Big Pond, Fish Pond
& Lake Supplies
Choose from the products below for big pond and lake supplies. We
have aerators, floating fountains, beneficial bacteria, turtle traps, a variety of fish
and fish supplies, a large selection of pumps, test kits, algae and weed control
chemicals, lake rakes for raking out pond weeds and debris and large, custom size pond
liners available in one piece! Have a question? Just ask! We're happy to
help you! Don't forget to read our information about controlling algae, reducing
sludge build up and controlling pond weeds here!
In a nutshell, big ponds (over 50' x 50' in size) require a different type
of pond maintenance than small ponds. Filtration systems for large ponds are
unrealistic when you're considering millions of gallons of water. Typically what is
required for large ponds is adequate aeration, regular treatment of a beneficial bacteria
product such as our Pond Bio-Solutions
or
PlanktoniX to break down all the organic things in the water such as
fallen leaves, dead aquatic plants, dead fish, etc. and the addtion of an aquatic sun
blocker such as Aquashade.
You see, large ponds whether they are fish ponds, farm ponds, duck ponds
or whatever, usually contain a lot of nutrients from all the organic matter in the pond.
This organic matter forms a 'compost pile' underwater which provides nutrition for
algae and pond weeds to grow. The beneficial bacteria helps to break down this
organic matter and 'compost pile'. If you don't add the bacteria product, sludge and
muck result over time. Parasites, bad types of bacteria, etc. can harbor in the
sludge and muck and can create an unhealthy pond for fish and people as well. Sludge
and muck also consume a lot of oxygen thereby reducing the amount of oxygen in the pond
that is needed to support aquatic life such as your fish. So, you need to add a
beneficial bacteria product such as our Pond Bio-Solutions that will help break these organic
nutrients down. These nutrients are always available in the pond whether
you have a 'compost pile' underwater, sludge, muck or none of the above. Nutrients
are also from fertilizers that run into the pond (especially near farms, etc.), soil that
runs into the pond from rain run-off, wastes from fish, sand that blows into the pond,
etc. There are always nutrients in the pond.
In addition to adding the Pond Bio-Solutionsor
PlanktoniX you need to have proper aeration.
This helps provide necessary oxygen to the pond to support aquatic life including
your beneficial bacteria. Even if you don't have fish in your pond, you should have
an aeration system to help with the decomposition of the organic matter (sludge and muck)
in the pond and help to avoid bad types of bacteria and parasites that live in the sludge
and muck that keep your pond unhealthy. Aeration also keeps ponds from becoming stagnant
as well and helps reduce still water that mosquitoes love to lay their larvae in.
A lot of times when you don't have aeration you will find filamentous
algae growing in shallow, warm water. This is caused from an abundance of nutrients
in the water feeding the algae and still water that the algae can freely grow in. A
lot of people refer to this algae as 'pond scum' as it looks like greenish-yellow floating
muck on the top of the water's surface (it can also grow at the bottom of the pond as
well).
In addition to treating your pond with beneficial bacteria to break down
the sludge, muck and organic nutrients in the pond and having proper aeration, the use of
treating the water with an aquatic sun blocker is most helpful. You see, algae and
aquatic plants (submersed) need not only nutrition but sunlight to grow. So, when
you add the aquatic sun blocker at the beginning of the season (preferably), you thereby
reduce their growth. An aquatic sunblocker is not an herbicide. It will not
kill the growth that is there. It will help to prevent further growth. (We
have a selection of aquatic herbicides that can be used to kill aquatic plants at the
bottom of the page here.)
So, in a nutshell, if you have a large pond or lake, you will need to
treat it with beneficial bacteria every 2 weeks when water temperatures are 50°F or
above, have adequate aeration running 365 days a year, and treat it with an aquatic
sunblocker such as our Aquashade. Try to eliminate as much debris, leaves, grass
clippings, etc. that go into the pond and add to the 'compost pile' at the bottom that
ends up feeding unwanted algae and pond weeds. If you can't afford or don't
want to spend the money for all the above, realize that you are only providing part of the
equation that is needed for the pond. All 3 things are needed for proper
pond maintenance. As your budget allows, be sure to get all 3 things;
adequate aeration, treatment of beneficial bacteria on a regular basis and
treatment of an aquatic sunblocker.
Be sure to avoid problems later on. So many times I hear over and
over again are people who say that their pond has been just fine for years and they didn't
add any of that stuff that I mentioned above. Well, this 'may' appear to be the
case. Their pond probably has a large volume of water compared to the amount of fish
and organic matter in the pond. Large volumes of water can 'hide' a lot of
problems ... for a while. Some time later though, their pond will be severely
unbalanced ecologically. During the years without treatment their pond weeds
multiplied, the 'compost pile' at the bottom of the pond got larger, sludge and muck
buildt up and all while the fish were multiplying. Everything 'seemed' fine, for a
while then one day they went out to their pond and saw hundreds or thousands of dead fish
floating at the surface. Why? Well, as I explained above, sludge and muck
consume oxygen. Fish multiply and they consume more and more oxygen. Pretty
soon, there will not be enough oxygen in the pond to support aquatic life! This can
happen all of a suddden on a hot summer day or you can discover it after the snow and ice
melts in the beginning of spring. This all could be avoided by doing the 3
things I mentioned above; adequate aeration, adding beneficial bacteria on a regular basis
and treating it with an aquatic sunblocker. If you haven't done these things
for your pond, it's never too late. Start today! Know that keeping a healthy
pond or creating a new one is a process and it's not going to happen over
night. You also can't 'undo' what hasn't been done for several years (if your pond
hasn't been treated) in just one season. This takes time. Get on the right
track, though. There can be nothing more enjoyable in your yard than a beautiful
pond or lake to swim in, fish in or simply to sit back and admire and there's nothing you
want to avoid more than a pond that is stagnant, smelly and infested with weeds and
mosqutioes.
If you have further questions with your pond, please contact us. We're always
happy to help.
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