Healthy Ponds & Pond Care - Frequently Asked Questions
Welcome to our frequently asked questions page. Please note that this is a work in progress. Here you'll find a wide array of answers to some of the more common questions we receive everyday. We've grouped all of these in categories which we hope will make it easier for you to find the correct answer to your question(s). Simply click on one of the links below to go directly to a specific section of this page or feel free to scroll down the page to find what your looking for.
Healthy Ponds 2500 Questions
Q. I'm concerned about my dog and children playing around the pond. Is Healthy Ponds really safe?
A. Yes, HP is totally safe for people, pets, fish, and most plants. HP doesn't really kill anything directly but works to reduce the organic "compost" and nutrient levels in the pond. By doing this, it not only helps to break down organic matter in the pond but it also cuts algae off from it's nutrient sources, thereby starving it off. It is a gradual process as well, which means that the fish and plants in the pond won't go through rapid changes in oxygen and pH levels...both of which can be lethal for fish. HP is a totally safe alternative to using chemicals in your pond.
Q. How do I know how much to use in my pond?
A. Small ponds are dosed based on gallon size. You can calculate this quite easily by taking the length in feet X the width in feet X the depth in feet, then multiply this total by 7.85 to get the gallon amount.
Or you can use the pond size calculator on our site to make this easier for you.
On Healthy Ponds 2500 will treat any pond up to 2500 gallons. We have two different refill packets available for 500 and 2500 gallon ponds. The main thing to keep in mind is you do not want to underdose with any natural product. This will only lead to poor results. So the gallon statements are for any ponds up to the recommended sizes.
You can also combine several 2500 units to treat ponds up to 5,000 gallons very effectively. We recommend using the small pond Aquasphere for any ponds much larger than 5,000 gallons.
Q. What if I use too much HP? Can I overdose my pond with it?
A. Not really. Unlike chemicals where there is a great risk for overdosing, natural bio products will simply quit working when there are no excessive nutrients in the water. HP is designed reduce or eliminate the excessive build up of nutrient loads in the pond but it will not "outcompete" rooted plants. Since algae has no roots and is totally dependent on nutrients that come directly from the water, HP can outcompete algae for these nutrients and in that way, it can eliminate it.
A good way to look at HP is that it is a very good supportive agent for desired plants in your pond. Having enough aquatic plants in a pond is great natural way to reduce algae. The problem is most experts recommend having a 60 to 80% coverage of the surface to make this work. Most people don't want that many plants in their pond and would prefer a bit more open water. By combining HP with a few desired plants, you can achieve the same results as having many plants in the pond.
Aquasphere Pro Questions
Q. I'm concerned about my dog and children playing around the pond. Is Healthy Ponds really safe?
A. Yes, HP is totally safe for people, pets, livestock, horses, fish, and most plants. HP doesn't really kill anything directly but works to reduce the organic "compost" and nutrient levels in the pond. By doing this, it not only helps to break down organic matter in the pond but it also cuts algae off from it's nutrient sources, thereby starving it off. It is a gradual process as well, which means that the fish and plants in the pond won't go through rapid changes in oxygen and pH levels...both of which can be lethal for fish. HP is a totally safe alternative to using chemicals in your pond.
Q. How do I know how much to use in my pond?
A. Dosage requirements for larger ponds, and by that we mean anything from 10,000 gallons up to multi-acre lakes, can vary quite bit. One aspect that needs to be considered is the depth of the pond. This adds to the acre-feet for the estimation. As a base rule of thumb though, you can start with the surface area of the pond. A one acre pond for instance will be right around 210 square feet. Or think of this as about 70 yards on a football field. In dosing a one acre pond like this, a one acre aquasphere would be the miminum to start with. Keep in mind that underdosing usually produces poor or inconsistent results.
If, after the first 30 to 60 days, you've seen some improvement in the pond, but not complete clearing, you may choose to add to the dosage by either using a 1/4 acre sphere, or an additional one acre sphere to increase the dose to see if it improves the situation. If if it does and you acheive complete clearing of the algae, you can then experiment by reducing the dosage a bit to see what might maintain the pond in the clear state. This obviously saves on the cost for treating the pond.
All in all, dosing larger pond can be a bit of guessing game to start with. After to see some results, you can then start to narrow down the requirement to a closer degree.
Several tools that we've used to help with the estimation is a laser range finder like those used by golfers. You would get a yardage estimate from two sides of the pond and then calculate out the square footage. You would then take the width X the length X the estimated average depth and multiply this number by 7.85 to get the gallon size.
A simpler option might be to use our pond size calculator to get estimates for gallons, acre feet, and square feet. It's really easy to use.
Healthy Ponds Blast Supplement Questions
Q. What is the Blast product and what does it do?
A. The Healthy Ponds Blast is a supplemental product for the Aquasphere treatments. It's intended to assist them during highly stressful times of the year (high heat and sun) or in problematic ponds that are not clearing up readily. It provides a boost (or a blast) of bacteria to the pond and supercharges a standard treatment. The Blast will not operate or sustain support for more than about 10 days so it's not meant to be a monthly treatment to replace the Aquaspheres.
The Blast contains all natural ingredients and is in a water soluable bag. When the packet is tossed into the water it will dissolve within minutes and begin releasing beneficial bacteria to help clear the pond.
Green Clean Algaecide Questions
Q: Where can I use GreenClean?
A: GreenClean can be used in any water feature such as water gardens, ornamental waterfalls, fountains, and bird baths.
Q: Is GreenClean safe for animals?
A: Yes. GreenClean granules are non-hazardous to animals such as birds, bees, and even your pets once diluted in water. KLM note: BioSafe indicates that Green Clean is safe for fish up to double the recommended dosage rate. Still caution should be used and directions must be followed to ensure safety. KLM does not recommend using Green Clean to treat green water or to treat an entire pond for algae problems. We now only use Green Clean for spot control of algae masses and have had excellent results and no safety issues.
Here's another tip when using any type of algaecide product (ie. one that kills algae quickly and directly). The concept of treating only segments or parts of the pond at one time is advised. When treating an entire pond all at once with an algaecide it's possible to kill all the algae very quickly which will pull or rob the pond of it's oxygen content. This often can harm or kill the fish very fast. Therefore, it's best to use any algaecide with care when treating a lot of algae growth, and where fish are involved.
Q: Will GreenClean harm my plants?
A: No. However, GreenClean’s concentrated granules may leave contact burn marks if left sitting on plant leaves.
Q: How does GreenClean work?
A: GreenClean works through a powerful oxidation reaction, breaking down algae cells on contact.
Q: How quickly does GreenClean work?
A: GreenClean begins working within 60 seconds of application. Results can be seen in 24-48 hrs.
Q: Has GreenClean been tested?
A: Yes. GreenClean is registered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Organic listed by OMRI. GreenClean underwent extensive research and testing to be proven an effective algaecide.
KLM Solutions recommends that you read the following MSDS information from the manufacturer before purchasing to ensure that your comfortable with using Green Clean.
For MSDS data and other information on Green Clean Algaecide click here.
Ultrasonic Algae Control Questions
Pond Aeration Questions
Pond Algae Questions
Pond Weed Control Questions
Pond Barley Products And Questions
Pond Dye Questions
Mosquito Control Questions
Water Testing (Includes pH and Ammonia) Questions
How To Estimate Pond Size Questions
Pond Filtration and Filter Questions
General Pond Related Questions
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