The Art of Pond Management
Authored by: Bob Lusk, Editor Pond Boss Magazine
Historically, the author argued that pond management was 10% science and 90% art in that the science is simple but knowing what to do based on scientific principals is art. Today, with tools such as aeration, microbes, refined fish food, better equipment, and access to information, pond management is now “15% science and 85% art”. Ponds are always changing and there are a lot of variables that influence the outcome of the applied science.
KEY TAKEAWAYS FOR POND AERATION
- Stagnant water absorbs dissolved metals, minerals and nutrients utilize aeration and microbes to stabilize the water quality.
GENERAL TAKEAWAYS
- There is a cause and effect with your treatment tactics.
- Having healthy water is critical. “Without that, nothing else matters.”
- Manage runoff into the pond.
- Water quality changes with temperature, weather and age of the pond.
- Where climate and regulations permit, algae can be managed by stocking tilapia.
Published: Pond Boss Vol. XXVII, No. 5, March/April 2019
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