Posts Tagged ‘fish kills’

Avoiding Algaecides: The Top 5 Reasons (although there are plenty more)

Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009

Here’s a situation that pond owners run into time and time again—we’ll use Dan as our example.

Dan loves the pond on his property; he loves to look out over the fish swimming around, frogs leaping into the water from the edge, and birds fly in to rest.

With the best interests of his pond in mind, and hoping to get rid of a little excess algae, he contracts a ‘pond company’ manage his pond.

When the company arrives for their first ‘treatment, ’ Dan walks out to observe and is surprised by what he sees—two men wearing protective suits, gloves, and a mask are navigating a boat around his pond, spraying an unnaturally deep blue liquid all across the surface.

When Dan inquires about what they’re spraying, they respond with “copper sulfate, it’s a chemical algaecide.” Concerned about his pond and the wildlife living in it, Dan then asks if it’s safe, prompting the pond company to respond, “uhh sure, it’s perfectly safe…”

Dan then asks the next logical question, “then why are you both wearing hazmat suits?”

Encounters like this are leading pond owners nationwide to give up use of harsh chemicals like algaecides to manage their pond. Just like Dan, they are gaining the awareness that chemical treatments are not really ‘treating’ at all—they are actually devastating your pond’s natural ecosystem.

This is only one of many reasons why pond owners are avoiding algaecides:

(more…)

Avoid Pond Fountains: 7 Reasons Why

Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009

For years, homeowners, H.O.A’s, and property managers believed that fountains were the answer to keeping ponds and lakes clean and algae-free.

Consumers are now slowly learning that fountains are not a viable solution, recognizing that they are relics of a time when people were less concerned about energy costs or detrimental environmental impact.

We have extensive experience with fountains, and can attest that they are a very poor method of abating algae and other pond problems.

Indeed, the Kentucky State Aquaculture Center States that, “Fountains will not typically provide an energy efficient or practical source of aeration/water destratification in most ponds.”

So, why are fountains impractical? The following is a list of reasons outlining the inadequacies of pond fountains:

(more…)