Pond Algae Solutions Blog - Page 6 of 46 -

An Affordable Solution To Shallow Pond Aeration

There was a time, not all that long ago, when it was kind of challenging to aerate a pretty shallow body of water. By shallow I mean something around 6′ or less in depth.

While it’s true, a lot of folks used surface fountains and bubblers, and they work pretty well, they do have their drawbacks. If you have water quality problems, like algae, they can plug up pretty easy and when that happens you can burn the motor out of them. Usually they cost a bit more to run too so their just not a great solution for everyone.

But a few years ago, some enterprising aerator companies started to work with some shallow pond kits that have ended up being pretty popular. We’ve sold several from the Airmax line since they came onto the market and they’ve been some of our most consistent sellers and many pond owners have really loved the way they improved their ponds.

Shallow pond aeration kits usually use a linear type of compressor which has diaphragms in it, rather than a rocking piston design, which really works best for deeper water. Linear’s are quiet, and are often very energy efficient. They produce very good, consistent air, but they are not designed to handle a lot of back pressure, which very deep depths tend to create. So in the end, they turned out to be a very good option for ponds down to about 8′ or less.

The one thing about shallow ponds and aeration that must be remembered is, in shallow water, a diffuser placed at say, 6 feet, won’t have as wide ranging of an effect on a pond’s area compared to something that’s twice as deep. In essence the deeper you go down to release the air, the more pond area you can positively affect.

So the way round that in a shallow pond is to have multiple diffusers or release locations to really spread the air around better. So commonly you’ll see these systems with 2 or 4 diffusers in the package.

As mentioned before, the Airmax line has had some shallow ponds kits for a few years now and they’re very good and they’re full featured. But not everyone want’s to spend the money on these higher end kits when they may not need a weather protective cabinet, or other accessories.

So in light of that fact, we’ve been on the search for a more affordable, albeit basic, shallow pond aeration system, and we’ve found a good one with the new Easy Pro Shallow Pond Aerator. This great addition to our line up will provide pond owner’s with another effective, efficient, and affordable solution to adding valuable oxygen into their pond, even if it’s pretty shallow. The EP system will work great in any pond up to about 1/4 to 1/3 of an acre and around 7 feet deep or less.

You can learn more about this great new kit right here. And you if you have any questions about aeration for your pond, either leave a comment below or be sure to contact us through this website.

Pond Algae Solutions Online Course Is Available Now!

By Mark Leave a Comment

No matter what kind of algae you may be seeing in your pond, and no matter how large or small your pond may be, I have a powerful tool that will help you right now.

About a month or so ago, I released an all new program called Pond Algae Solutions (catchy name huh?:) to a very select list of pond owners. So far, all I can say, is the feedback has been terrific!

This is a definitive online course that will tell you the best way(s) to clear up algae in virtually any pond or water garden. I cover natural methods in depth, powerful mechanical tools to help, and I even discuss how to use chemicals safely and effectively in your pond.

If you’re dealing with algae right now, this information will save you a ton of time, money, and frustration…I can promise you that much.

Click on the link below to learn a bit more about this online video course. Oh and one other thing, if you do decide to join us, once inside, you’ll get a $10 coupon to use in the online store on anything that you wish…it’s my way of saying thanks for checking the course out!

Pond Algae Solutions – How To Control Algae In Any Size Of Pond

Like all of my online workshops and courses, you’ll have 30 days to watch and learn everything and if you don’t feel it was the best investment you’ve made in your pond all year, just let me know why you didn’t like it and I’ll refund your money with no hassles. You can even use the coupon anytime you like down the road.

Pond Algae Solutions – The Best And Most Effective Algae Control Methods Made Simple – Click Here To Join!

Be sure to take some time to enjoy your pond this weekend!

The Common Mistake That Almost Never Helps Clear Green Water

By Mark Leave a Comment

If you’ve got some green water showing up in your pond and you’re kind of feeling freaked out about, you’re not alone. In fact that’s a common response.

For many pond owners, the next logical thing to do would be to think that something is going way out of kilter with the pond and that they did something wrong when they added water to it. After all, just a few days ago things looked pretty good and now it’s a green swamp.

So what seems to make the most sense would be to start over. Drain the water out and add some fresh stuff and see if this time, things will go better.

But alas, this is not the right thinking at all.

You Can’t Keep Changing All The Water Out And Expect A Different Result

In fact, in almost every case, you’ll find that in a few days, your pristine, freshly filled pond, will be turning green again!

No matter how many times you drain and fill it, the results will usually be the same.

You see, green water isn’t all that unusual in a pond, and in a newly started pond, it’s quite common. The reason this little single cell algae can grow so well and so quickly is that the basic biological processes that help keep a pond cleaner and clearer, aren’t really evolved enough yet.

Here’s What You Should Do For Green Water…Be Patient!

In fact, after we fill a new pond, or refill an old one, we always add some beneficial bacteria to the water as soon as possible. We might also get some plants going in the pond, and then we give it some time. The good microbes will start to build up, and if you have a biofilter, they’ll begin to colonize inside it. And often, within about 6 to 8 weeks, you’ll most likely have much clearer water.

If beyond that point you still have a problem with greenish water, there are other things you can do (such as consider a UV light) but this initial startup process will work a lot of the time.

I would caution anyone to not do two things. Don’t change out all the water as this whole process is getting established (or you’ll have to start all over again). And secondly, don’t add an algaecide to the water just to keep it looking better. Some of these will harm good bacteria and set you back in that way too.

One simple little trick, ad you’re going through this patient “wait and see” start up, is that you can do some partial water changes and not hurt a thing. Try changing out something like 10% of the water with some fresh stuff every few days, just to see if it will help lighten the green goblin. Quite often you’ll find this to be helpful.

Just remember to leave most of that good, established water in the pond where it will eventually do you a lot of good!

Earth Day And Making A Difference

By Mark Leave a Comment

“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make – Dr. Jane Goodall.

Hi Pond Friends…

Well just in case you missed it, Earth Day 2014 has come and gone. Every April 22nd folks will celebrate the earth and be reminded of the need to care for it, since at present it’s our only home.

As you probably know, I’m all for Earth Day in the sense that it does remind us all to be good caretakers of this big blue ball of wonder.

Lately though, I have to be honest and tell you that I sometimes get disheartened. If you watch the news much it doesn’t take long to get down about a lot of things. The stories abound, from power plants leaking radioactivity to our government’s allowance of higher and higher levels of pesticides on our food supply.

More specifically towards our interest in healthy waters, a report came out this week on the growing incidence of drug contamination in our water supply. In this example the levels of Prozac are going up so much that it’s literally affecting fish behavior…this is crazy stuff.

So I guess what I’m saying is, it doesn’t or shouldn’t take a rocket scientist to see that we’re dropping the ball big time on this whole Earth Day ideal. It’s fine to talk about it on April 22nd, but what about the other 364 days of the year that count?

We, and by this I mean everyone, from individuals to big corporations and governments must keep working to become better stewards of the land, air, and water. We’ll either figure this out, or we collectively will pay later for it. Maybe in many ways we’re already paying too high a price.

This is the reality we have today as sobering as it may be. But I’d like to think that more than anything, I’m an optimist. And I was reminded today by the quote from Jane Goodall that you read at the beginning of this piece.

“What you do makes a difference…”

And I believe this.

When we started this business and this work, it was at a point when natural solutions to pond algae just weren’t all that widespread. Some of the technology was new and kind of unknown and others hadn’t even been invented yet.

We had barley straw and a few other things, but that was about it.

Today though, we have, I think, made a difference.

More and more pond owners are realizing that you don’t need to use chemicals to get a clean and clear pond. A chemical can’t produce health anyway…they can only mask a symptom of an underlying problem…and algae is a symptom.

So we’ve learned that when you make a pond healthier, and more ecologically balanced, low and behold, things can improve across the board.

And if a time or situation comes where you should have to use a chemical, we certainly don’t advocate indiscriminate use, but a calculated, careful application that’s highly targeted for the problem at hand. We keep their use limited and in the category of a “last resort”. Which is exactly where they should be.

In the end I guess you could say our goal is simple. We will change the old, outdated pond management practices in one pond at a time and by educating one pond owner at a time. And we’ll do that, not on one special day of the year, but every single day.

Because the more folks that know that eco-friendly pond care is possible, the better our world will be.

It’s a simple philosophy I guess, but it’s one that keeps us working toward something we believe in. And that’s enough.

Going forward through the rest of the year, please do what you can to make your part of the world a bit better. Reuse and recycle when possible. Keep the use of chemicals around and in your home to a minimum. Do your best to take care of your health and wellbeing. And care for your pond in the most natural ways possible.

It can be done…and what you do does make a difference.

Mark
Pond Algae Solutions

Prozac And Fish

By Mark Leave a Comment

I have to admit I’ve never dreamed of the day when the two topics in the title would ever go together. Prozac and fish. But alas that day has come.

This has to be one of the strangest articles on fish I’ve ever come across, but maybe it’s not all that strange when you think about it. For some time now, we’ve known that our water sources in the U.S. are being influenced by the release of prescription medications into the environment. These are coming not only from discarded drugs but also through a person’s normal ingestion and elimination through the normal waste channels. And researchers are now finding that these chemicals are not all being “cleaned out” by waste water management systems.

Amazing but it’s apparently true.

So that brings us to the topic of fish. It seems that fish are also being affected by these rouge prescription drugs and in the case of one study, that drug was the often used tool for depression called Prozac. Below is an excerpt outlining a recent study on Prozac and fish health and behavior.

The drug has been known to cause some unwanted side effects in humans.

It isn’t just us though — fish also react badly to Prozac (fluoxetine).

The antidepressant makes them more aggressive, and alters their behaviour.

Male minnows exposed to the drug for four weeks become far more aggressive, and start attacking the female fish. In one group, just a third of the female fish had survived, whereas normal survival rates are closer to 90 per cent. The fish that died had visible bruising and tissue damage.

Reproduction, mating, general activity and levels of aggression were all affected by Prozac, say researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

The only good news was that the fishes’ behaviour returned to normal once the drug was removed from the water.

Sadly, that is not an option for fish in rivers and estuaries that are constantly exposed to pharmaceuticals such as Prozac that are flushed down the toilet. The researchers fear that fish colonies are being badly affected by the practice.
(Source: Aquatic Toxicology, 2014; 151: 77)

I’d be curious to know your thoughts (if you have any) on this interesting finding. Share those below in the comments!

Winter Fish Kill – How To Prevent It

By Mark Leave a Comment

Unless you happen to like temperatures way below zero, or blizzard conditions, you’ll probably agree that this past winter has been one to hate. It was tough on everyone, and everything, including fish.

There have been numerous reports throughout our area, and most of the northern U.S. about fish kills and large die-offs in ponds. In one case, a local pond lost around 9,000 pounds of fish. In the end, it created one big mess.

So what’s the solution?

Well, apart from having any kind of influence on Mother Nature, which we do not, the best option is to put some safeguards into place that can minimize the loss during the winter months.

The problem for fish in cold weather is that, if the water freezes solid, no fresh air can get into the water, and maybe more importantly, gases that accumulate from bottom sludge degradation, can get trapped under the ice. With no way out, or in, this combination can cause some problems for fish. Of course fish face other stressors during the winter, but when you see massive die off, it’s the air exchange that was most likely the problem.

So the solution is simple.

You use either aeration, and by this I mean a subsurface aerator that releases bubbled air up from the bottom, usually in one single, shallow position, or your use a surface based circulator, to keep a spot of ice open all winter long.

In a smaller pond, a pond heater would work well to for this purpose.

Basically anything that keeps a spot of ice open on the surface (and it doesn’t have to be all that big) will help with this exchange of air and gas build up. With a system like this in place you may still see a few fish die off in the winter, but generally you won’t see large fish losses in winter, or summer months when things get really hot.

Pond aeration in any form will therefore work as a great protective tool for your pond and your fish, all year round.