Pond balance

Keeping you pond balanced is the essence of maintaining a successful pond. It is based on the nitrogen cycle. This involves fish waste, decaying food and plants turning into compounds that form ammonia (reactive gas that is toxic to pond life). This is then oxidized by bacteria and turned into nitrites and then nitrates.  Nitrates are used as plant food and enter the nitrogen cycle once again.

In the natural world this is going on continuously, meaning that any new life will only form if the conditions are right i.e. there has to be enough food in the existing cycle. With a garden pond we humans are adding additional food (fish food) into the cycle all the time leading to a potential imbalance of the pond.

This is why we also need to take measures to help the natural cycle to counter balance the negative effect we are having. The main thing that we must do is implement some kind of filtration system to remove the organic matter such as uneaten food, decaying plants, and fish waste. Most filters also have “good” bacteria imbedded in them to help create the perfectly balanced pond. There are other little things that can help keep a balanced pond such as not over feeding your fish, because at the end of the day more you feed them the more waste they produce.  

There are test kits available to check for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrates.  The effects of nitrite stress can be reduced in an emergency by adding 2 1/2- 2 3/4 teaspoons of aquarium salt to every gallon of water.