It’s early spring in Wisconsin and the ice just finished disappearing from your pond. You’re excited to transition from an ice-covered pond to one that’s firing on all cylinders and in great health. You know you have some organic material on the pond bottom and you want to get your Macro-Zyme bacteria in the pond so it can start doing its job. But don’t get too over anxious, you need that water to warm up a bit before we start putting Macro-Zyme into the pond.
Macro-Zyme is an extremely high concentration of facultative anaerobic bacteria that rapidly reproduces and consumes organic matter on the pond bottom. Macro-Zyme is living bacteria so just like humans, they slow down when the water gets cold. The effective water temperature range for using Macrozyme is 55-110 degrees F. The optimum temperature range is 75-90 F and you’ll get your maximum growth at temps of 80-85. So, if your water is below 55 degrees the bacteria will not reproduce and you’re just throwing your money into the pond without getting a return on that investment.
States that don’t get the frigid temperatures we get here in Wisconsin can possibly use Macro-Zyme year-round, but they just need to keep an eye on their water temperature and may have to stop adding Macro-Zyme for a couple months in the colder months. Some ponds won’t warm above 55 degrees until May or later so we have a short window to get that bacteria into ponds and have it work to its full capabilities. Also, in the fall keep an eye on that water temperature as it could drop below 55 as early as September.
Macro-Zyme works in both the presence and absence of oxygen. But the process is sped up with oxygen levels greater than 2ppm. So if you don’t already have some sort of surface or sub-surface aeration in your pond be sure to add something to speed up that muck decomposition and get your pond in tip top shape.
If you need assistance in applying Macro-Zyme to your pond, Kasco’s aeration experts are here to help. Contact us at 715-262-4488 or email support@kascomarine.com.