sludge treatment

How to Get Rid of Sludge from a Dam

Forget dredging, digging and nasty chemicals. Follow these two simple steps to reduce sludge in your dam by up to 5-10cm each month.

Follow the two steps below then wait 6-8 weeks for results.

These methods are 100% natural and focus on tackling the problem (not just the symptom), ensuring you aren’t just reducing sludge this season but for every season to come.

Step 1

Increase aeration

Aeration means adding oxygen to your water. This provides ideal conditions for “good” aerobic bacteria to grow in number. These “good” guys eat organic material—feeding on the sludge on the floor of your dam as well as floating organic debris (e.g. leaves, bird poo, micro-organisms). So, as well as reducing the current sludge in your dam, these “good” microbes reduce the rate at which new sludge piles up. That means, less sludge this season and next.

How does aeration decrease sludge

Step 2

Add Biostim Pellets/Tablets

Biostim is a probiotic that feeds the “good” bacteria in your dam, growing their populations. As mentioned above, these guys eat the sludge on the floor of your dam and reduce the amount of new organic build-up—by consuming suspended organic material before it becomes sludge. We recommend Biostim Pellets or Biostim Tablets because they sink to the floor and embed in the sludge, making them more effective at eradicating this layer of decaying organic material.

How does Biostim improve water quality?

e-store

Biostim Sludge Reducer Bundles

This bundle includes Biostim Tablets and Biostim Powder—everything you need to build an army of “good” bacteria who will eat away your sludge and limit incoming sludge.

The Biostim Tablets sink and settle in the sludge so "good" bacteria can get to work eating away at the sludge already there. The Biostim Powder doses the water column before settling on the floor and coating the sludge. This allows "good" bacteria to occupy greater areas of the water body where they can consume suspended decaying organic material before it reaches the floor and becomes sludge.

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 type of aerator, motor size and placement. I can also answer any questions you have on improving water quality.

"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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