Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Muddy water Aerobic bacteria life cycle

As long as you are not killing the bacterial community in the pond with chemical applications, there should always be good diversity of high populations of natural aerobic bacteria in the pond as long as the zone of decomposition is highly oxygenated. Keeping the zone of decomposition remaining well oxygenated is the main problem and the main limiting factor. Pond aerators move water across the bottom surface and no oxygenated currents move below the top sedimented surface layer.

Problem with sedimented layers of tree leaf material on the pond bottom is the subsurface leaf layers are like pages of a book and the lower layer relatively quickly becomes anaerobic unless the organic accumulations are regularly stirred, mixed or agitated. Mixing frequency is variable and depends on numerous factors. Not all tree leaves decompose at the same rate; some species decompose slow, some quickly. Keeping the organic layer of leaves mixed significantly speeds the decomposition rate of all organics for both terrestrial and aquatic habitats. Even backyard or commercial organic compost piles need to be regularly turned / mixed for fastest decomp. Best policy IMO is remove as many floating leaves as possible before they sink. Second best policy is do not build a pond in wooded areas if tree leaf accumulations are a concern.