How to get rid of silt in a pond?

How to get rid of mud in a pond?

When you have a pond, a pool or a body of water, whether it is natural or not, there comes a time when the bottom of it becomes more or less invaded by mud. When this happens it can cause several problems in the pond, to which there are several solutions.

First, we will identify the different reasons that can cause the installation and accumulation of a significant quantity of mud:

The formation of silt is mainly caused by dead leaves, fish droppings and factors outside the pond (environment). In this article, we will have to separate the classic garden pond from the natural pond. For a classic garden pond, it is quite simple to eliminate the silt.

Removing Silt from a Garden Pond

Here are some steps you can follow:

1. Use a silt vacuum or silt pump to remove silt from the bottom of the pond. You can find these tools at aquatic garden centers, or online (for example on our online store).

2. Use aquatic plants to help remove silt. Some aquatic plants can help reduce silt buildup by capturing nutrients.

3. Use bacteria to eliminate the silt (such as bactovase or clean-lac), but be careful. Seek the help of a specialist for dosages, and remember to analyze the water carefully before any treatment.

4. Install a fountain or waterfall in the pond to help keep the water moving and prevent silt from forming. You will also need to size your filtration system properly.

It is important to note that the best way to prevent silt in a pond is to keep the pond clean and well filtered, regularly removing leaves and debris, and controlling the fish population.

Removing silt from a natural pond

It is often very complicated to filter a natural pond . The only solution if you want to completely filter the water is to create a huge lagoon system and provide a lot of aquatic plants that will play a phyto-purifying role in your pond.

To act on the silt and the limitation of the layer in a natural pond, there are three solutions:

• Aerate the pond to develop the bacterial environment, and oxygenate the natural pond as best as possible
• Use bacteria (based on enzymes and minerals) which will digest a large part of the organic layer (in the mud, there is the organic layer and the silt).
• Limit external pollutants (dead leaves, trees, quantity of fish, overpopulation, baiting).

We often intervene in fishing clubs to reduce the silt. We recommend two bacterial treatments per year and an aerator if the fishermen want to continue to add fish and to bait the natural pond. By baiting, we feed the pond, and the fish rarely eat all the quantity thrown into the water.