Pond Boss Forums AERATION Systems questions water filtration

I have a small 1/3 acre pond I am trying to cleanup the bottom on.(lots of decomposed leaves) I have aeration going on.
Has anyone tried pumping out bottom water and filtering it, i.e., through different sizes of gravel and letting it drain back into the pond?
Would this be beneficial in speeding up the cleanup process? Any comments, experiences appreciated.

tnx
Jim

The problem is as you described - not the water but all of the sludge that is decomposing. If you do not want to drain your pond and bring in equipment to scrap it up and out - keep your aerator running and add beneficial bacteria to speed up the process. When fresh water comes in the pond it is best if you can expell the bad water off the bottom.

Thanks, Tilop. I do plan on draining and re-sculpting in the future. Now, I am in Houston; the pond in Mississippi. 3 or 4 yrs away from full time management. The pond is overaflowing from all the rain so will pump off a ft. or so off the bottom; have some more sweet gum and tallow saplings in shallows to bring down. Does enough aerobic bacteria not occur naturally? If not, what do you suggest; how much for 4 to 500,000 gal. pond, and what specific bacteria to look for? Again, thanks for input>

Aerobic bacteria will be present if the O2 levels are at least 2 mg/l at the bottom. Otherwise you will have a falcutative habitat with a mix of anarobic and aerobic bacteria.

To ensure you have the right strains of bacteria, I would sugges enoculating with a bacteria prodcut.

You will find that bacteria comes in two forms, powder form (the bactria builds a spore and is for lack of better terms, in hibernation).

After installing an aeration system at Sea World of Florida we enoculated with a bacteria from a company called SePro. They are a manufacture of aquatic herbicides as well as their own bactria line. You can get the right amount and type by contacting them at www.Sepro.com.