Beneficial bacteria for ponds| Do you need it?

[@alexiswilliams4769]

Another great video. I’m building a natural swimming pool and find great info from you pond builders. Aquascapes massive/massively expensive bog filters (and deep) aren’t the direction I’m going. Many European pools have been functioning well with shallow gravel bogs. Easier to build but might need a bit more cleaning. Some just have a flex pipe snaked around pushing water through shallow gravel without much thought of cleaning , flushing, etc. I see you’ve gone with a variation with a snorkel and void space. I’m thinking of running multiple 4” pipes close together (maybe 6” on center) on a manifold so to allow for settling within the pipes and easy clean out (reverse the flow and pump out occasionally). Large rocks will create voids around the pipes then cover with landscape fabric and add 12” of pea gravel and sand above. Another pool builder in the UK turned me on to the idea of the fabric with sand and gravel but his design simply pulls water with an airlift and won’t work because my bog is water falling into the pool. I won’t be dealing with fish waste so cleaning and settling area probably won’t be as critical as with a fish pond. Any thoughts and input would be appreciated. I like that you too think outside the box and are creative (and successful without dropping loads of cash!).

[@Ozponds]

Sounds like you’ve got a fun project there. I love all kinds of biological filtration but especially bog style filters. You’ll see I recently used a david pagan butler style filter on a stagnant pond behind my nursery. Trial and error is the only way to know for sure what works and doesn’t. For me these are the most important things for a pond filter to achieve: 1. Plenty of surface area for beneficial bacteria. 2. Slow water flow to allow small particles to become trapped. 3. Easy to clean (basically remove the accumulated solids). That’s it. Any way that achieves this and is within the budget is fine by me. It’s not hard and it doesn’t need to be expensive. Good luck with your build I hope you’ll share how it all goes 😊👍

[@alexiswilliams4769]

@@Ozponds thanks for your response. It’s videos like yours that gave me the confidence to give it a shot. Keep up the good work!

[@neilfinch1330]

I'm just planning to build my first pond. Your videos are some of the most helpful and informative I've found....thanks and hope you keep the great videos coming.

[@Ozponds]

Thanks so much Neil. I’m just trying to help everyone get some water into their yard. I really appreciate your kind words.👍

[@mfaisalbobby33]

I watch your videos again and again. Thank you.

[@Ozponds]

Thanks mate. I’m glad you get something out of them 👍

[@KoiRun50]

Great tips on adding beneficial bacteria. Love the topic.

[@Ozponds]

Thanks mate 👍

[@lyrebirdkate]

I just found your channel! Wow. Your information and the quality of your clips are fantastic. Thank you so much. I feel more confident in planning and siting the ponds I want to build in my garden

[@Ozponds]

Awesome. That the aim of the channel 👍

[@AaronHahnStudios]

0:47 in. Yep, ya nailed it. I like a bit of Nitrosomonas on my Cornflakes.

[@briman1968]

Thank you so much Kev! You're videos are all very helpful! Wish you lived in Florida...lol

[@Ozponds]

Glad the videos are helping 😊👍

[@galaxiidae8361]

Hello, I was just wondering if you can do a video dedicated to underwater footage in your native fish pond? Best tips I can give you is to keep the camera in the same spot for at least 30min before changing location and best to aim it slightly up since it collects more light and looks a lot more interesting than looking down. Also have you noticed any Murray river rainbow recruitment or fry yet? since summer is there breeding season

[@Ozponds]

I’ll give it a go. I won’t be able to leave the camera under for 30min I just have my iPhone. But I’ll aim it up slightly 👍. I haven’t noticed any spawning behaviour from the rainbows, I only have 2 left. I put 10 in but I’m not sure what happened to 8 of them. I’ve never kept natives before this so not sure what to expect. The southern Pygmy Perch certainly had a batch this year. I’m actually in the planning phase of building a big 7 or 8m pond, hopefully 1.7m deep. I want that to be all native also. I’d love to know what kinds of fish you would like to see in that. How long would you like the video to go for? Thanks for the feedback 👍

[@galaxiidae8361]

@@Ozponds the only reason I said 30min is so the fish get les shy of the camera and come in closer, and the reason you might be missing some rainbows is since they can’t survive for long under 10-8 degrees. And if you make a dedicated underwater video i doesn’t matter how long but 2-5 minutes is good and you can also add underwater footage from other videos as well.

[@Ozponds]

I’ve been mucking around all last week with some footage. It will be available Saturday morning on KZbin. I got a little carried away I think I got 15-20 minutes of footage. I’m not sure how cold this pond got over winter but that might be the cause (for the rainbows demise) 😞. I’ve seen my smaller ponds go as low as 5 degrees, I feel like this being bigger and in-ground it should hold its temp better, but I haven’t measured it. I’ll definitely be sure to test the temp this winter. I really wanted to have plenty of rainbows in the massive pond I’m starting work on.

[@thack2502]

To increase surface area for bacteria to grow on, is it worth using the special noodles or Bacteria balls ? Also I assume rough rocks with lots of holes would be better than smooth polished rocks ? Especially for big filter etc ?

[@Ozponds]

It’s more important on a high flow filter set up. A bog filter is so much bigger that the rock selection or media is less important.

[@nickpain849]

Hey mate I have a frog pond out the back with tadpoles what native and fairly easy to find fish would live along side them well.

[@Ozponds]

G’day Nick, depends where you live. I keep Southern Pygmy perch and Murray rainbow fish in a pond that has tadpoles. I’m an hour east of Melbourne. I’m pretty sure they still get a few of them, so don’t put too many in if the tadpoles are the priority.

[@nickpain849]

@@Ozponds great stuff cheers

[@davehall611]

Green water can be your best friend. You as pond owner hate it but the fish love it (as long as it not too thick and taking away the oxygen). Green water indicates too many fish, overfeeding, insufficient filtration, and/or some other intervention such as over cleaning, medication treatment, etc. Taking away your obvious indicator can lead to more severe problems. I would limit food for a few days, add nitrifying bacteria, and add a dozen or so food supplement tablets of Folic Acid, 800 mg each tablet, every day until green water clears up. Faster bacteria growth, healthier bacteria, and longer lasting into the cold months, and faster bacteria growth coming out of winter. Just my humble opinion and 25 year experience.

[@Ozponds]

I agree 💯 👍. I have lots of videos talking about it.

[@30eesh]

Nice info mate.... pond contractor myself and I'm always looking for videos with tips and tricks to help the business.... Thanks...

[@Ozponds]

Thanks mate. I’m just a hobbyist who’s obsessed I’m up to 7 ponds at my house and I’m not done 😉

[@30eesh]

@@Ozponds hahahahaha...keep ponding mate...

[@benjaminmendoza41]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge, I am new to keeping Koi. Can you explain what happen to the nitrogen cycle after a heavy rain?

[@Ozponds]

The cycle should continue as normal. The bacteria are living on the wet surfaces of the pond and filter.

[@MrErniev]

Great video and info. What type of rocks do you recommend to place on the bottom of the pond? As to benefit the Heath of the pond with the benéfica la bacteria they will generate.

[@Ozponds]

There’s no particular type of rock I prefer it’s more the size. I find a 20mm (3/4 inch) works best. Hope that helps 👍

[@cathlinejohnson1856]

What about in an indoor 100gallon stock tank. I have several pothos, and a few other plant roots in it. Along with some fancy goldfish. My water parameters are not leveling out and I’m wondering if I need to give it a dose of BB.

[@Ozponds]

Do you have any filtration besides the plants?

[@cathlinejohnson9179]

@@Ozponds yes sir-I have an Aquagarden small pond pump with filter(for ponds up to 200gl) and I have 2 XL Sponge filters

[@Ozponds]

Hmmm 🤔 The thing is the bacteria exist everywhere. It will colonise naturally. If this is a very new pond it doesn’t hurt to kick start the growth. If the pond is well established it needs more surface area for the bacteria. That’s my view anyway.

[@clkaggie06]

This is a great video. Thank you!!

[@Ozponds]

Glad it was helpful! 👍

[@mfaisalbobby33]

Thanks a lot ,your videos are very informative. One question i ask ,can we make these beneficial bacteria ourselves for our pond for a kick start for a newly set pond.

[@Ozponds]

You can’t make it yourself (at least I’ve never come across a recipe). It occurs naturally. If you have an aquarium or other pond, you can use some of the filter media to seed the new pond. Otherwise either patience or buying it.

[@mfaisalbobby33]

Thank you very much.

[@kymbo72]

I am guessing that "Splosht" may be one of the products you are referring to - if so, they say you have to drop in a sachet every 2 weeks (I presume all year round). But are you saying that it would be OK to ignore that advice and just drop in a sachet whenever the water goes unclear (eg. Start of Spring as you mentioned)? Then as soon as it clears up, just stop adding sachets until it goes unclear again? Secondly, if I did that, I would end up with leftover sachets of Splosht - if they were to sit there unused for too long, would they become ineffective do you think?

[@Ozponds]

There’s no harm in using it all year round. In my ponds I’ve got great filtration and I get no benefit from adding bacteria constantly. If you were going to add it at the start of spring I would just use the entire packet, I wouldn’t bother hoarding individual satchels.I believe you get 12 weeks worth with splosht. The bacteria occurs naturally is the point I’m making. You can add it to help it establish quicker but once it’s there it’s there.

[@kymbo72]

@@Ozponds yeah I was thinking of trying it cos the pond is only 2 weeks old. However, I see the manufacturers make the point that you should not top up the pond straight out of the tap, or if you do, use a water conditioner immediately due to the chlorine. Does adding tap water to the pond kill off beneficial bacteria (including naturally occurring)? Cos I always top up straight from the tap and don't use conditioner.

[@Ozponds]

I only use conditioner if I did a vacuum. I only vac once a year but I lose about half the pond water when I do it. If I’m just topping up I don’t bother and I’ve never had an issue.

[@mysb13]

Hi mate, with all the beneficial bacterias, is it safe to swim in the pond too? I have just built a natural swimming pool with some fish in it, and the water is not clear as yet.

[@Ozponds]

Well the bacterias are completely natural. There are good and bad bacteria’s It depends on what you want to do. I have no problems getting in my ponds. Personal choice 👍

[@DrJoeJoeHands]

Thank you

[@Ozponds]

😊👍

[@davehall611]

Hint when adding bacteria: Check the expiration date!

[@bovellois]

Can I get away with not adding beneficial bacteria in a pond equiped with a bog filter?

[@Ozponds]

Yes. The bacteria will appear naturally.

[@zeeshantemkar1328]

Where we can find that bacteria?

[@Ozponds]

If you need to buy some just google “pond bacteria” they all do pretty much the same thing. If you can be patient the bacteria will colonise the pond naturally.