Have you read that garden ponds designed by man mimics the corresponding natural ecosystem of our planet? Undoubtedly, any simulated lagoon done by a human being must grow, since it’s virtually the same as the ecosystem of our planet earth. One factor of this is the process of pond nitrogen cycle. Knowing how the cycle works is valuable if you want to maintain your garden pond’s healthy activity.
To a layman’s eye, a natural shoal is simply a normal “tub of water.” That is, water – mostly from rain or runoff – collects into a small body of water. As it turns out, this “magically” transforms into a given ecosystem for animals and plants to thrive in. For the beginner, the necessity to understand how the pond sustains itself is nonetheless a pointless fact. Withal, when you wish to reproduce a garden pond in your place, the laid back approach of just watching nature would be inadequate. Preferably, you would have to delve deeper into the cycle process that works on the pond’s ecosystem. This includes understanding the pond’s nitrogen cycle.
And what is a pond’s nitrogen cycle all about? This is essentially a sequence of steps that transpires where the pond is kept clean and at the same time cycling out organic wastes. What follows is simplified analysis.
We all know that in a pond, fish will let out waste in the water. When the waste breaks up, ammonia results in. Ammonia eventually becomes poison when it builds. To control ammonia levels from getting out of hand, a good bacteria like Nitrosomonas can break it down to convert it to Nitrite, though can still be poisonous like ammonia if it still builds up, but not as quite. After Ammonia transforms to Nitrite, a new group of helpful bacteria called Nitrobacter enters to defeat it and then change it into Nitrates, which is not as harmful as the Nitrite. The plants in your pond profits from the Nitrate which becomes its source of sustenance, which still keeps the Nitrate level down while simultaneously controlling the algae scum. The nitrogen cycle basically is a fine process where the pond’s ecosystem detoxifies itself while in the long run still sustaining its habitat with food.
This deep seated mechanism has been happening for a billion years in evolution and there’s no reason it should not work in a naturally balance pond. However, man-made ponds sometimes require assistance from pond products to tip the ecosystem odds in favor of pond life survival. Pond filters can help filter out extra waste and also provide a safe breeding ground for beneficial bacteria to grow and thrive.
There are also good bacteria supplements in the market today which you can add regularly to help dissolve wastes and also to convert ammonias and nitrite. In addition, pond plants can be bought and added to your pond to utilize the expendable nitrates in its availability for unwanted plants like algae. These resources can aid a small fish lagoon environment to sustain a right and effective nitrogen cycle.
In the future, the need to bring in new methods to maintain the nitrogen cycle of the pond would diminish. The reason could be that the pond would be self-sufficient, meaning it can produce nutrients for its own food. As the saying goes, nature eventually takes cares of itself.
Landscape Design Calgary is a local organization that promotes ecologically friendly ponds
Written by: Custom Stone and Waterscapes 3829 Parkhill Place SW, Calgary, AB T2S 2W6 (403) 870-1142
