The thing with ponds and lakes is that they age pretty quickly. Before you know, these water bodies are filled with algae, bacteria, sediments, and pollutants which can degrade the quality of water to a level that it becomes no less than a puddle. This process is known as eutrophication that depends on factors such as erosion, algae growth, and a lot more.
To tackle this problem, people usually prefer taking a reactive or proactive approach. Now before we proceed, let's draw a line between these two methods and know what exactly these are.
Reactive V/s Proactive Management Plan
Reactively managing your pond means you are dealing with the problem when it's arising. So if you take an action to clean your pond only when you see extreme growth of algae, or maybe a whole lot of contaminants on the bottom of your pond, this is known as reactive management.
A proactive plan means, well, being proactive and dealing with the problems before they could even arise. That may seem like a lot of work but it is actually a pretty good idea to tackle any issue before they even bother you.
Proactively Managing Your Pond
If you compare the two approaches we discussed above, you may want to go with the reactive approach and look for solutions when there is a dire need. But that's not ideal and it may require a lot of work. Being proactive reduces the extra efforts required when you have the problem right in front of you. You anyway have to maintain your pond, why not do that before the problems show up?
Although many people find proactive approaches to be tedious and costly, it varies from person to person and the budget one has. However, one thing that's sure is that it may seem complex, but it is not. By making good use of beneficial bacteria and colorants, you can do a whole lot of wonders to your pond.
This good bacteria can deal with the contaminants that settle at the bottom of your pond, and aid in getting rid of them. Using vaccuum pumps to get rid of the suspended materials is also a good and tidy approach. Colorants on the other hand can maintain the temperature of your pond by reflecting the UV rays from the sun.
This approach keeps you prepared and maintains your pond water while also preserving the fish and aquatic wildlife.
Best Proactive Pond Management Approaches
Nutrient buildups can cause various contaminants to harm the pond water and encourage the growth of sediments. Proactive care makes sure that you don't have to deal with these problems later. However, if you are unaware of the approaches involved in this process, here's a list of steps you could follow along to make management easier and cost-effective:
- Bacteria Augmentation
During the initial stages of a pond's life cycle, nature gifts the ponds with naturally occurring bacteria that thrives the pond water and prevent the harmful sediments from developing. These beneficial microorganisms develop in the pond when the temperature reaches 50°F.
However, during the early stages, these bacteria are sufficient to maintain the healthy ecosystem of the pond and keep it preserved. But as time progresses and the pond ages, algae growth and nutrient pollutants can cause these naturally occurring bacteria to die.
Thus, it becomes important to leverage the use of beneficial bacteria to promote the growth of healthy bacteria in your pond water. There are various chemicals that help in bacteria augmentation, by strengthening the existing good bacteria and adding more to keep the count sufficient. This in turn will help the aquatic ecosystem of your pond to thrive and be fresh for a long time.
- Aeration
Aeration is the process by which water is constantly circulated in the pond as opposed to being still. This is a quite well-known fact that still water is bound to get dirty and becomes a breeding ground for mosquitoes and other insects and bacteria.
Making sure that your pond water is well circulated and is not kept still can help a lot. You can choose to use numerous aeration systems available in the market that provides aeration from the bottom up.
These systems can ensure that the levels of dissolved oxygen are maintained in your pond water by circulating an incredible amount of water. This can promote the growth of beneficial bacteria and make them accumulate in your pond. Aeration systems infuse air into the bottom of the lake, by releasing gasses such as hydrogen sulfide, methane, or carbon dioxide.
- Pond Shading
Ponds are constantly exposed to the sunlight and UV rays from the sun can cause a negative effect on water quality. An unusual increase in the water temperature can affect aquatic wildlife and plants in the pond. Using colorants or dyes can not only help tackle this issue, but it can also add a touch of beauty to your pond by providing an attractive shade. These colorants can block the UV rays from the sun and help maintain the temperature of pond water.
How To Better Manage
Reactively managing your pond might seem like an easy way out, however, this approach has become stale as of now. By spraying the chemicals on already developed algae and weed to kill them might pose more problems to you.
These chemicals can make these algae and weed settle at the bottom thereby converting your pond into a muck. It also increases the chance of developing more algae in the future. This type of management is now termed as the old way of taking care of your pond.
The newest approach known as proactive management planning can prevent the decaying of the pond and the aquatic wildlife by tackling the issues well before they even arise. Pond shading, subsurface aeration, and bacteria augmentation are some of the most popular ways to address problems such as long exposure to sunlight and excess nutrients.
You can try proactive care instead of its reactive counterpart to get the best out of your pond care venture. Remember, you have nothing to lose. Visit Aquatic Ponds to get dedicated solutions for all your pond maintenance ventures.