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Pond
Life
The
most rewarding part of owning a pond is to know that you have created
a healthy environment for fish and aquatic plants. The quality of
your water is largely controlled by your filter system, but also
requires plant material and fish to be balanced. The chemistry of
your pond is largely based on the nitrogen cycle. It is here that
organic material (including fish waste and uneaten food) is broken
down into Ammonia (NH3/NH4+),
and then converted into plant food via your biological filter. Therefore,
the key to healthy fish is both an adequate biological filter, and
sufficient plant material. And the key to healthy plants is both
and adequate biological filter, and sufficient organic material.
Aquatic
life is comprised of so much more than fish and plants. It is an
intricate food web that begins with nutrients and sunlight. This
is what the algae of your pond (phytoplankton) thrive on. Slightly
larger microorganisms called zooplankton feed upon phytoplankton.
And both phytoplankton and zooplankton are a large part of the natural
food for young fish and other small aquatic animals. Snails, tadpoles,
and insect larvae are just a few of the critters you would expect
to find at this level, and they become food for larger creatures,
such as your fish. All of the organisms mentioned, combined with
bacteria and foreign debris, will eventually die and settle to the
bottom of the pond becoming part of the detrital layer. This detritus
is what we refer to when talking about organic material, or bio-load.
And taking the time to understand how this organic matter will feed
your plants, thus creating a balanced ecosystem, should be most
rewarding.
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