How It Works
The Natural Way to Keep Ponds Healthy
Getting Rid of Pond Algae
You can treat pond algae, as well as odor, murkiness and aquatic weeds, without using chemicals. Instead, use the natural power of beneficial bacteria.
Nurturing the bacteria in your pond is known as biological water remediation. BioBoost Nest helps sustain bacteria by giving it an ideal underwater home.
Biological water remediation is a sustainable, preventative approach to pond algae that reduces your reliance on short term, repeated chemical treatments. However, if your pond is a mess, it probably took a while to get that way, and full results don’t appear overnight.
Much like trying to lose weight, quick fixes don’t work in the long term. You need to address the root cause – excess calories – over time. Similarly, you control pond algae by continually tackling its source – excess nutrients.
BioBoost Nest installation at Glen Lake Farms, Kentucky
Nutrient Overload in Ponds
Pond algae, odor and murkiness usually result from a nutrient overload. Excess nutrients appear in your pond because of organic material breaking down. Common organics include decaying aquatic plants, dead fish, fertilizer runoff and grass clippings.
Nutrients provide the perfect food source for algae. Algae spores then rapidly reproduce and will continue to grow as long as they have a food supply.
Excess nutrients also contribute to murkiness or green water, bad smells and unwanted aquatic weeds. You can treat these pond problems by controlling your nutrient levels.
Beneficial Bacteria in Your Pond
Beneficial bacteria consumes nutrients too, competing with algae for the same food source. It’s Nature’s secret weapon against algae overgrowth. Plentiful bacteria in your pond essentially starves out the algae and prevents its future growth.
While some bacteria is naturally occurring, manmade water bodies often need help. You want to create a bacterially dominant environment, with a sustained population of multi-strain, healthy bacteria.
Three Bacterial Supports
To keep ponds clear and algae-free, you must support your bacteria in three ways:
Aeration:
Aerate your water with submerged diffusers, fountains or other water movement. This introduces dissolved oxygen, which fast-acting aerobic bacteria needs to consume nutrients. We offer optional aeration built in to Nests, or you can use standalone aeration.
Inoculation:
Top up your pond with microbial inoculations. This introduces fresh bacteria and keeps the population varied and vigorous. We can recommend trusted suppliers of aquatic bacteria who will determine an inoculation schedule for your ponds.
Bacterial Habitats:
Beneficial bacteria can dwindle away without the right nesting site for it to colonize. BioBoost Nests are subsurface bacterial habitats with thousands of fine protected nooks and crannies to foster rapid growth, protect microbes and sustain a nutrient-hungry force.
Get the Most from BioBoost Nest
BioBoost Nest is a critical part of chemical-free algae treatment, and will work in your water for a lifetime. However, Nests alone will not do the job. We cannot emphasize enough that you need sufficient aeration and inoculations too.
We have more information on biological water remediation and the optimal protocol for using BioBoost Nest here: