Aquarium and Pond Care with EcoBio-Block

Few things are as disappointing as the water of your beautiful pond turning a horrible green color. When you have a pond, the last thing you want to look out and see is ugly green water. This problem is common and it is aggravating pond owners everywhere.

While green water is not a major problem in koi and goldfish ponds, the owner will undoubtedly be incredibly bothered when they can no longer see their gorgeous fish swimming around in aquatic bliss.

Why Pond Water Turns Green

Green water results from the growth of several single-celled algae, which live suspended in water. Algae are fueled by light and excess nutrients in the pond water. Algae typically make an appearance when sunny days increase during the spring. Algae most commonly occurs in ponds that have been constructed recently, because the water chemistry has not quite settled down. However, older ponds with more established waters are not immune to the green water curse.

The main culprit when it comes to green pond water is nitrate, which is a nutrient that forms naturally as the decaying of fish feces, leftover fish food and dead plant matter occurs. Some people use nitrate test kits, but more often than not, just cleaning out any leaves that may have fallen into the pond, maintaining plant foliage, using Eco-Block Family Products and not overfeeding your fish will make a huge difference.

Keep Your Water Clear

To control algae in your garden pond you need to do the following. It depends greatly on whether the water in the pond is re-circulated with a pump, or if the pond is still.

• Re-circulate water with a pump, mechanical filter and bio-filter
• Shade the pond if you don’t have plants
• Use of chemicals, such as algaecides, will kill off algae, but it will harm aquatic plants also.
• Include pond plants that will establish themselves and take over from algae
• Use bales of oat hay or barley straw in the water where it will break down gradually to eliminate algae
• Keep good bacteria population high
• Add EcoBio-Block pond products containing beneficial bacteria to rid the pond of the nutrients necessary for algae to thrive

EcoBio-Block is infused with beneficial bacteria and keep beneficial bacteria population high which not only helps to control algae problems, but reduces the need for frequent maintenance.

If you have a pond with water which is re-circulated, you can control algae with the installation of an ultra violet clarifier. Ultra violet clarifiers have become increasingly popular within the past few years because they are not only effective, but also easy to install.

When you use ultra violet clarifiers in conjunction with either a mechanical or a biological filter, it will kill the algae. In addition, it will also eliminate bacteria as well as a number of harmful fish parasites. Ultra violet clarifiers also help to clear cloudy water in your pond.

Although your fish may enjoy the shade that green pond water provides during the hot summer months, no pond owner should have to miss fully enjoying his or her pond all season long.

As winter starts to fade and spring starts to come into view, those who maintain ponds are eager to bring those ponds back to life.  However, before this can occur, there are some things you need to take care of first.

One thing that you need to do is to carefully inspect your pond.  There could be winter damage to any of the components that keep the pond in good working order or even damage to the pond itself.  You should note these occurrences of damage and repair them before bringing your pond back to life.

You also need to clean your pond.  No matter how meticulous you are in keeping your pond clean during the spring, summer, and fall, chances are that the winter season has caused your pond to be in less than pristine condition.  Even with leaf netting, chances are high that at least a few leaves have gotten into your pond and settled at the bottom of it.  You need to scoop these leaves out manually or with a pond vacuum.

Spring is certainly the time to start your pump back up after it’s been off during the winter season.  When the water temperature has reached 50 degrees, it’s advisable for you to restart your pump.  Most people will just turn on their pumps and then leave them unattended, such as leaving their homes to run errands, etc.  This is not wise, as you want to make sure that the pump is functioning as it was when you turned it off the previous fall.  You should spend some time at your house after you turn it on and ensure that the pump is functioning as it should.

You should give your filter system a complete cleaning before starting it again.  You should also increase the number of bacteria in your pond to increase the speed of the clean-up process and to maintain the health of your pond over the course of the upcoming pond season.  A good way to increase the number of bacteria in your pond is by using EcoBio-Block® nsM or EcoBio-Block Wave.

You should test the condition of the pond water, specifically the nitrite and ammonia levels.  If either of these readings is higher than zero, perform partial water changes to get both readings down to zero.

You should check on the condition of the fish in your pond.  Spring is the time of year when fish are most susceptible to health problems and diseases; gram-negative bacteria are one of the greatest problems, as they can cause severe infections in your fish.  There are products on the market to help minimize their risk to these infections, and it’s important that you try to keep them from becoming infected, as it’s very difficult to eliminate the infections once they have them.

Another major problem faced by fish in the spring are internal worms.  There are types of medicated fish food to help protect from these worms.  Pond salt can also help ward off diseases and pathogens.  Safe, natural treatment products can also help to ensure the strong health of your fish as spring begins.

Wait until the water temperature is consistently above 50 degrees before you begin feeding your fish again.  You should feed them a type of food that is formulated for the spring and fall seasons and continue to give them this food until the water temperature is consistently in the 60s.

You should not forget about the plants that you brought into your house from the pond at the end of last season.  As the water temperature reaches the 50s, you should begin fertilizing them.  If they are getting too crowded in the pots they were placed in, you should divide them to ensure that they reach their maximum growth and flowering potential.

Spring is the time of year when many things come back to life, including your pond.  By using the information above, you can ensure that your pond returns to its active form quickly and without any major problems so that your fish and plants can once again populate your pond without incident.

Healthy pond with aeration

To maintain a healthy pond, you need to make sure that your pond has good-quality aeration.  A lack of good aeration can lead to a green-colored, algae-filled pond, while good aeration can lead to a crystal-clear and thriving fish pond.

Many kinds of fish require clean, cool, well-oxygenated water.  Water that is not properly aerated will have a low level of dissolved oxygen and will often have stratified water columns, or water that varies in water quality depending on the depth and level of the water.

Finding out the proper level of aeration often takes a trial-and-error approach.  A commonly accepted method of finding the proper aeration is to pump the entire pond through the filter at least once per hour.  This does not guarantee sufficient aeration, however, as the shape, size, and structure of your fish pond could necessitate a different level of aeration in order for the pond to be properly aerated.

An external filter could have the flow returned to the pond using a stream or waterfall.  This can diffuse the current, which can lead to low-flow areas on the opposite side of the pond.  Adding an additional outlet to the flow can usually correct this problem.  Many people will add supplemental flow through an air pump or dedicated pump to ensure proper air flow throughout the entire pond.

Without proper aeration, there will be low dissolved oxygen levels in the water.  If the dissolved oxygen levels are too low, it can cause many problems, with the most dangerous problem being that fish can die if a certain parts per million (ppm) of dissolved oxygen is not maintained.

Additionally, noxious odors can come from the pond when there are low levels of dissolved oxygen in the water.  This is due to the breakdown of organic waste shifting from an aerobic process to a slower anaerobic process, which results in the formation of hydrogen sulfide (that produces the odor).  If the pond is deeper, the lack of oxygen will also create an unusable layer at the bottom of the pond, a place where fish cannot inhabit.  As a result, their living space is reduced and the oxygenated water in that living space is stressed even more because it alone has to sustain the fish.

The most common cause of low oxygen levels is an overabundance of aquatic plants, especially algae.  A moderate number of aquatic plants can be beneficial to the pond because they do release water into the pond.  Planktonic algae are the first step in the food chain of a pond, so their presence is also critical.  However, having too many of them will harm the pond’s environment; while planktonic algae do provide oxygen to the pond during the day, they will also consume oxygen at night.  As a result, heavy algae blooms or thick aquatic vegetation can lead to dangerous low levels of oxygen for the fish, often leading to their deaths.

Poor dissolved oxygen levels also come from high organic waste loads.  Dead vegetation, fertilizer run-off, fish food, and fish waste can all contribute to the amount of organic waste load.  These elements can be naturally broken down in a pond due to the presence of beneficial bacteria, but like most things, that bacteria needs oxygen in order to do it, which is why it is critical that you keep the oxygen levels at acceptable levels or higher.

To do this, you need to consider the two main types of aeration systems:  surface aeration and bottom based aeration.  To decide which would be more beneficial for your pond, consider the depth of your pond.  If your pond is less than six feet deep, a surface aeration system is likely best, while deeper ponds should utilize a bottom based aeration system.

The main difference between the two types of aeration systems is that surface aerators are usually floating aeration units that pull in water from the top foot or two of the pond and splash it into the air.  As the water falls back to the pond, oxygen transfer and the venting of gases occur.  This means that the aeration is taking place just at the surface, which is why this method of aeration works best for smaller ponds.

Conversely, bottom based aeration systems or diffused aeration involves pushing air down to the bottom of the pond or lake and allowing the bubbles to rise naturally to the surface of the water.  The bubbles provide the bulk of the aeration, which makes bottom based aeration systems the ideal choice for larger ponds and lakes.  As the bubbles rise, they de-stratify the water, which eliminates that oxygen-poor zone down at the bottom of the pond or lake.  The oxygen rich water helps to create a healthier water column.

Proper aeration will not only keep your fish alive, but will also stimulate beneficial pond bacteria that can break down waste and reduce the bottom muck layer.  Aerobic bacteria will also be more numerous than anaerobic bacteria, which will reduce the odor that your pond produces.  Phosphates, which algae thrive on, are eliminated, preventing the algae from accumulating in your pond.  Your overall water quality will also be improved.  Gasses like carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide can be easily vented.  Quality aeration systems can also keep fish from dying in ponds in northern states during the winter, as the pond’s surface will not freeze over, allowing gasses to be vented during the winter, which is critical to the survival of your fish.

To further aid the presence and growth of aerobic bacteria, you should utilize EcoBio-Block nsM and/or EcoBio-Block Wave.  These products have been shown to increase the presence of nitrifying bacteria and decrease the time it takes to establish the denitrification cycle in your pond.  This will help to reduce the odor emanating from your pond and it has been established as safe for all fish and plants.

As you can see, pond aeration is critical to the survival of your fish and to the presence of aerobic bacteria, which can break down waste more quickly and with less odor than anaerobic bacteria.  There are two main types of aeration:  surface aeration and bottom based aeration.  Surface aeration is best for ponds that are less than six feet, as aeration only occurs at the surface.  For deeper ponds and lakes, bottom based aeration is best, since this keeps the bottom part of the pond/lake enriched with oxygen, critical to the water level remaining high and allowing your fish to live throughout the whole area.  By carefully considering and implementing the proper aeration system, your fish can remain healthy and add to the landscape of your pond.

Clear and healthy pond

In order to maintain a pond of healthy fish, it is essential that you keep your pond water healthy and clear.  There are several factors you must pay attention to and maintain in order to achieve this.

Many people make the mistake of overfeeding their fish.  It is suggested that you only feed your fish twice a day for 3-5 minutes, whatever they can eat in that amount of time.  Any food that they do not eat should be removed immediately afterwards.  Leaving leftover food in the pond will lead to the accumulation of bacteria, which will lead to an explosion of algae, which results in the pond water turning green and a depletion of the oxygen in the water, which can endanger the lives of your fish.

You should add oxygenating plants or submerged plants to your pond.  These plants act as natural filters and remove nutrients from the pond. Algae need nutrients, specifically nitrates and phosphates, in order to reproduce.  Therefore, if there is a higher level of nutrients in the water, there will be more algae.  That is why it would be advantageous for you to have as many oxygenating and submerged plants in the water as possible to keep the nutrient level low, and as a result, the algae level of your pond.  It’s also important to have as many submerged plants as possible because many types of fish tend to eat the submerged plants, but provided there aren’t too many fish, the plants should be able to reproduce faster than the fish are able to eat them.

Adding floating plants to your pond, such as water lettuce, water hyacinths, and water lilies will provide shade for your pond.  This is important because algae need sunlight in order to reproduce.  The shade will inhibit the algae from producing in your pond and turning the water green and cloudy.  Additionally, floating plants will compete with the algae for nutrients in the water, further inhibiting the algae from taking over your pond and endangering your fish.

It is critical that you have the proper equipment to maintain the health of your pond.  You must have a pump and filter that is able to work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week continuously.  It is important that you obtain the right size for your pond.  The pump you obtain should at least be able to move the full volume of the water of the pond each hour.

It is a good idea to fill the bottom of your pond with smooth river gravel or pebbles, as beneficial and helpful bacteria will grow on the gravel and pebbles.  You want these bacteria to be present, as they help to digest fish waste and plant matter that settles to the bottom of the pond and decays.  Fish waste can throw off the delicate pH balance of your pond due to the ammonia that it gives off, making the water more basic (i.e. pH level rises), which allows algae to flourish in your pond more easily and harder for your fish to survive.

In addition, EcoBio-Block nsM and/or EcoBio-Block Wave can help to clear your pond of cloudy pond water and fill your pond with helpful bacteria that will maintain the health of your pond and fish.  Its special formula maintains clear pond water, decomposes organic matter, reduces the need for water changing, quickly establishes nitrifying bacteria, removes odors, is easy to use, safe for your fish, and produces results in as little as 2-6 weeks.

Maintaining a clear and healthy pond is essential for the long-term survival of your fish.  Algae is the primary nemesis to the long-term survival of your fish, as they take up most of the nutrients and the space in the ponds.  The best ways to combat the growth of algae is through reducing the nutrients in the water with floating plants and submerged plants, only feeding your fish a few times a day and removing any excess food, having the right pump and filter for your pond, and utilizing EcoBio-Block products to increase the number of nitrifying bacteria and maintaining the healthy pH levels of your pond.  By doing these things, you can have a beautiful looking pond with a healthy complement of fish in it for a long time to come.