Pond Care Going Green

In the last several months, we have started to hear from a lot of pond owners of various types; retention ponds, golf course ponds, municipal ponds, back yard ponds, shared pond/lake associations, campground ponds, fish hatcheries and so on.

The two things they all have in common are that they are pond owners and that they are becoming much more environmentally conscious and aware. All of these groups are looking for alternative ways to keep their ponds clean and healthy rather than by the use of pond chemicals.

Preventative methods of pond care are becoming of much greater interest to pond owners opposed to reactive ways of cleaning up a pond once it becomes algae invested and stagnant. To quote one pond owner "I much prefer the thought of swimming in or eating something that comes from a pond that has not been treated with toxic chemicals."

There are four main items that can help in keeping your pond clean, they are listed below in priority of effectiveness;

• Pond Aeration - the process of dissolving oxygen into water in order to increase the levels of oxygen in the pond.
• Pond Conditioners - these are non-toxic environmentally friendly pond additives that with the combination of aeration can greatly assist in keeping the pond healthy and clean.
• Pond Wildlife - add certain fish that will eat up such things as plankton and mosquito larvae - grass carp is one fish that is fairly hardy and survives in hot and cold water zones.
• Pond Edges - try to build up the edges of your pond so that run off from fertilizers and other organic matter does not makes its way into your pond during heavy rainfalls. This additional injection of organic matter is difficult for ponds to digest.

© 2006, Pond Owner Magazine.
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