Beneficial bacteria powder

[joesandy1822]

Does anybody think the addition of a beneficial pond bacteria powder would help me through my prolonged algae bloom? I realize it probably depends on what's causing it in the first place, and your guess is as good as mine. I've read all the water chemistry threads, I know the 3 elements that cause algae blooms, and I'm still not sure of the problem. I have plenty of oxygenation with the waterfall, I have a light fishload, and there is not a lot of nutrients in the pond. I DO get a lot of sun, pretty much all day. I don't want to do UV or a bunch of chemicals. I want to stay as natural as possible. But the thought comes to my mind that if my biofilter is just not mature enough yet to handle it on its own, maybe helping it along with some extra bacteria would be a good thing. Anybody?

And....if it would be worth a try, are the extra strength powders better than the regular ones? Most I see have around 1 billion colony forming units per gram, while the extra strength are supposedly 5x that strong. I don't want to waste money, but if it might shorten the time until I can see the fish again, it would be nice. Summer is ticking by.

Thanks for any input.

 

[Mmathis]

What have your water readings been running? How much and how often are you feeding?

I can't say if it would help or not, though it certainly wouldn't hurt anything. I think it takes (or can take) several weeks for the BB's to catch up, so doing nothing and being patient at this point would get you "there" eventually, whether you added anything or not. I've added liquid "boosters" before, but again, who knows if it was that or nature catching up.

Have you tried filtering with quilt batting?

 

[Mmathis]

What have your water readings been running? How much and how often are you feeding?

I can't say if it would help or not, though it certainly wouldn't hurt anything. I think it takes (or can take) several weeks for the BB's to catch up, so doing nothing and being patient at this point would get you "there" eventually, whether you added anything or not. I've added liquid "boosters" before, but again, who knows if it was that or nature catching up.

Have you tried filtering with quilt batting?

 

[koiguy1969]

alge is a plant... plants feed on ammonias and nitrates...the final product of a bio filter is nitrates. supplying food to a plant wont likely kill it. bio filters do not get rid of alge!!.... aside of just waiting it out and hoping, a U.V is about the only absolute remedy and preventative for green water.

 

[TekWarren]

Quilt batting will likely be cheaper and more affective. Also add plants if you are able to. Between those two things, and really just the plants now my water has stayed very clear.

 

[dieselplower]

Sorry, this thread is way to vague to help you. What size is the pond? How many fish are in it? How many gph worth of pumps do you have? What sort of filtration? A biofilter will only help clear up algae if it is heavily planted and the plants oitcomlete the algae. Can you throw some floating plants like hyacinth and lettuce to help suck up nutrients as well?

 

[Mucky_Waters]

Does anybody think the addition of a beneficial pond bacteria powder would help me through my prolonged algae bloom?
Thanks for any input.

Nope, in fact I don't even think that stuff would increase the beneficial bacteria in your pond.
Get yourself a UV unit.

 

[crsublette]

Depending on the bacteria product, it may or may not help ya.

Checkout thoughts about bacteria products for the pond.

Bio-filters are essentially trying to convert the nutrients into a formation, that is nitrates, that is tougher for algae to consume. Algae must expend additional energy to reduce the nitrates into ammonia. I have seen improved and additional mechanized bio-filters reduce the growth of algae, but this is not to say that mechanized bio-filters flat out reduces it so much that the algae is not noticeable. If not wanting to use a UV device, then the second piece of the puzzle is to increase your plant density, such as through a bog type filter.

 

[joesandy1822]

alge is a plant... plants feed on ammonias and nitrates...the final product of a bio filter is nitrates. supplying food to a plant wont likely kill it. bio filters do not get rid of alge!!.... aside of just waiting it out and hoping, a U.V is about the only absolute remedy and preventative for green water.

If this is true, then I have learned absolutely nothing.

 

[joesandy1822]

Sorry, this thread is way to vague to help you. What size is the pond? How many fish are in it? How many gph worth of pumps do you have? What sort of filtration? A biofilter will only help clear up algae if it is heavily planted and the plants oitcomlete the algae. Can you throw some floating plants like hyacinth and lettuce to help suck up nutrients as well?

Sorry, I made a bad assumption that since I had been posting so much all over this forum, everybody probably knew my pea soup problem. I could link you to my other posts, but I will just do a recap here.

3,000 gallons in full sun. Around 2 to 3 foot deep in most areas, about 24x14. There are about 15 comets, which are about 2" long and 9 shubunkin which are about 3" long. Pump is 5,200 gph. One filter falls, largish (do not know actual size), but filled with all sorts of DIY media (netting, fencing, plastic things, and a Matala pad). There is also a skimmer. Pond in full sun. LOTS of submerged hornwort (about a hundred bunches), 5 water lilies, watercress, hyacinths, cattails, etc. I do not feed the fish except on a rare occasion (maybe once every couple weeks, and then only a little). The fish are growing and are healthy. My numbers are good, although my KH is low and I will be putting in some oyster shells today (50 lbs.).

 

[joesandy1822]

What have your water readings been running? How much and how often are you feeding?

I can't say if it would help or not, though it certainly wouldn't hurt anything. I think it takes (or can take) several weeks for the BB's to catch up, so doing nothing and being patient at this point would get you "there" eventually, whether you added anything or not. I've added liquid "boosters" before, but again, who knows if it was that or nature catching up.

Have you tried filtering with quilt batting?

KH is a little low, but pH, etc. are good. 0 for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates when I checked a few days ago. I don't hardly ever feed. The fish are growing fine and are healthy with all the stuff in the pond. I tried the quilt batting. It plugged within a couple hours. I can't be watching it that closely all the time. I guess I'll just keep waiting.

 

[dieselplower]

Sorry, I made a bad assumption that since I had been posting so much all over this forum, everybody probably knew my pea soup problem. I could link you to my other posts, but I will just do a recap here.

3,000 gallons in full sun. Around 2 to 3 foot deep in most areas, about 24x14. There are about 15 comets, which are about 2" long and 9 shubunkin which are about 3" long. Pump is 5,200 gph. One filter falls, largish (do not know actual size), but filled with all sorts of DIY media (netting, fencing, plastic things, and a Matala pad). There is also a skimmer. Pond in full sun. LOTS of submerged hornwort (about a hundred bunches), 5 water lilies, watercress, hyacinths, cattails, etc. I do not feed the fish except on a rare occasion (maybe once every couple weeks, and then only a little). The fish are growing and are healthy. My numbers are good, although my KH is low and I will be putting in some oyster shells today (50 lbs.).

Wow that looks really great thanks for sharing. What these folks are saying is true, the biofilter does not consume nitrate. Nitrate is the final product of the pond or tank water "cycle". You have a fish, which creates ammonia by breathing and pooping ect. Biobugs turn the ammonia into nitrite, and another type of biobug turns the nitrite into nitrate. Plants eat nitrate. Nitrate is harmless to fish until it builds up to a larger level, and that is when a water change is required. The point of a biofilter is to provide a hospitable environment for the bacteria that eat ammonia and nitrite to grow and thrive. If you want to remove the nitrate that the fish feed on, get more plants or do water changes. About a week ago all of my algea magically vanised overnight. No idea how it happened but maybe the plants outcompeted the algae?

 

[crsublette]

If this is true, then I have learned absolutely nothing.

Bio-filtration system involve both mechanized, such as skippy or other constructions, and organic, such as plants.

I have definitely seen mechanized bio-filtration reduce the presence of algae, but I have never seen it absolutely stop it. This is why plants are important as well. If you do not want any mechanized bio-filtration, then you will need a significantly higher volume of plants.

Joesandy, I am sensing you are getting flustered for not getting a simple answer. Unfortuantely, when it comes to controlling algae, there is no simple answer. The simplest answer would be to significantly increase the volume of plants through bogs and in-pond aquatics and possibly other grow beds so you can significantly increase the volume of plants.


It sounds like your plants just need to be given time to complete their transition in your pond and mature.


At the moment, that is an extremely light fish load, but, once they grow up to around 12" long, if they are fed more often, then your present fish load will grow to be a good average fish load, that is assuming there will be controls for when the fish reproduce causing their population to explode (if that is allowed to happened by the fish or other critters in the pond).

 

[crsublette]

KH is a little low, but pH, etc. are good. 0 for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates when I checked a few days ago. I don't hardly ever feed. The fish are growing fine and are healthy with all the stuff in the pond. I tried the quilt batting. It plugged within a couple hours. I can't be watching it that closely all the time. I guess I'll just keep waiting.

When it comes to low volume testing, our test kits are not good at all or just flat out terrible. Even though they say zero, there is quite likely more than zero. When it comes to ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, we mainly use them to check when there is a bigger abundance of polution present. When wanting to measure the lower volumes, then more expensive test kits must be used. So, I am just telling you that, even though your tests are zero, this does not mean there is not a presence of nutrients being produced in the pond.

 

[joesandy1822]

Bio-filtration system involve both mechanized, such as skippy or other constructions, and organic, such as plants.

I have definitely seen mechanized bio-filtration reduce the presence of algae, but I have never seen it absolutely stop it. This is why plants are important as well. If you do not want any mechanized bio-filtration, then you will need a significantly higher volume of plants.

Joesandy, I am sensing you are getting flustered for not getting a simple answer. Unfortuantely, when it comes to controlling algae, there is no simple answer. The simplest answer would be to significantly increase the volume of plants through bogs and in-pond aquatics and possibly other grow beds so you can significantly increase the volume of plants.


It sounds like your plants just need to be given time to complete their transition in your pond and mature.


At the moment, that is an extremely light fish load, but, once they grow up to around 12" long, if they are fed more often, then your present fish load will grow to be a good average fish load, that is assuming there will be controls for when the fish reproduce causing their population to explode (if that is allowed to happened by the fish or other critters in the pond).

Not so much that I'm not getting a "simple" answer as the fact that I have spent literally hours reading on this forum and going over hundreds of posts with a fine tooth comb and then feeling like I missed the whole boat. I have seen posts, many of them, that would lead a person to believe that the biofilter will indeed cure the "pea soup" by starving the algae somehow. I will not link to those posts because I do not want to start a feud here. That is not my point. I just really want to get it, and I guess I am NOT getting it. But I don't give up easily, believe me. I will keep reading and digesting until I understand.

When the answer is not "simple" and some folk are dogmatic about things that are not absolutes, just basing it on their own experience or opinions, a newbie like me can get confused trying to decipher what's right and what's not, that's all. I suspect even if I bought a top rated book on water gardening, I would get even different info.

Now, back to the topic at hand. I think I will skip purchasing anything further, including bacteria, and just wait some more. Although I am intrigued by the whole infusoria thing and may look further into that. I did put 50 pounds of oyster shells under the filterfalls today. And the past couple days, I have noticed that the green, pea soup look is turning more of a light brown color, and I can see about a foot or more below the surface. Maybe, just maybe, the algae are possibly and finally starving because my plants are getting a lot more mature. Maybe the cooler weather the past few days is helping. Maybe the algae fairy went on vacation. Maybe tomorrow gas will be $1.50 a gallon. It COULD happen! Just trying to keep it positive.

Thanks, everybody. I do appreciate your input even if it seems I'm frustrated. My lilies are blooming, and they are beautiful! And I think I saw a frog today. There are dragonflies, damselflies, and the birds love bathing and drinking, along with the squirrels and other critters. So even though I can't see the bottom of the pond, or the fish unless they come to the top foot, I am enjoying our pond.....and in my world, that is a true blessing.

Goodnight,

Sandy