Probiotics for Water: How 100% Natural Biostim Improves Water Quality in Dams, Lakes, and Ponds

We want to talk about Biostim and why it’s such a good solution for all sorts of water problems. We work with a lot of people who get in touch because they have problems with their water, and often, the problem isn’t what they think it is.

But the solution is easy — it’s Biostim. That’s why we want to talk to you about how to treat the causes of problems rather than the symptoms, and why Biostim is the perfect solution.

Treat the Cause, Not the Symptoms

Biostim is one of our favourite products, and the reason why? It actually treats the problem, not the symptom. In most cases, when customers come to us saying, ‘Oh, I’ve got this problem. I’ve got weeds, I’ve got algae, I’ve got odours…’ they’re rarely the actual problems. 

If you treat them, you get caught up in a vicious cycle of treatments, because they will come back again and again. You can’t fix the problem because you aren’t actually treating it: you’re just killing weeds. 

To get rid of the problem, you have to go literally deeper. You’ve got to think about sludge.

Sludge: The Real Issue

The problem is usually a sludge layer on the bottom of the water that’s built up over time from an accumulation of runoff — animal waste, leaf litter, anything organic that falls into the water. Over time, this forms a nutrient-rich layer at the bottom of the water, and the dam can’t flush it or dilute it. It’s just stuck there.

And when you reach that condition, it’s a tipping point, and then you get explosive growth of weeds and algae. That’s when you notice the weeds and algae and think, “I’ve got a weed problem.” You don’t — you actually have a sludge problem.

The sludge is full of nutrients that algae and weeds need to grow. It’s like a fertiliser giving them exactly what they need to be a nuisance. And it’s worse than just that, because the conditions in sludge favour anaerobic bacteria. These guys thrive in poorly oxygenated conditions and produce all sorts of nasty by-products like hydrogen and methane, which can cause the odours you notice.

You can try to neutralise the odours, you can kill off the weeds, you can scoop out the scum… but unless you solve the sludge problem, they’ll always come back. 

That’s why we use Biostim: it gets right to the bottom and treats the problem at its source.

How Biostim Works

You can think of Biostim as probiotics for your dam. You introduce it to the dam, and it stimulates natural bacteria that will go and outcompete the weeds and the algae for nutrients and start feeding off that waste that’s on the bottom of the water. 

Over time, you can literally reduce sludge to nothing under good conditions. One of the key advantages of Biostim is that as conditions improve, your reliance on it becomes less.

It works like this:

1. Biostim encourages aerobic bacteria to grow
2. Aerobic bacteria breaks down nutrients that weeds and algae need to grow, starving them
3. It breaks down organic sludge
4. Natural balance is restored

You might need to treat heavily for the first year or two, but you can back off your dose rate to reduce frequency or dosage over time. As the dam rebalances, your reliance on Biostim — and your spending on the treatment — becomes less over time. 

Why It’s Different From Chemical Treatments

With chemical treatments, you typically keep bombing the water with products. You keep hitting the weeds, the algae — the symptoms of the problem. Eventually, they build up resistance, and you need more and more chemicals. So you add more and more, but the problem keeps coming back.

Because the weeds aren’t even the real problem — so chemicals aren’t the answer. There’s a different problem with a different answer. 

All that dead, rotting material from plants killed by the chemicals falls down to the bottom and becomes more sludge. You’re just feeding the problem, and the merry-go-round continues. 

Biostim is different. It breaks that chemical cycle. It actively breaks down the dead and decaying materials and denies weeds and algae the nutrients they need to survive by encouraging good bacteria to grow.

Biostim: Better With Aeration

Aeration is one of the biggest things you can do to help with water quality problems. We recommend aeration because it’s effective at what it does. When you aerate, you pump oxygen into your water and get the whole water circulating. This removes byproducts like hydrogen and methane from the lower levels of the water and replaces them with oxygen instead. It also breaks up stratified water, preventing thermal layers.

Biostim works best with aeration because the bacteria you’re encouraging are aerobic bacteria: they like oxygen. It’s where they do their best work, which means Biostim does better in well-oxygenated conditions.

So if you can aerate your dam, you will get better results. Still, don’t let that stop you from treating with Biostim — you’ll get great results even without aeration. Aeration just makes it more effective.

Safe, Natural, Stock-Friendly

Biostim is an all-natural solution. It’s safe, so you can have livestock drink from it, people swim in it, and it’s fine to use when you have fish. There are no harmful chemical ingredients.

It’s literally just a stimulant for bacteria that you already have, but want more of. So it’s safe, natural, and stock-friendly — in short, Biostim is absolutely brilliant. We love it.

Ready for a Safer Way to Restore Water Quality? 

Biostim is a fantastic product. We recommend it if you’ve got problems; we definitely recommend it if you want to prevent problems. If you’re ready to use Biostim or need more information, contact us or purchase Biostim at Love My Dam. We offer FREE customised water treatment advice, and can design a solution that works for you