Anthony Di Iulio and American Underwater Services are experts in pond cleaning and pond dredging. They often get asked how to clean murky or dirty pond water. Here is their advice.
Have you ever noticed that your pond has crystal-clear water in the wintertime and a murky, pea-green color in the summertime?
This is due to the various natural processes that cause water to turn murky or clear. In the summertime, frogs, turtles, and even fish are all active. They eat food, produce waste, and stir up the nutrients on the bottom of the pond. This can lead to cloudy water or even an algae outbreak.
In the wintertime, fish, and reptiles both slow their metabolisms and, in some cases, will hibernate. While algae do grow in the winter, it does so very slowly due to lack of nutrients and a much weaker sun than in the summer. You’ll notice that your water is super clear in the winter, but it’s hard to enjoy when it’s freezing cold outside.
Fortunately, you don’t have to wait until the wintertime to have crystal-clear water for your HOA, golf course, or backyard pond. We want to show you five tips on what you can do to mitigate or even prevent murky pond water from forming in the first place.
Limit Organic Debris
Nuisance algae outbreaks can cause a nice-looking pond to turn into something you’d see in a horror movie in a matter of a few days. In addition to sunlight, the algae feed upon the decaying organic nutrients at the bottom of the pond, such as dead fish, leaves, and even pet waste.
This is why you should continuously clean up any organic debris, such as leaves and tree branches, from the sides of your ponds. Eventually the wind will pick it up and it will sink to the bottom of the pond where it will become food for nuisance algae.
If you have fish in your pond, you can also prevent cloudy water from forming by limiting the amount of food that you feed them. You shouldn’t give them more than they can consume in 60 seconds. Otherwise, the food will find its way to the bottom of the pond and eventually cause an outbreak.
Use an Aerator
Using an aerator can help protect both pond and aquatic animals from a nuisance algae outbreak. It adds extra oxygen to the water table, which in turn allows beneficial bacteria to thrive and break down the organic matter. It also helps to ventilate excess harmful carbon dioxide from your ponds.
Aerators can also be added during an algae outbreak to help protect your fish and clear up the pond. Algae consume oxygen at an alarming rate and can literally choke a pond to death in a matter of a few days. A portable aerator can help keep your aquatic animals alive while you deal with the problem.
Chemicals or UV Light
Several chemical products on the market can help prevent or cure an algae outbreak and improve water clarity. However, many pond managers and homeowners are wary of putting chemicals into their water due to human and animal usage.
Instead, they will add a portable device to the water column that uses ultraviolet or UV rays to kill the harmful algae and bacteria. The only downside to this method is that it also kills the good bacteria as well.
If you would instead rely on additives to the water, look for an organic, all-natural bacteria solution that adds beneficial bacteria to your pond. It’s safe to use and can help clean up the water clarity and remove harmful algae from the water column.
Dredge Your Pond
The root of all evil inside your pond is the organic sediment that lies at the very bottom. There is very little to no oxygen here, and this means that organic matter cannot decay. As the warm spring months roll around, all of the organic debris collected over the fall and wintertime will act as a buffet table and feed nuisance algae outbreaks.
Dredging your ponds removes all of the organic sediment that’s responsible for cloudy water and nuisance algae. As a bonus, you can use the dredged material as organic fertilizer for the garden or lawns.
Nation-Wide Pond Dredging Services
At American Underwater Services, we can help you regain the crystal-clear water quality you once had by dredging out the organic sediment that is the root cause of cloudy water issues.
If you manage an HOA community, golf course, or are a homeowner and have any questions about your ponds, give us a call at (817) 377-8512. We have over 20 years of experience in helping HOA’s, golf courses, and homeowner dredge their ponds, which in turn will help prevent outbreaks of nuisance plant life.
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