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The Power of Observation
Understanding and observing your pond is key to solving water quality issues. By Ed Beaulieu, Chief Sustainability Officer
MY DAY USUALLY STARTS WITH A WALK INTO MY BACKYARD TO CHECK ON MY POND. I’LL SIT QUIETLY AND ENJOY THE SERENITY WHILE DOING A QUICK DIAGNOSIS OF ITS WATER QUALITY. I’M NOT TALKING ABOUT TAKING THE PH, MEASURING FOR AMMONIA OR NITRATES, OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. I
SIMPLY LOOK AT THE WATER. It’s basic but effective, if you know what to look for. There are three water conditions to look for as a sign that something in your pond is out of balance – green water, muddy water, and tea- colored water. Read on to find out the cause and the solution to each of these.
THE GREEN WATER MONSTER
The first thing to look at is the water clarity. The water in your pond should be clear but not sparkling. It should be a living body of water that is filled with a wide variety of aquatic life, not a sterilized swimming pool.
The water in most ponds probably has a greenish hue. This occurs because of planktonic algae, which is a term that describes algae that is suspended in the water, which is generally caused by an abundance of food, a lot of sunlight, and a lack of zooplankton and bacteria.
Zooplankton? What is that? Zoo = animals, so a simplified meaning for zooplankton would be animals suspended within the water column. Our backyard ponds are filled with an amazing array of life, and if they get out of whack, one can dominate over the other. In green water, the plants are more plentiful than the animals. This can occur when the pond is new and does not have a zooplankton population yet.
Once a healthy population gets established – usually after three years – the zooplankton, which are found living in the rocks and gravel in the root zone of aquatic plants, and free-swimming in open water, will feast on the algae. These microscopic creatures will never fully eliminate the algae, but they usually help keep it in check.
YES, BACTERIA IS A GOOD THING
Another important piece of this equation is bacteria. You’ve probably heard this term used quite often, and you may already be adding bacteria to your pond. It is another part
of the pond food web, and is responsible for basic nutrient cycling. In other words, it breaks down complex organic compounds into more simple compounds and, in a perfect situation, they actually digest these compounds down to inorganic salts and solids, carbon dioxide, and water.
Bacteria is found in the greatest abundance within the filter media, and colonizing in the rock and gravel substrates of pond bottoms.
Both string algae and planktonic algae are part of a healthy aquatic habitat, and should be tolerated in small amounts. They produce oxygen, remove ammonia, and are a valuable food source for a variety of aquatic life forms like fish, snails, and other invertebrate grazers.
WHEN A GOOD POND GOES BAD
If you have a well-established, clear pond that suddenly goes green, try to determine why. Did it recently rain? Have you been feeding your fish more than normal? Did you lose power to the pump? These are all valid reasons for a change in water quality and there are strategies to remedy each of the situations.
RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS
Heavy rains can wash fertilizers or rich organic soils into the pond. If it happens to be a thunderstorm, the rainwater itself is the problem. The high energy produced by lightning creates nitrate from the abundance of nitrogen gas in our atmosphere. This is absorbed by the rainwater, and falls into your pond. Nitrate is basically fertilizer, and will efficiently feed the algae, causing small blooms overnight. This is easy to fix in a well-balanced pond that has a healthy population
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