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Biostim Pellets

A natural way to treat sludge and poor water quality

Biostim Pellets are ideal for treating dams, ponds and lagoons with high amounts of sludge, and water moving through them, e.g. irrigation dams.

Biostim Pellets are thrown into water much the same way you feed chickens by scattering the food. The pellets sink to the floor of your waterbody and embed in the sludge. The pellets break down slowly, releasing “good” bacterial strains as well as nutrients and enzymes to grow these populations. The pellets also feed populations of “good” native aerobic bacteria. These “good” bacteria actively produce enzymes, speeding up the breakdown of organic waste, aka sludge and floating suspended debris. They also outcompete "bad" anaerobic bacteria which produce toxins and foul smells.

Key Benefits
  • Wakes up 'good' microbes
  • Sludge reduction
  • Starves out algae + weeds
  • Reduces nutrients in the water
  • Eliminates odours
Ideal for
  • High levels of sludge
  • Nutrient-rich water
  • Flowing water, e.g. irrigation
  • Wastewater

Safe for animals, plants and people

100% natural

4 strains of bacteria + nutrients and enzymes

How does Biostim improve water quality?

Application and Dosage

Note: the following dose rates are guidelines that may need to be increased or decreased according to your individual conditions. Results will depend on factors such as sludge composition, water temperature, and water movement (circulated, aerated water provides best results). It’s recommended you treat your water, monitor the results, and adjust your dose rate based on these results.  

Biostim Pellets are safe for use in waterbodies used by people, animals and plants. Even overdosing your water will not impact the environment. That said, if overdosing in fish ponds, care should be taken to ensure there is adequate aeration.

Instructions

Biostim Pellets are formulated to be tossed into your dam water. Scatter them across the surface like feeding chooks pellet food. The pellets slowly break down over time. Benefits are usually seen after just a couple of weeks with sludge/organic matter being the most significantly reduced over the course of summer when bacteria are most active. Problem areas can be treated heavily without having to treat the entire water body. 

Initial Dosage

12kg per surface acre / per month. This dose rate should be maintained monthly until conditions noticeably improve, then the maintenance dose can be followed.   

Maintenance Dosage

6kg per surface acre / per month. This can be adjusted based on individual results.  

customer story

Algae Reduced by 98% in 11 Weeks Using Biostim

We ran a 3-month trial in a City of Manningham council lake to measure the impact of Biostim probiotics on algae and blue-green algae. Water samples were taken prior to Biostim being used. We then treated the lake with a standard dose of Biostim for 3 months. No other method of treatment was used, e.g. no aerators, chemicals or manual removal took place.

99%

Blue-green algae gone

98%

Algae gone

25%

Nitrogen reduction

57%

Phosphorus reduction

Which Biostim is right for me?

Biostim Pellets

Biostim Tablets

Biostim Powder

Biostim Liquid

Biostim Accelerator

Biostim Booster Block

expert Advice

Need help? I'm Scotty Tucker and I offer FREE advice

I'm happy to take a look at your dam [on Google Maps] and provide FREE advice on the right Biostim product and dosage for you. I can also answer any questions you have on improving water quality.

Biostim Pellets Explained: How They Improve Water Quality

When it comes to treating your dam, we’re always going to advocate for natural solutions, and one of our favourite natural solutions is Biostim Pellets. Biostim Pellets are pellets of probiotics that help to reintroduce and accumulate levels of beneficial bacteria in your dam. Biostim is one of our favourite products as it helps to treat the problem, not just the symptoms. 

What Are Biostim Pellets?

Biostim Pellets are probiotics that feed the beneficial bacteria in your water body. In a similar way to when you’re told to eat Greek yoghurt for the beneficial bacteria, these bacteria actively produce enzymes in your waterbody to help with the breakdown of organic waste in your entire water body.

Often, people turn to us when they notice symptoms, like weed, algae, and pests in their dam. Unfortunately, many chemical solutions only treat these symptoms rather than their root cause. Biostim Pellets treat the cause by starving algae and weeds, reducing sludge, and cleaning up the organic waste in your dam.

Biostim is a natural solution. Unlike chemical solutions which will kill off the weeds but leave you with even more organic material at the bottom of your dam, Biostim Pellets slowly break down the sludge and introduce bacteria that actively produce enzymes, speeding up the breakdown of sludge, organic matter, and aquatic weeds.

As the natural solution, Biostim is more likely to show consistent results. In fact, in a test we found that in 11 weeks of Biostim treatment, 98% of algae and 99% of blue-green algae were eradicated.

Unlike other solutions, using Biostim Pellets means using less and less of the product over time. While your dam may need to be treated heavily in the beginning, once the levels of aerobic bacteria increase and bacterial cultures are levelled off, you will likely only need a maintenance dose every now and again.

How Do Biostim Pellets Improve Water Quality?

So, how do Biostim Pellets actually work? When you have a layer of sludge (organic matter) in your dam, you’ll find that you have a problem with algae and weeds. This is because the organic material in your dam is producing too many nutrients, leading to the overgrowth of algae and weeds.

By stimulating naturally occurring bacteria with Biostim Pellets, you will starve the organic material, degrading sludge, and other waste of its food source because the bacterial cultures will outcompete it. With a reduction in decaying organic material, your weed and algae problem will become obsolete over time.

Essentially, with Biostim, you’re adding sludge-eating microbes to your dam and ensuring that the bacteria eventually starve the organic sludge, leading to a better-balanced aquatic system in just a couple of weeks.

When Should I Use Biostim Pellets?

There are many different types of treatment products that you can use, but if you’ve been struggling for weeks with sludge, organic waste, and weeds, then Biostim products might be the best choice for you. Which type should you choose, though? There are options for liquid, powder, tablets, and pellets in our range, so which style is most suited to your problem?

You should use Biostim Pellets if:

  • You have a large body of water but are only looking to treat localised areas. For example, around a jetty, where you’re having trouble with weeds and algae.
  • You’re using your dam for irrigation and want to reduce the amount of sludge being pulled up through the irrigation suction pipes.
  • Your dam has a high flow through where water doesn’t remain in the body very long and so liquid may be sucked out quickly, whereas pellets can be dropped in regularly. They sink straight to the bottom and begin working on the sludge immediately, making them less likely to be pulled out of the dam.

For your initial dose, it is recommended that you use about 12kg of pellets per surface acre per month. For a maintenance dose, 6kg per surface acre per month is perfect. You should stick with the initial dose rate until you can see a noticeable difference, then reduce it to the maintenance dose.

Be aware that the water quality, sludge composition, water temperature, and water movement in your dam will impact the treatment and how quickly the Biostim works.

Benefits of Biostim Pellets

  • Targets specific areas: Unlike liquid and powder products, we recommend Biostim Pellet products for targeting specific areas. You may have noticed a buildup around your irrigation pipes, your jetty, or other areas in your dam. Biostim Pellets can be used in this specific area to deal with the problem.
  • Targets the problem, not the symptoms: Our Biostim products are specifically designed to starve the nutrient source of the weeds and algae that are causing your problems. Unlike alternative treatments, this is a long-term solution meant to last.
  • Reduces weeds, algae, and odours: Weeds, algae, and odours aren’t particularly inviting in your dam, and our Biostim Pellets help treat them.
  • Non-toxic and chemical-free: Biostim is a natural solution to your problem. As a chemical-free, non-toxic solution, you can still use the dam for irrigation, feeding, and leisure, even when using the pellets.

Tips for Using Biostim Pellets

  • Remember that your unique dam may need a unique dosage for Biostim Pellets. Our dosage guidelines are a recommendation, but feel free to increase or decrease them to find the perfect fit for you.
  • Our Biostim products work particularly well when coupled with aeration. This is because aeration introduces that all-important oxygen into your dam, which the good bacteria love. So, if you can aerate your dam while treating it, then do so.

"Since WQS installed the aerator, we've not had a single algae problem. In our smaller ponds that are too small for aerators we used Biostim pellets on their own and have noticed a huge reduction in algae.”

Andy Hart

Horticultural Curator—Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources, Adelaide

“We had a nutrient-rich stormwater lake that was having continuous problems with algae. We were previously treating the nutrients with a liquid solution that would just end up getting flushed away with the outgoing water. Scott recommended we switch to Biostim pellets which were exactly what we needed.”

Giles Pickard

Environment Project Officer, City of Subiaco

“Visiting ducks and our pet geese were continuously fouling the dam. WQS recommended a number of systems to improve the water quality. We are very happy with our final choice, the windmill aeration system. This combined with the Biostim pellets and liquid are cleaning up the dirty dam. Everything WQS said would happen has happened!”

Greg Lewis

Canterbury, Victoria

“We had an urgent problem—our old irrigation system had blockages from weeds. Our dam was also riddled with black sludge. Scott recommended both aeration and biologicals and within six weeks the dam became so clear I could see to the bottom of it for the first time in years! I was chuffed that we could fix the issue without the use of chemicals.”

Michael Grant

Owner, Grant’s Citrus Farm
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