There are also helpful tips that will improve the quality of your pond throughout the winter months. For example, it is important to feed fish with a sizeable amount before the water temperature drops below 50 degrees with a very high fiber diet.
Feeding fish below that temperature is very dangerous as their digestive systems stop working below 50 degrees. Spring is a time to take all the start-up measures for your pond. The removal of debris and draining of your pond are both recommended.
In the summer, water treatments, vacuuming and aeration is important. Aquarium Cleaning Keeping your aquarium clean is a more-involved task than some people may realize. An exceptional way to add a unique and distinctive accent to your home or office is with Living Art. Whether it be a standard or a custom aquarium, the exceptional centerpiece will add constant motion to gaze upon and be more entrancing than looking into a real wood burning fireplace.
Living Art is not only relaxing and tranquil, but is entertaining and educational. Spend time exploring our picture gallery of aquariums, fish and coral to see what exciting options are available to choose from. Contact Us. In , our sole focus turned to designing and installing aquariums on a national and local level and providing the Charlotte Metro area with aquarium and pond service. Communities should consider signage and ordinances designed to prevent the release of exotic plants and animals into their stormwater ponds.
Also, sources of nutrients that accelerate weed growth should be eliminated, or minimized at least. Physical controls can reduce weed populations.
Proper pond construction and sedimentation removal to restore depth will prevent many submerged weed problems. Removal by hand or machine can work for short durations but is very labor intensive. Aquatic dyes are quite effective at slowing weed growth by shading submerged plants. Fountains and circulation can limit the growth of some microscopic algae. Draw downs can expose shallow submerged plants to desiccation and freeze air temperatures. Also, geotextile fabrics and mats may be laid in shallow areas over the pond bottom to prevent plants from taking root.
Biological controls can provide very cost effective long term management methods for controlling aquatic weeds. Triploid Grass Carp uproot and graze on most submerged plant species, providing effective control for many years.
Blue Tilapia feed voraciously on filamentous algae, but these tropical fish often do not survive winter temperatures in South Carolina. Both fish in combination will prevent most submerged aquatic weeds from becoming significant problems, but they will not control all species of plants.
Ultimately, chemical control can be used to eliminate remaining aquatic weeds. Chemical treatment should be considered mostly as the final defense.
Aquatic herbicides are typically very expensive, can be toxic to aquatic and terrestrial plants and animals, can create resistant plant populations when used chronically, and require special licenses and equipment to apply.
On the other hand, aquatic pesticides, when applied correctly, can be very effective at managing weed populations with minimal impact to non-target species. Homeowners should never apply herbicides to stormwater ponds unless they possess a category five pesticide applicators license and have solicited the consent of the pond owners or managers.
Anyone who applies pesticides to a stormwater pond without license and consent is breaking the law and can suffer severe penalties under the law. A community that requires chemical treatment of its ponds must contract the work with a pesticide applicator licensed to apply aquatic pesticides.
The most effective weed management strategies integrate several control methods into a single weed control plan. Physical, biological, and chemical controls are all used in concert to manage weed growth in the same ponds. Frequently, aquatic dyes and herbivorous fish provide sufficient control, but in some cases, chemicals and mechanical removal must also be used to keep weeds in check.
If you are considering integrating your pond management strategies, you should consult your Extension office or pond management professional because some strategies may not integrate well or may restrict intended uses for the pond. Most importantly, community education and prevention efforts must be included in the management plan to reduce the threat of new introductions and the impedance other control methods. For stormwater ponds, sedimentation removal is not a possibility; it is inevitable.
Contrary to most assumptions, residential stormwater ponds are usually quite shallow, rarely exceeding 6 feet in depth. Over time, the accumulation of dirt and debris washing from the land and settling from the atmosphere will fill these already shallow basins, reducing their abilities to prevent flooding and control pollutants.
Sediment accumulation also exacerbates aquatic vegetation and water quality problems. To maintain these services and to prevent pond failure, sediment and debris must be removed from the pond periodically. In well established and forested watersheds where the little soil is exposed to erosion and shorelines are stabilized with robust, deep-rooted vegetation, a stormwater pond may function well for 30 years or more with little change in depth.
On the other hand, in watersheds where active construction exposes soils to erosion and shorelines are stabilized by little more than turf grass, the stormwater pond may need sedimentation removed quite frequently, even annually.
Residents should be mindful of their contributions to sedimentation in stormwater ponds. Poor community hygiene allows foreign substances to enter the drainage network. Even if the homeowner resides on the other side of the community, the grass clippings, exposed soils, and litter that are washed away during storm events eventually take up space in the stormwater pond.
If residents are mindful of what they release into the drainage network, they can prolong the life of their stormwater pond. It can be difficult predicting how often a stormwater pond must have sedimentation removed. This frequency is highly variable because it is directly dependent on the size of the pond, the soil types, and the land practices in the community.
Nevertheless, all stormwater ponds eventually need to have sedimentation removed to prevent them from becoming swamps. Also, a metered stick should be sunk in the pond bottom to measure changes in sediment accumulation. When a community decides to sedimentation removed their pond s , the community must decide what to do with the spoils.
Frequently, the developer designated an easement or specific area to deposit the excavated earth. If not, the community should designate such an area near to the pond because it will reduce costs dramatically. Some contractors can export the spoils from the community, but this will increase costs for the community. Although South Carolina law places no restrictions on how the spoils should be handled, communities should recognize that the stormwater pond is a pollution control device, and the sediments in the bottom of the pond are full of compounds that have washed from the community.
The sediments may contain bacterial pathogens or hazardous chemicals that may cause illness in humans and pets or impair plant growth. Stormwater pond spoils should not be handled by residents nor used on residential properties until the spoils are shown to be free of pathogens and hazardous chemicals. Stormwater ponds have inherently unstable shorelines. The banks of these ponds typically have steep slopes and are composed mostly of excavated fill dirt. They are battered by surface runoff and wave action and are subject to fluctuating water levels during and between storm events.
Without proper stabilization, the banks undercut and slump into the pond eventually. For the waterfront property owner, this amounts to losing valuable real estate to the depths of the pond, only to be excavated and taken elsewhere when the pond has sedimentation removed.
Hence, it behooves the waterfront owner to stabilize the shoreline to preserve the land for which a premium was paid. One of the greatest points of contention among waterfront owners is how to manage their respective shorelines. Some choose to lay sod and mow their turf to the water line because they like the openness, visibility, and manicured appearance.
This page requires the latest Flash Plugin to display. Please download the latest version here and reload the page. Estate Management Services offers full service aquatic design, construction and maintenance for ponds, lakes and wetlands. From dredging and algae control to aquatic plant installation and fish stocking, we can help you design and build or restore and maintain a pond or lake.
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