Pond Boss Forums AQUATIC VEGETATION Controlling unwanted plants How long for dead algae (chara) to decompose?

Unfortunately, it usually takes somewhere between 'a long time' and 'never'. Once anything sinks to the bottom of a BOW (body of water), the lack of oxygen down there eliminates the ability of aerobic bacteria and other microscopic life to digest anything. If you have aeration going, that really helps combat the situation. There has been a lot of debate here on the forum regarding adding bacteria to a pond, in the hopes of increasing the rate of sludge decay. The evidence is unclear as to direct benefits. There are many water experts on the forum, so hopefully one of them will chime in.