What is beneficial bacteria?
It is a water treatment that is natural.
Do you know why we refer to it as “Beneficial Bacteria” instead of just “bacteria”? It’s because the word bacteria sounds a bit bad, a bit unhealthy. In fact, the opposite is true!
Beneficial bacteria (actually it should be “are” because bacteria is plural. I just think it sounds weird that way!) is found naturally in ponds. There are thousands of strains of these tiny, living organisms that break down organic matter. When it breaks down fish waste and organic debris like leaves, it breaks them down into simpler compounds that can be more easily absorbed by other organisms (think plants) in the pond.
Beneficial bacteria plays a crucial role in maintaining a healthy and balanced pond ecosystem. It is a major player in Living Water!
How often should I use beneficial bacteria in the pond?
Although bacteria can occur naturally, I recommend adding it to man-made (and woman made) ponds that we want to look somewhat cleaner than a natural pond.
Adding it once a week when the water temperatures are above 50 degrees will go a long way to keep things looking good!
When there is an algae bloom give it an extra dose!
Dry or liquid bacteria?
I like to use the dry bacteria for 3 reasons.
- It doesn’t spill
- It’s more concentrated than liquid bacteria so I feel like I am getting more for my money.
- The dry bacteria has more strains in it than the liquid does.
No matter what kind of beneficial bacteria you use, follow the instructions on the container. You will need to know how many gallons there are in your pond. If you haven’t already done this, head over to the Pond Gallons Calculator to figure out the gallons in your system.
Here is a link to liquid bacteria. Make sure to store this INSIDE! No really, it heats up in a shed and basically kills it. Rendering it useless. Same thing happens when it freezes. Here is the dry bacteria link.
How Much Bacteria Should I Use?
The dry bacteria by Aquascape only needs 1 scoop for 1,300 gallons of water! These are small scoops so this product will last for a while.
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Cold Water Bacteria
Cold water bacteria can be used even when the pond temperature is lower. It cannot quite do the job that regular bacteria can, but I find it still assists in keeping the pond healthy. In fact, when I use this in early spring, before I can use regular bacteria, it clears up the water quite a bit.
You need to know how to store bacteria
Perhaps I should have started with this bit of advice since not everyone will keep reading. I guess that is their loss!
Bacteria needs to be stored in a cool/mildly warm dry place! If it freezes or if it heats way up it will die! Did I mention this is living stuff? It is. So in a black garden box next to the pond or a shed that gets near as hot as the face of the sun is not where it should be stored!
You could add it diligently every week and if it has been cooked or frozen it will have absolutely no effect on the pond!