Pond Talk

Pond Advice For Small And Large Ponds

Pond Heaters For Winter Warmth

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perfect climate pond heaterPond heaters are now commonly put into use as winter weather arrives in many parts of the country. And although it’s a simple and affordable device it can pay off handsomely when it’s installed in a small koi or fish pond.

For many people, wintertime means their ponds will be shut down, covered over, drained, and put to bed for a few months. If one has fish, they are often moved indoors and held in temporary tanks.

Others however are finding enjoyment in their water gardens throughout the seasons including the frosty days from November through Febuary. If your pond is set up right for it, wintering fish outside isn’t much of a problem and in some settings a pond heater will be an important tool to use.
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Pond Dredging Equipment And Cleaning

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Is pond dredging the best way to clean and restore your pond?

It’s a simple and natural fact. Large ponds and lakes will fill in over time and in time, that grand old pond that once stayed clean and clear, now has algae or other problems. This process is known as eutrophication. One of the main causes of pond algae blooms is the build up of organic material, muck, and sludge at the bottom. Things like leaves and other stuff fall or get blown into the water and sink and erosion might also play a part.

Being made up of organic elements, most of this sediment is a lot like compost in a garden. We all know that you can get any plant to grow better with good nutrients and anything organic that’s breaking down, in soil or water, will improve the vitality of a plant. Good for vegetables, bad for algae unless you’re using it for bio-fuels.

This fact makes it pretty obvious why a pond owner would want to clean up the bottom of their water-filled basin.

There’s really two ways to do it. The first process would be to use beneficial bacteria, or microbes and enzymes, to help break this sludge down and in effect, eat it away. This is nature’s method of cleaning and it works very well, and quite safely, but it does take a fair amount of time. On average with proper aeration running to help these aerobic bugs do their work, one could reasonably expect 3 to 6 inches, and possibly more muck reduction in a six to eight month season.

The second option, and one that is much quicker although usually more expensive, is to dredge out the pond bottom. Dredging equipment can help make pond restoration a relatively quick task where a great deal of build up can be removed in one to several days of work.

Planning and using the best tools for the job is important, and it could be said that there is not a single solution for every pond. Let’s look at the most common approaches to pond dredging.

Mechanical Dredging Equipment

The mechanical approach to dredging will involve some form of equipment such as a clamshell bucket and crane, a dragline, which uses a bucket with holes in it which is dragged across the bottom, or excavator dredging that uses something like a backhoe device. Because fairly heavy equipment is used in all of these operations, rainy weather can affect work times.

Hydraulic Dredging Pumps

A hydraulic dredge will actually float on the surface of the water and uses a pipe to suck stuff off the pond bottom. It’s similar to a very big muck vac that will remove sediment with great precision. The waste material is routed far away from the pond and released through a discharge pipe.

Of the methods of hydraulic dredging used, the most common are the auger dredge, or some type of cutterhead dredge. These tend to be very efficient in terms of how much sediment they remove and how much manpower is needed to do the work.

Once the muck is removed all the wet sediment should be dewatered or dried out to allow for easier removal from the pond site or it can be used in the area for structuring the landscape surrounding the pond.

So What’s The Benefits And Risks?

The benefits of dredging a pond, as noted above, include a very rapid and efficient reduction of sedimentation build up which can lead to many water quality problems. It’s a very direct way to increase the depth of a pond and a necessary step in most large pond restorations.

Dredging is not without it’s risks however. In many cases the water in the pond will need to be drawndown, or lowered to allow easier access to the bottom. As digging begins there is a good chance that bottom sediment may be disturbed enough to affect the ecology of the pond. Fish breeding and feeding habitat can be altered enough to affect populations negatively. And finally, additional nutrient rich sludge can be released and circulated, which can rapidly lower oxygen levels in the water. To guard against this it’s advised to use a quality aeration system in the pond during excavation as well as after the restoration is complete.

All in all, pond dredging may be the best solution for restoration of a natural setting. It’s not without it’s risks or costs, but it has proven to be the most efficient way to return a pond to a more youthful condition.

Pond Design Tips – Getting Started

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One of the hottest trends for home owners today is the addition of a backyard pond or watergarden on their property.  Small ponds provide a wonderful esthetic addition to a home, and they also create a relaxing oasis for people who want to get away from the rest of the world for awhile.

When you’re considering a watergarden for your backyard one of the most important parts of the process is to come up with a design that not only looks great but it also needs to work, or function great as well.

In this particular article we won’t go into the nuts and bolts of pond design and building but we will address some of the fundamental things that you’ll want to keep in mind as you lay things out. [Read more…] about Pond Design Tips – Getting Started

Pond Aerator Or Fountain – What’s Best?

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When you drive by some great looking large ponds, and particularly those on golf courses or commercial properties, it’s not unusual to see the beautiful spray of water from a floating fountain cascading through the air. There’s no question pond fountains are popular and provide a great display.

Contrast this to the more covert pond aerator that sends air to the bottom of the pond. In man cases the most you’ll see is some ripples and light bubbling at the surface of the water. They seem so subtle in there work, most people won’t even notice that they’re there.

The question often comes up wondering which one of these systems is best. To appropriately answer this question, it’s best to compare to the two and also discuss the types of ponds that they work best in. There’s no question that each system is unique and different, and depending on the circumstances, one is really better than the other in our opinion. [Read more…] about Pond Aerator Or Fountain – What’s Best?

Farm Pond Algae Control

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Every summer the ponds around us turn green.  Some don’t of course but many do and the culprit is some type of pond algae.  Algae is on of the oldest forms of life on earth and it thrives when certain conditions are met and farm ponds just happen to have many of these in abundance.

In this article we want to address some of the reasons why a pond may develop an algae problem and more importantly what you can do to clear things up.  Larger ponds and small lakes are not always the easiest or most inexpensive to treat but clearing can be achieved by taking proper action.

What Causes Algae?

Algae, like any plant will need certain things to survive and thrive. Namely it will require ample sunlight and adequate levels of nutrients to support it. These nutrients may come in the form of phosphates, nitrates, nitrates, or other organic elements. They enter the water through run off or may build up as organic things such as leaves or grass clippings fall into the pond and begin to decay. In simple terms I’ve always compared this to compost in a garden. You add decaying organic material in there to help your veggies grow and the same things will help algae grow well too.

Larger ponds and small lakes are almost always impacted by environmental factors like this. Other things, like heavy fish populations that might affect a smaller pond, will normally not support abundant algae growth in a larger one.

Light exposure as well will support algae and this is why shallower waters tend to have algae growing in them first (or if they are around the edges of a pond run off could create this too). Some single cell algae will in fact rise and fall in the pond during it’s daily cycle. In the morning it will come to the surface to pick up energy from the sun through photosynthesis. At dusk it will sink once again to spend the night at the bottom of the pond.

As the weather warms in spring and summer, and sunlight becomes more plentiful, algae will tend to grow more prolifically. In fall and winter it’s often not as much of a problem, however in ponds with high nutrient loading, you may see algae growing under the ice in the early spring.

Algae Control 101

Knowing the things that support algae is really the first step in figuring out the best way to control it. After that we can narrow down our options into a sensible plan of attack. In shallow waters, something like pond dye or a tinting additive will help limit the algae’s exposure to light. These come in several shades such as blue, black, or a combination of the two. They are relatively affordable and can last a month or more in many ponds. The turnover rate or amount of rainfall may affect this time somewhat.

Other common options usually include some form of chemical treatment such as with an algaecide, biological treatments, or some type of manual removal, although the latter isn’t very easy to do in big bodies of water.

Algaecides Kill Algae But…

Over the years it’s been a traditional thing to try and kill the algae growth outright with something like an algaecide. Most of these contain some form of copper in them, and this is because the substance is toxic to algae. Algaecides can and do work well in at least clearing the surface of the algae problem. One drawback to using them however is they support the build up of organic material at the bottom of a pond and this, unfortunately, can support more algae growth.

For an algaecide to be used correctly, it’s best to apply them as a preventative measure rather than a treatment. If algae can be controlled early on before it takes over the pond, the build up of dead matter at the bottom is reduced and many times less chemical can be used in the process.

If algae can be brought under control, the pond may stay clear for some time, or applying the algaecide may become a matter of routine maintenance.

The Beneficial Bacteria Connection

One of the most useful things found in a natural farm pond is the existence of beneficial bacteria. These are good bugs and microbes that nature has designed to help keep the pond cleaner. They help clean up muck and organic material at the bottom of the pond and can even consume some of the nutrients from run off and organic decay.

Because they prefer some of the same thing that algae does to thrive, they can quite often out-compete algae for these resources. When they do, algae of all types (other than Chara) may regress and disappear. This makes them a valuable ally to farm pond algae control and supporting their health and vitality is a good step to take.

It’s important to note that many chemicals, including copper algaecides, will hinder or knock down this bacteria. Therefore if chemicals are applied, it’s often suggested to supplement or add fresh bacteria into the pond to help replenish them. There are many brands and blends of bacteria on the market but they are all intended to work in a similar way in a lake. Some are temperature sensitive so the blend may be changed depending on the season and conditions.

Pond aeration helps to add oxygen into pond water and this is a very useful step to support beneficial bacteria since this is primarily aerobic in nature. Higher oxygen levels will help them thrive and increased circulation will provide increased mobility throughout a large pond.

Algaecides and bacteria do not work together well in most cases and cannot be combined, therefore it’s important to decide or plan out your intended algae control method before you start treatment of any kind. Pound for pound, biological control may cost more in the beginning compared to a chemical application, however as we’ve noted earlier, if chemicals are misapplied, they can take a pond in a poor direction and create more problems later on.

What About Barley Straw?

Finally we would be remiss to not talk a bit about barley straw. Many old farmers swear by it for algae control and there is some merit in their words. Historically barley straw has been used in Europe for some time and in recent years it’s made it’s way to the U.S. It works well in some ponds and in others it seems to provide no great help at all.

Recent research by several universities including Ohio State have shown that barley straw is best when it’s thoroughly dried and bundled in a bale or mesh material. In tests it appears to work best when it’s applied before algae has shown up in a pond and may retard new growth. It seems less effective on algae that is already present.

A one acre pond would likely use about 2 to 3 standard bales and these can last up to 3 or 4 months before they would need to be replaced.

Barley straw releases a substance as it decays and some experts believe this breaks down into a very light form of peroxide which damages new algae cells. Further research however is necessary to determine why and how the straw works at all.

Algae Can Be Controlled

The most important thing to remember is that even though algae may show up in any body of water, no matter how large. There are ways to either keep it in check or rid the pond of it entirely. Some of the steps an owner might take will depend upon budget constraints, if the pond has an active fish population and any environmental concerns. However with the right knowledge, and a basic understanding of why algae grows at all, one can make progress towards a cleaner farm pond.

Is A Pond Vacuum The Best Tool For A Cleaner Water Garden?

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If you’ve ever had to clean your pond out from time to time (and most likely you have) then you know it’s not the most enjoyable job.  A pond vacuum can make the task quite a bit easier but it’s important to choose and use the one that’s best suited to your needs and in truth, they’re not all created equal.  Let’s explore some of the more common options and how they differ from one another.

Light Duty Muck Vacs

Muck vacs are very simple devices that use pressure created from an attached garden hose and they work well to pick up light debris and, as the name implies, mucky stuff. The water pressure necessary to run most of these will need to be at least 50 psi which is normal for most households. Usually when muck vacs produce poor results it comes down to very low water pressure which limits suction, or the task at hand is just to much for it to handle.

It should be mentioned that this type of vacuum doesn’t add water to a pond, but like all vacs, it will discharge some of the water and the debris it picks up. This waste can be routed away from the pond through a discharge hose.

When heavy leaf build up or compressed muck is involved most light duty vacuums will wilt a bit and you’ll want to move up to something more powerful.

The original muck vac, and the most widely sold brand is from a company called Odyssey. Thousands of these are now in service and helping clean small ponds and it’s estimated that only about 10% of these are returned due to poor performance.

The best way to use a muck vac, or any pond vacuum for that matter is to use them routinely. Doing so will limit the build up of muck and debris and make the pond easier to clean each time you use the vacuum. It’s best to determine what routine works best for you, whether it be every few days, weekly, or ever two weeks, and stay with that schedule throughout the season.

Powered Pond Vacuums

For many people, and particularly those with a larger backyard pond, a powered vacuum will likely be a better choice. In a general sense, the larger the horsepower or the wattage of the motor, the more powerful it will be. If you intend to use the vacuum quite regularly or have some demanding work for it, then you’ll want to opt for a larger motor to meet this demand.

One of the more popular models of powered vacuums is called the Oase Pondovac. These use dual chambers where one is designed to bring water and debris in, and the other is intended to expel or discharge material. With this system, you never have to turn the unit off to empty and and suction or cleaning as well as the discharge is continuous.

Other more traditional vacs are much like the shop vacuums you might be used to. They’ll suck up water and debris and then need to be switched to send the accumulated contents out through the discharge hose. These are usually less expensive then the dual chambered models.

Most of these vacuums come with a variety of attachments that make them versatile for cleaning. There are nozzles that make getting into cracks and crevices pretty easy and most are liner friendly, meaning then won’t damage the rubber membrane found in most small ponds. If you have rocks lining the bottom, some also have attachments to keep these from getting sucked up into the machine, although if the pebbles are very small, they may be difficult to clean with any kind of vacuum.

(Editors note: rather than putting very fine rock at the bottom of a pond we suggest using larger pebbles or even flat rock to improve the aesthetic appearance but still provide an easy to clean surface)

Another type of powered vacuum has emerged on the market which actually has the motor embedded in a submersible housing allowing it to be placed near the vacuum head. The Pond Mosta model is designed in this way and it’s specifications show that it will operate at a much deeper depth than other powered designs. With a two inch discharge hose it will handle heavier leaf debris as well.

Pond Vac Limitations

Pond vacuums offer a viable way to keep a pond cleaner during the seasons of operation. As we’ve noted, they vary in capabilities and some of them are very capable machines. With that said, they are best used for routine cleaning of muck and other things that fall into the pond from time to time. Limiting this build up will usually keep a pond cleaner and in better shape and make it a healthier place for your koi or gold fish if you have any.