Posts Tagged “Pond dye”
A pond always adds something to a property. Whether it adds something that is visually appealing is another matter. Like other natural property features, ponds require regular maintenance to retain a striking appearance. For domestic ponds, maintenance typically consists of removing leaves, stopping excess algae growth, and taming water weeds—measures that keep them free of debris, but slightly improve watercolor. To improve the color of pond water, property owners need pond dye, which is a food grade colorant that comes in aqua, black, and shades of blue.
Water Colorant Basics
The thought of dying pond water an artificial color causes some to question the safety of blue lake dye, but the colorant produces no ill effects to fish or other aquatic life. In fact, water colorant can help fish by making them harder for predators to see from the air. Property owners who are not familiar with the effects of water colorant should remember the following points:
- A single application usually lasts six to eight weeks
- The product does not stain
- It does not contain toxic chemicals
- It can be applied in any season
Water dye is available in dry packs and liquid form. The latter disperses the fastest, often coloring a medium size pond in a matter of hours.
Pre-Application Measures
Ponds that are poorly maintained are rarely in the best condition to receive water colorant. Although the colorant would still change the color of the water, the change would appear more pleasing if the measures below were taken first.
Remove Large Debris
Large debris such as tree limbs presents two problems: it draws attention away from the finer aspects of a pond, and it contributes to murky water as it decomposes. These problems are magnified when an entire tree is in the water. Requesting the help of a tree service is the safest way to remove trees and large limbs from a body of water.
Remove Particulate Matter
Blue Lake dye can change the color of a water despite how much particulate matter it contains, but removing the matter with a water filter helps give the water a translucent appearance after pond dye is applied. The best filters use a mechanical filtration unit or biological agents to remove particulate matter.
Remove Excess Algae
Excess algae start as small accumulations of algae that float idly at the surface. In a short time, they become large accumulations that look like islands. Unless algaecide is used, the accumulations eventually fuse together and cover the water surface, rendering the effect of water colorant unnoticeable.
Remove Water Weeds
Like algae, water weeds overtake the surface of a pond. They might also lurk beneath the water surface, leeching the water of oxygen that fish and other aquatic life need to live. Waterweeds can be eliminated with herbicide. Implementing a filter system that removes excess nutrients from the water helps prevent them from growing back.
Call Aquadye for Water Colorant
Taking the measures above, and then applying blue lake dye dramatically improves the appearance of pond water. When property owners are ready to change the color of a pond from murky to magnificent, Aquadye is ready to supply the pond dye products they need to accomplish this task. To learn about the benefits and uses for water colorant, browse through our website, or call us today.
The appearance of a domestic water body often affects the appearance of the nearby home. A private lake maintained with pond dye, algaecide, and other maintenance strategies is a great place for afternoons of fishing, parties on summer evenings, and even wedding receptions, but a lake that lacks maintenance is only fit for “frog gigging.” When homeowners stop maintaining a lake, it only takes a few weeks for the water to change from beautiful to brackish; and the decline detracts from the appearance of surrounding property.
Maintaining Ponds and Lakes
Pond and lake maintenance techniques range from installing special filters to applying pond water dye. To get the best results, the key is to choose techniques that address the needs of a particular body of water. With that said, the techniques below significantly improve the appearance of most ponds and lakes.
Applying Algaecide
Not all lakes and ponds need algaecide, but those that have not been maintained usually do need it. The classic sign of excess algae is masses of green sludge floating at the surface. If left unchecked, these masses coalesce to form a large mass that covers a pond or lake’s entire surface. Applying regular doses of algaecide prevents algae buildup from happening.
Applying a Sludge Digester
Many lakes develop a layer of sludge at the bottom that causes them to smell like rotten vegetable matter, encourages weeds and algae to grow out of control, and produces oxygen swings that can harm plants and fish. Sludge digester—an organic product that is not harmful to fish, humans, animals, or plants—helps prevent these problems. Before applying the product, property owners should calculate the amount that is needed based on the volume of the lake.
Applying Colorant
Pond dye does what no other maintenance measure can: it changes the color of the water. In addition to beautifying water, it also inhibits the growth of algae by limiting the UV rays it receives. Available in aqua, blue, dark blue, and black, Pond water dye lasts six to eight weeks. It is non-staining and does not harm fish, humans, animals, or plants.
Implement a Filter
Several types of filters are available for lakes and ponds, from floating vacuums to stationary pumps. Filters are used to remove particulate matter and excess nutrients that encourage weed and algae growth. In doing so, they make the water less murky and reduce the need for algaecide and herbicide. Property owners should consult a lake maintenance company before they select a filter.
Does Your Lake or Pond Appear Murky?
If so, Aquadye has pond water dye that will solve the problem. Available in aqua, blue, dark blue, and black, our eco friendly pond dye is the ideal finishing touch for lakes that are free of excess algae, weeds, sludge, and particulate matter that make bodies of water smell bad and appear ignored. In combination, the maintenance strategies listed above can turn a private lake from an eyesore into a place that is perfect for summer fun.
Water colorant products have uses besides their most obvious one: improving the coloration of lakes and ponds, particularly those that occupy yard settings or manicured woods settings. Below, we give an overview of some of the purported uses of water colorant products and evaluate the legitimacy of each.
1. Improving Water Color
Pond dye improves water color by coloring away sediments that give ponds and lakes a greenish brown color. Depending on a water body’s water turnover ratio, the rate at which old water cycles out as new cycles in, a full application usually lasts 6-8 weeks. With a 1-gallon supply of maintenance strength dye that covers 2 acre feet of water costing roughly $50, dye offers an affordable way to maintain an improved appearance in a pond or lake.
2. Protecting Fish Against Predators
Some owners of fish stocked lakes apply water colorant to make their fish more invisible to predators. Although not intended as a protector of fish against land and airborne predators, when applied in sufficient quantities, dye can indeed make fish harder to see. In most cases, this is a potential side benefit of applying colorant to improve water quality.
3. Preventing Algae Growth
While some dye companies promote their products as algae killers, pond dyes are not algaecides. Their reputation for killing algae comes from that fact that, when applied in sufficient quantities, they prevent sunlight from reaching deep growing algae. Applying dye after algaecide may help to preserve algaecide’s effects, but it won’t kill away algae that threatens to overtake a lake or pond’s surface.
4. Preventing Freezing
If you live in a moderate climate and apply dark colorant to your lake or pond in the winter, you may keep it from freezing due to the heat absorption quality of the dye. However, there are also colorants that are marketed as “temperature raising,” with their purpose being to prevent lakes/ponds from freezing solid and killing certain fish, such as ornamental varieties.
5. Improving Property Value
While improved landscaping and other improvements to an out of control pond or lake may improve your property’s value, simply applying dyes won’t. Dyes can, however, make your property more attractive to potential buyers, as lakes and ponds that have poor color can become eyesores that decrease your property’s attractiveness.
6. Keeping Away Unwanted Pests
The idea that colorants keeps away unwanted pests, such as snakes, snapping turtles, and insects is a myth based on the impression that such pests wouldn’t be found in a beautifully colored pond or lake. Because lake/pond dyes are food grade dye, they aren’t harmful to fish, reptiles, or other creatures, and therefore don’t serve as a preventative for pests.