 

There is also some specific information to help pond owners to clear up their ponds.  Check out the information available here.  Be sure to choose the correct link for the size of pond you have!

Good luck!  As always, contact us with any questions you have!

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