For those who have a established pond

[Beercan31]

This is the first winter my set up went through. I tried to be vigilant as possible on removing excess debris accumulated between late fall and mid winter, at this point I hate leaves. ya just can't get them all.

My question:
My Aquascape thermometer just notified me to "dose" my pond with starter bacteria. never done this before. have little knowledge of this process.

Do you dose?

If so do you have a go to product?

 

[WaterGardener]

Your pond has plenty of bacteria already in it. The water temperature just has to warm up enough for it to get going again.

There is no need to add more bacteria. Besides, the type you need doesn't survive long enough to be bottled and sit on a shelf until it is used. It needs air and food to live and bottling it will kill it.

 

[Beercan31]

Thank you

that was what I was thinking

 

[GBBUDD]

Where you are in your first year still, i have a different outlook on the cycling. While i do agree you have bacteria in your water . We all do it's unavoidable. But what you don't have is all the strains like the lesser in abundance types. So i look at as your not going to hurt anything adding more bacteria to your pond. If anything your adding new strains to the mix or bumping up the supply you already have.

 

[Beercan31]

Where you are in your first year still,

yep, first winter since phase 1. aka (what I did and why I did it) still very Leary a freeze over like you experienced earlier this year where the flow of water got on top of the ice layer. This year I will gather supplies for phase 2 rebuilding the bio filter.

i have a different outlook on the cycling. While i do agree you have bacteria in your water . We all do it's unavoidable. But what you don't have is all the strains like the lesser in abundance types. So i look at as your not going to hurt anything adding more bacteria to your pond. If anything your adding new strains to the mix or bumping up the supply you already have.

I will have to go back and re read a ton. My old brain can only hold so much if something goes in the right ear something falls out the left. At this time I though I remembered that added bacteria was referred to as being SNAKE OIL. I wanted to see what others did, kinda weighting out what real people real world did vs. what a company backed sponsor do. I really like this thermometer I use it gives me a heads via cell phone notification of whats going on with the pond temperature.

 

[Lisak1]

You are correct - lots of folks call bacteria in a bottle "snake oil". My opinion is it's both that and also can be helpful. The idea that you need to continuously add bacteria to an established pond seems snake oily, but to kick start a new pond, or to re-establish a bacteria base after some kind of pond event (maybe a full clean out was required, or you had to treat the pond for parasites, etc) I think it's not a bad idea. The concept of seeding a new tank with a used filter has existed in the aquarium world forever. On the grand scale the only thing that's hurt if it doesn't work is your pocketbook.

I mean, my gut is loaded with bacteria (as is everyone else's on the planet) but I still take a probiotic every day and eat lots of fermented and cultured foods to maintain my gut health. Snake oil? Maybe. But when you learn that bacteria outnumbers human cells in the human body by 10 to 1, you realize A. how important they are and B. that you want to make sure you are supporting the good stuff so the bad stuff can't take over. I've read so many things about the gut biome and how "ancient" cultures (living in a modern world but without all the modern foods, medicines, chemicals, etc) have hundreds of varieties of gut bacteria. The average "modern" human can have as few as THREE. You can see how easy it would be for one bad actor to overcome the system when there are so few "good guys" to fight it off.

Just my own thought process on the "should I or shouldn't I" of adding bacteria in the pond. It would be interesting to be able to test your pond for bacteria, wouldn't it?

 

[Beercan31]

You are correct - lots of folks call bacteria in a bottle "snake oil". My opinion is it's both that and also can be helpful. The idea that you need to continuously add bacteria to an established pond seems snake oily, but to kick start a new pond, or to re-establish a bacteria base after some kind of pond event (maybe a full clean out was required, or you had to treat the pond for parasites, etc) I think it's not a bad idea. The concept of seeding a new tank with a used filter has existed in the aquarium world forever. On the grand scale the only thing that's hurt if it doesn't work is your pocketbook.

I mean, my gut is loaded with bacteria (as is everyone else's on the planet) but I still take a probiotic every day and eat lots of fermented and cultured foods to maintain my gut health. Snake oil? Maybe. But when you learn that bacteria outnumbers human cells in the human body by 10 to 1, you realize A. how important they are and B. that you want to make sure you are supporting the good stuff so the bad stuff can't take over. I've read so many things about the gut biome and how "ancient" cultures (living in a modern world but without all the modern foods, medicines, chemicals, etc) have hundreds of varieties of gut bacteria. The average "modern" human can have as few as THREE. You can see how easy it would be for one bad actor to overcome the system when there are so few "good guys" to fight it off.

Just my own thought process on the "should I or shouldn't I" of adding bacteria in the pond. It would be interesting to be able to test your pond for bacteria, wouldn't it?

exactly what I was asking for. a point of view. good read. thanks.

 

[Jhn]

Agree with @Lisak1 all bottles of bacteria sitting on a shelf are wastes of money, ie no live bacteria just a source of carbon to feed existing bacteria in your pond.

There are truly live sources of bacteria that can be added to a pond which as @GBBUDD said can’t hurt anything. Can’t remember the brand names though, these packages should be the ones that need to be refrigerated.

@Lisak1 I do the same thing eating fermented foods, kombucha, taking a probiotic/protein/vitamin powder mix in the morning to support the micro biomes in the body. Also, all fermented foods aren’t created equal, the beneficial stuff needs to be refrigerated to keep the bacteria alive. Another aside stopped drinking alcohol as it is a killer of the bacteria in our gut microbiomes…probably blasphemous for someone with a handle @Beercan31.

 

[seedsofnature]

The beneficial bacteria bottles are enzymes that promote and target certain types of nitrifying bacteria.

After servicing hundreds of ponds, building them, and using or not using bacteria enzymes I can confidently say that it is absolutely a benefit and not snake oil.

Providing a steady diet to these bacterial colonies along with adequate aeration and circulation will keep your water column healthier than without.

Limnologists will argue this as well. If your goal is a oligotrophic body of water then adding in bacterial enzymes on a regular and consistent basis is 100% beneficial.

 

[seedsofnature]

There are hundreds of thousands of strains of native bacteria that battle the specific types of nitrifying bacteria we want to promote, like nitrosococcus, nitrosomonas, etc. They are constantly being blown into the pond, and they do a half assed job compared to the strains we want.

 

[WaterGardener]

I think that Ki Nitrifier is one of the live bacteria packs that actually contain the bacteria needed for the nitrogen cycle. The downside is that it is expensive and has to be shipped overnight so the bacteria arrive alive.

Don't remember the name of the other one.

Personally, I have never added any bacteria to my pond and never felt the need for it.

 

[Tish]

I am so glad someone asked this question as I have been wondering the same thing. If it can't hurt and it might help I am going to add some bottled bacteria. I already have some so why not? The other thing I did to hopefully help kick start things in the pond was bring the bacto brick from the pump/filter into the running aquarium for the winter. I left the sponge element under a rock in the bottom of the pond. I also have some rocks and a small sponge filter running in the aquarium that I can put out there also.

 

[GBBUDD]

The only additive I have used is Nualgi it's not bacteria as much as it is diatoms. Same idea they feed on algae cells and waste. Leaves and decaying matter

 

[Lisak1]

I already have some so why not?

That's 100% the idea - if you bought it and have it, go ahead and use it.

@seedsofnature - interesting info. Do you test pond water for bacteria? If so, is there a test that's available to consumers?

And not to be skeptical, but you know who loves the snake oil? The guy who sells it.

 

[catslave]

This is the first winter my set up went through. I tried to be vigilant as possible on removing excess debris accumulated between late fall and mid winter, at this point I hate leaves. ya just can't get them all.

My question:
My Aquascape thermometer just notified me to "dose" my pond with starter bacteria. never done this before. have little knowledge of this process.

Do you dose?

If so do you have a go to product?

I do per say..
Not on a schedule but rely on an as needed. Two days ago i did the start up doses on my little ponds