How to eliminate nasty pond odour
WE’VE ALL EXPERIENCED THAT SMELL.
WHETHER IT WAS BY YOUR POND, OR SOMEONE ELSE’S, YOU’VE SMELLED THAT MUSTY, ROTTEN SMELL THAT CAN RUIN THE SATISFYING EXPERIENCE GARDEN PONDS BRING. AROUND MID-SUMMER, PONDS CAN BECOME DARK AND SMELLY, BUT WHAT CAUSES THIS TERRIBLE, EYE-WATERING, SMELL, AND WHAT CAN BE DONE TO GET RID OF IT?
COMMON CAUSES OF POND ODOUR
One of the most common causes of pond odour is not having your pond aerated. In the summer, ponds that aren’t aerated, stratify into different layers of water that have different temperatures. Because of this, the bottom layer of water is trapped for months!
In the trapped layer, the water’s oxygen level is used up quickly, creating an anaerobic environment — perfect for slow-moving bacteria that utilise enzymes to ferment and digest the decaying plant and animal waste in your pond, otherwise known as ‘pond muck.’ The bacteria ultimately produces waste products, like carbon dioxide, the culprit of that rotten egg smell we all flee from.
GETTING RID OF THE ODOUR
You can tell the odour is definitely present in your pond, but what’s next? The best first step is to test your pH and water quality, especially if you have fish in your pond. Pond turnovers can cause dissolved oxygen crashes, pH shifts, and algae blooms, which could harm your fish.
Adding the appropriate treatments and solutions can restore your pond back to the way you expect it to be. PondMAX has a variety of products to keep your pond in the best shape. Using CleanMAX+ , the most popular pond treatment from PondMAX, is an effective solution to eliminating algae and getting your water crystal clear again! To get the best looking pond, try PondMAX’s BactiMAX+ which will help cleanse your pond of ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and organic debris, like uneaten fish food, dead leaves, and fish waste.
PROFESSIONAL TIP
In addition to adding solutions and treatments, you’ll want to keep your pond aerated. PondMax professional aeration pumps are a great choice that you can rely on. Keeping your pond aerated will help keep the pond water in a continuous state of motion, which allows gases to vent, providing oxygen to the bottom layer of the pond. This also allows aerobic bacteria (a good kind of bacteria) to live in the bottom layer and start eliminating muck. Installing a water feature to your pond, like a fountain or waterfall, will help keep the water in motion.
Along with BactiMax+ you can use ClearMAX, a pond treatment that improves water quality by attacking suspended organic waste and muck, and supplement the existing bacteria to speed up the decomposition. Adding the right pond treatments and solutions and keeping your pond moving, will keep it healthy and odour free.
