How to remove silt from a pond or natural pond?

How to remove silt from a pond? Mud corresponds to the accumulation of mineral and organic matter at the bottom of a pond or basin. The organic part comes from fish droppings, decomposing plants and algae and possibly excess food intended for the fish.

When there is too much mud, the balance of the pond's ecosystem is threatened and nauseating odors associated with fermentation appear. It then becomes urgent to remove the mud from the pond . Here's how.

Remove the mud from the pond by cleaning

A radical solution

A very effective solution for removing silt from a pond is to remove it manually or mechanically. This operation is called cleaning . A pond being a shallow basin, you can remove the silt with a shovel, with specific nets or a pond vacuum cleaner. There is also the technique of bio-curing which consists of curing with specific bacteria .

Cleaning out a pond lowers the mud level very quickly. However, this operation is not trivial. It has a significant impact on the functioning of the pond's ecosystem . Indeed, by removing the mud from the bottom of your pool, you remove some of the aquatic organisms and this is not without consequences on the biological balance.

A last resort solution

We advise to remove the silt from a pond by cleaning out only if there is no other solution . This is the case if more than half of the height of water is occupied by mud. You should know that after this work, your pool will take time to regain its biological balance and disorders may occur at first, such as the appearance of certain types of algae. Also, it will be necessary to reseed the environment with good bacteria, to allow it to regain its balance more quickly.

If the level of mud is not too high, we advise you to focus on biological destruction of organic matter using bacteria such as aquipond bactovase . This involves seeding the pond with good bacteria, which will digest the organic matter in the mud. You can complete this action with a partial cleaning, on a maximum third of the surface of the pool. This will allow you to remove some of the mud from the pond without disturbing the ecosystem.

Mud mineralization by bacteria

Except in the extreme case of a pond that is too silted, the best solution for removing silt from your pond is biological treatment. It is a question of adding bacteria which will be responsible for mineralizing the organic part of the mud and thus reducing its volume. Such a biological treatment can eliminate 20 to 40% of the organic matter contained in the bottom of the pond, in a few months. These bacteria use oxygen to break down organic matter into dissolved carbon dioxide and water.

To provide oxygen in sufficient quantity, it is interesting to aerate the water of your pond . Depending on the size of the pond, this can be done in different ways. In the case of a very small pond, the development of a waterfall using a pump is sufficient. This supply of oxygen is beneficial for the functioning of the ecosystem. If your pool is larger, installing an aeration system is a good solution to provide the oxygen essential for better biological functioning.

Prevention rather than cure: limiting the formation of silt in a pond

Certain actions can help you limit the accumulation of silt in your pond . Indeed, the best solution to avoid the inconveniences linked to excess mud is to carry out regular maintenance of the pool. Thus, you can regularly remove a small amount of mud from the pond , as soon as you notice that there is too much accumulation. This action will save you a lot of inconvenience, without disturbing the pond's ecosystem. Other complementary actions aim to regulate the formation of mud.

Limit organic matter intake

To avoid having to remove the mud from your pond , the ideal is to ensure that it does not form too much. To do this, it is necessary to limit the input of organic matter into the basin . So, if you put fish in it, make sure there aren't too many of them, to limit the amount of droppings. In excess, they will not be degraded and will accumulate in the layer of mud. Likewise, if you feed your fish, be sure to feed only the necessary amounts of food. Excess food will also sediment and enlarge the layer of silt in your pond.

The other major source of organic matter in the water of a pond is constituted by aquatic plants and those located around the pool. To avoid deposits, avoid planting shrubs and trees too close to the pond. If this is not possible, plan to remove the leaves floating on the surface before they sink to the bottom of the pond. Finally, if you have aquatic plants, you can cut them from time to time, to prevent them from producing too much waste.

Aerate your pool

Like a pond, a pond works best with good water aeration . The regular supply of oxygen helps maintain a good aquatic balance. Good bacteria grow and degrade organic matter. They thus naturally destroy part of the layer of mud. Slime production remains under control and your pond ecosystem is healthy. To achieve good results, the choice of aeration system will depend on the size of your pond.

Removing silt from your pond can therefore be done in several ways depending on the eutrophication stage of your pond, that is to say its degree of invasion by silt. To save you a lot of inconvenience, installing an aeration system and a regular maintenance routine will allow you to keep a healthy pond.