Mosquitoes in Fish Ponds And Why Sand Is Bad For Backyard Ponds
how can adding sand to a backyard fish pond encourage mosquitoes?
You are probably wondering what mosquitoes and placing sand on the pond floor have got to do with each other? Mosquitoes like stagnant ponds, without moving water. The addition of sand to a garden pond will cause stagnant areas to develop, and with it unwanted insects and other pond hassles and concerns.
If a fish pond is well looked after there will be very few mosquitoes anyway! When I say looked after I mean that there must be adequate circulation and excellent pond filtration in place. If the pond contains fish they will use the mosquitoes as a food source.
Mosquito larvae are a natural food source in fish ponds and natural water ways as they spend the majority of their life beneath the water surface.
The ponds that suffer from mosquitoes are those ponds which have poor water circulation, no fish and have stagnant areas, such as those created by barrel features. If you want to avoid mosquitoes in your pond then add a few small gold fish.
Many pond keepers utilize a layer of sand on the pond floor or marginal shelves to facilitate planting of aquatic plants … STOP DOING THIS! Other pond keepers utilize a mechanical sand filter as a means to purify the pond water. The opposite couldn't be nearer to the truth. Under no circumstances add sand, either on its own or in a pond filter into your garden pond. The exception to this would be a fluidized sand filter, which has been specifically designed to operate in a garden pond.
The reason I say this is because sand over a length of time will mix with organic waste, fish excrement and uneaten fish food. This coupled with the fact that oxygen will not be able to reach these organic products will cause decaying to take place. Decaying organic matter as a by product produces ammonia, carbon dioxide and uses up oxygen. In other words adding sand to any garden pond is a no brainer! The accumulation of this rotting matter also encourages the build up of anaerobic bacteria (bacteria that do not need oxygen to survive). These bacteria are responsible for the nasty smells and are often the cause of pond fish health problems.
Have you ever lifted a bull rush or similar plant from the margins of a natural pond? If so you will almost certainly have come into contact with the products of anaerobic bacterial action ... gases that stink. The challenge in any pond is to keep the bottom totally clean. This is the reason for installing bottom drains in larger koi ponds.
