Bacteria are very minute organisms; we can say that they are microscopic, generally about 0.5 and 1.5 (m in length (1/10000 of a cm) and can only be seen through a high powered light microscope. They usually live as single cells or as colonies, and they can consume a wide variety of food, which included organism and inorganic material. Bacteria reproduce asexually by budding off other bacteria, and then giving them a copy of their DNA. Bacteria are well adapted in all kinds of ecosystems on Earth and as man create new niches or materials, it not surprising that bacteria have started colonizing these things and they are also starting to break down as a source of their energy.

The fact that bacteria can be very versatile and flexible, it is no wonder they started incorporating bacteria in our pond. We all know that the bacterial digestion of the toxic ammonia into nitrites, which will be turned to nitrates, is at the top of every pond keeper’s list when you ask them about the role of bacteria in maintaining good quality pond. It is because excessive ammonia is one of the major threats to the ponds in our backyard. Naturally, our pond has a tolerable amount of good bacteria that will help clean and improve the health of the pond water. Ponds that have a very high amount of nutrient load from dead plants and algae have a very low level of oxygen. This is where the good bacteria will come into the picture. If good bacteria will be added to these ponds, it will have a good probability of increasing the chance of cleaning the pond water. The more good bacteria are available, the more chances of cleaning the water and speeding up of the decomposition of sludge. As the nutrient level will somewhat decrease, there’s a great possibility that this time, the amount of oxygen will increase, and the water will be cleaner.

There are commercially available Beneficial Bacteria in the market. Others are in a form of a packet, which can be directly thrown into the pond. Others are in a form of liquid which can be poured or sprayed in to the pond. The most reliable though would be the naturally occurring bacteria in our pond. There are a lot of types of bacteria that can be found naturally in our pond. We have heterotrophic bacteria and autotrophic bacteria.

Heterotrophic bacteria usually consumes and breakdown organic things. Heterotrophic bacteria are usually play a bigger role in a mud pond because mud ponds are just plain organically rich. Usually, mud ponds will immediately accumulate organism’s matter in the silty, soft pond bottom. Heterotrophic bacteria have more opportunities to take advantage to the organism matter on the bottom part of the pond.

Autotrophic bacteria on the other hand, gains energy from the chemical bonds that make up inorganic compound like ammonia, phosphate and sulphates. These bacteria are the cause of the breakdown of the nitrogenous compound in our pond. There are a lot of different bacteria that do the job, but the most common bacteria noted in this kind of activity are Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter. Another strains of bacteria that are present in the pond water are Nitrocystis and Nitrosogloea. Since there are no mechanical filters in ordinary mud ponds, or the usual back yard pond, these bacteria will cover exposed hard surfaces which include the microscopic particles of clay suspended in the water. It will look like a bed of filter. They are now in charge of inorganic compounds such as sulphates and phosphates.

To sum it all up, we can say that there is really a diverse species in our pond. The bacteria are at the center of the recycling nutrients in our ponds, and the bio-processes occurring rely solely to the regular throughput of products by these bacteria.

Regina Scott is a chemist from a well-known water treatment company. Visit http://www.hydra-aqua.us to view complete inventory of water treatment bacteria and aquatic products.