How does Beneficial Bacteria help control Algae?
The best water treatment to help keep your Pond clean, clear and free of algae is Beneficial Bacteria.
First it helps to realize that Algae is a plant, and needs water, light and food just like other plants. To control Algae you need to reduce or eliminate these things.
Water: Since this is in an aquatic environment, there is not much that can be done about water.
Light: There are a couple ways to limit the amount of light algae gets.
- Plants: Use aquatic plants to cover the surface of the pond and block light from entering the water. Water Lilies and floating plants like Water Hyacinth and Water Lettuce are good for this use.
- Dyes: You can use a dye to reduce the amount of light that penetrates the water. These are available in shades of blue, and in black which creates a mirror like look to the water.
Food: We are going to focus on is controlling the food that algae needs to grow. This is where Beneficial Bacteria comes into play. Beneficial Bacteria breaks down sludge, uneaten fish food, fish waste, dead and decaying plant material and excess nutrients which is all food for algae. By reducing the amount of those excess nutrients, you are effectively starving the algae. With regular maintenance applications, you are keeping the Beneficial Bacteria at a high level. This allows it stay ahead of the natural debris and waste that accumulates in a pond, and keep it in balance.
Pond plants are also a great way of helping to control nutrients in the pond, they feed on them and compete with the algae.
It can take 4 to 6 weeks for Beneficial Bacteria to become fully established in a pond, so be patient, the wait is worth the benefits you’ll gain.