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How Does Phosphate Get Into A Pond

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By Clifford Woods 

Ponds under attack from green water, poor coral growth, algae and cyanobacteria and are the things that are responsible for your dying fish. These are factors that generally leave aquarists frustrated, and most of them, are brought about by the presence of phosphate in water.

What Are Phosphates?
Phosphates are naturally occurring compounds, which commonly form in water bodies. This is largely due to a number of sources, the major one being water sources. Soil and salt mixes that are swept into the water as a result of rain or wind are a major responsible for phosphate infestation in ponds and these are usually harder to control than aquarium water. 

It’s important to note that phosphates are the active ingredients in fertilizers. That being said, salt mixes that could be found in rocks surrounding the pond may be the reason why your water is choking.

How Can You Identify High Phosphate Levels?
Identifying the signs of high phosphate levels can be obvious (if you know what to look for), or they might be a bit more subtle and hard to recognize but here a re a few:
  • The water color
  • Predominant presence of nuisance algae
  • Poor coral growth

Your water could indicate the presence of phosphates and if your pond is pea green, you need to think about phosphate testing. Nuisance algae predominance is also a good sign that your water is thriving with phosphates, since like already mentioned; it is the active ingredient in fertilizers and therefore, encourages growth of plants. And Algae of course is a plant.

Types of algae to look out for are black hair algae and slime algae as well. You can also identify signs of poor marine, such as unhealthy corals and poor survival rates of invertebrates, such as shrimp and snails. There is several phosphate testing kits you can use to identify phosphate presence in your water.

How to Remove Phosphate
Eliminating phosphates can be quite tricky and before you can conduct any elimination process, you need to first identify the cause. If you throw frozen foods into your ponds, this may the reason why there are high levels of the compound. 

You may want to consider rinsing foods before feeding your fish or simply avoiding frozen foods. The water that frozen foods are frozen in sometimes has high phosphate concentrations. Are there golf courses, farms or even fertilized gardens and lawns around your pond? If yes, run offs from the rain are washing these phosphates into your pond. 

Once you’ve identified (and hopefully eliminated) where the phosphate is coming from, you can start getting rid of what you already have. Water changes with phosphate-free water can help cut down on your levels but can take time before you see a noticeable difference. In saltwater aquariums, protein skimmers can help remove wastes and decrease the phosphate levels, and refugiums can be used in freshwater and saltwater tanks. There are various products in the market that can help you get rid of phosphates. These mediums act to absorb the compound or trap it for removal. 

When a phosphate remover is applied into the water, it basically traps the phosphates and immobilizes them, making them insoluble nutrients. Phosphates in ponds are harder to eliminate, since you cannot control what products people use in their lawns and farms. 

That said, you can control the levels by always ensuring that your pond is clean and using a phosphate remover often. With persistent testing and removal, your pond can have a good water quality for your fish and other marine species to thrive better.

Clifford Woods is the CEO of Effective Environmental Services and Organic Environmental Technology.
Find out more about pond care at http://www.effens.com  
We brew Beneficial Microorganisms that eat toxins in the environment and offer Environmentally Friendly products.
 

What is Phosphate?

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By Clifford Woods 

Phosphates, which contain phosphorus, are essential nutrients that contribute to the growth and metabolic reactions of all animals and plants. The quantity of phosphorus can either increase or limit growth. Since it is essential to the growth of plants and animals, an imbalance in the amount of the natural growth of phosphorus can produce harmful changes to the environment. This is when it becomes a job for a phosphate remover to handle.

Contributing Factors In Phosphates Overgrowth
The internal contributor in the growth of the presence of phosphates in your fish pond is from the mineralization of dead matter, such as plants, uneaten food, feces, fish slime, bacteria, etc. The rotting food particles or dead plant materials settle either within the filter or on the substrate.  Vacuuming the gravel or rinsing filter materials every time you change the water in your pond or tank will substantially decrease the potential accumulation of phosphate deposits. The probable external sources, on the other hand, are additives such as frozen fish food, carbon or pH stabilizers.  

Effects Of Phosphates In Fish Ponds
For people who raise fish on ponds, the elevated presence of phosphates means algae invasion and that is a big threat to the lives of your fish. Using a phosphate remover is ideal in this kind of pond situation. Partially, changing the water in your fish pond more frequently can also help. Once the growth of water weeds and algae in your pond becomes uncontrollable, they will dominate the use of oxygen until the water in your pond will not be able to support the life of your fish any more, leaving them to die. So, use phosphate removers as soon as the presence of phosphorus becomes threatening.

Addressing The Issue With Phosphate Removers
The ideal amount of the presence of phosphates in your fish pond should be below 0.005 ppm. A phosphate remover will control the level of phosphates in your pond by reducing the amount of algae that grows in it.  

When phosphate removers are applied into the water, it basically traps the phosphates and immobilizes them, making them insoluble nutrients. Phosphates in ponds are harder to eliminate, since you cannot control what products people use in their lawns and farms. 

That said, you can control the levels by always ensuring that your pond is clean and using a phosphate remover often. With persistent testing and removal, your pond can have a good water quality for your fish and other marine species to thrive better.

For salt-water aquariums, it will maximize the coral growth in it. When buying them, make sure that you thoroughly check the brand specifications. Most often, it comes as phosphate mesh media bags or reactors.  

Those that come in reactors need to be installed, while those that come in mesh media bags are packed with phosphate removal media and employed inside the sump or canister filter.  

If you want to be rid of a persistent phosphate problem, be vigilant in eliminating the causes of its overgrowth in the first place instead of always relying on a phosphate remover to do the job for you.

  • Avoid over-feeding your fish to reduce or eliminate the presence of uneaten foods. Choose a brand of fish food with the lowest levels of phosphates.
  • Perform tank maintenance regularly by vacuuming the bottom of your ponds or tanks to remove plant decay, fish waste, and uneaten food.
  • A filter’s job is to skim all dirt, so make sure you always remember to clean it, too.



Keep all these important maintenance steps in mind for your fish to have smooth-sailing lives.

Clifford Woods is the CEO of Effective Environmental Services and Organic Environmental Technology. See more info here: http://www.effens.com  
We brew Beneficial Microorganisms that eat toxins in the environment and offer Environmentally Friendly products.
 

Aquariums And Their Value

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By Clifford Woods

An Aquarium is the name given to the container where pet fishes are kept. Aquariums are mostly rectangular shaped boxes with at least one transparent side. The material used for making these fish containers is either glass or acrylic. An aquarium is considered a very useful decoration item as it can add a lot of beauty to the interior design of any home or office. 

Not only is it great for beautifying the place but it also provides an interesting object for the people to look at while they are waiting. This is the reason why you will always find a clean and well-kept aquarium placed in a hospital or a clinic where patients have to wait for their turn to see the doctor. 

An Aquarium having tropical fish and plants in it is a real treat for young children. Since small kids love seeing fish moving around in the water, they get fascinated by the healthy fish swimming in the aquarium and feel relaxed. It has been proven by research that a fish tank can really help in calming down hyperactive children. 

According to the research, a hyperactive kid when placed in front of a beautiful and clean aquarium is going to stop wandering here and there and is going to get lost in the amazing world of fish and aquatic plants on display in the aquarium and hence, his hyperactivity is going to subside pretty quickly. 

From the educational point of view as well, aquariums can prove to be great for the kids. The children can learn a lot about fish, their habitat, their food and many other interesting facts about these creatures if they have an aquarium at their home. Moreover, petting fish in an aquarium is a healthy hobby for the kids as well. 

Not only is this hobby going to keep them engaged, they will learn a number of important things from it as well. They would learn to take care of their pets and would find out the importance of keeping things clean, tidy and alive as well.   

Besides being a great decoration piece and an educational and relaxation equipment for hyperactive children, aquariums offer many environmental benefits to people as a whole. A clean aquarium is very pleasing to the eye and brings a person closer to nature. 

He becomes aware of the natural beauty and begins to change his views about environment and saving the creatures living it. Moreover, an aquarium can help a person in developing a healthy interest in fish and marine life urging him to do something for the betterment of other aquatic animals present in nature.

In addition to all these benefits, aquariums also provide tranquillity and peace to people. One look at the healthy fish swimming in the water is going to cheer you up and you will be immersed in the beauty of the scene and tend to forget all your worries and tensions for a while. Because fish do not create a lot of noise, they are ideal pets for people who like peace and do not want to get disturbed by the barking of a dog or the meowing of cats.  

In short, aquariums are great for a family and add a lot of value and beauty to a house. They are excellent for educating young children and can be used to calm down hyperactive kids as well.



Clifford Woods is the CEO of Organic Environmental Technology.
You can find out more about our Organic Aquarium Cleaner
We brew Beneficial Microorganisms that eat toxins in the environment and sell environmentally friendly products

Pond Magician is an all organic pond cleaner made form beneficial microorganisms making it a naturally organic solution for cleaning a pond. To find out more about Pond Magician or to purchase it visit our online store at www.effens.com