Ponds and Water Gardens

Any body of water left without chemical conditioning eventually becomes a living environment supporting life for two kingdoms: the vegetable kingdom (algae and other aquatic plants), and the animal kingdom (bacteria, protozoa, insects, fish, etc.). It can also happen that environmental conditions will influence and alter this ecosystem’s balance (a surplus of fertilizer, for example) to favor the development of one kingdom over the other. Quite often in man-made aquatic environments, it is the vegetable kingdom that is favored with the bloom of algae, cyanobacteria and invading aquatic weeds. This is called eutrophication. However, it is possible to right the situation by putting in place mechanisms that favor the development of animal life, for example by adding natural bacteria. These bacteria compete for the same nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus), and because they possess a metabolism superior to that of algae, they end up fixing nutrients faster. With judicious dosage, it is possible to exercise natural control to maintain a balanced environment.