Biostim Pellets provide a natural, biological solution for sludge build in dams and ponds. Packed with beneficial bacteria and stimulants, they sink to the dam bottom, digest nutrient-rich organic muck, and reduce algae and weed growth. Applied monthly and combined with aeration, they improve water clarity and maintain long-term water health without expensive dredging or mechanical removal.
Summary
Reducing Sludge with Biostim Pellets
One of the most common problems we see in dams and ponds is the gradual buildup of organic muck. It might look harmless, but over time, it causes water quality issues, and it can be difficult to live with.
Fortunately, there’s a simple, natural way to deal with sludge: Biostim Pellets or Biostim Tablets. But first, we need to understand what sludge is and why it’s so difficult to remove.
What Is Sludge?
Sludge is a layer of organic muck — basically anything organic that comes into your dam through runoff or animals ultimately goes down to the bottom of the dam and slowly degrades to become a nutrient-rich sediment.
If you’ve ever waded into a dam or pond and seen a cloudy, muddy plume rise when you’ve disturbed the bottom, that’s sludge. And it can have a rotten stink that comes from anaerobic decomposition.
The problem with sludge isn’t just that it’s smelly or unpleasant to step in. It’s loaded with nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus — the exact nutrients algae and aquatic weeds love. The more sludge you have, the more algae and weeds you’ll get.
And you can’t just scoop it out — it just runs kind of like sand running through your hands. You can’t actually grab it.
Why Removing Sludge is So Difficult
Physically removing sludge usually means dredging or pumping. It’s very invasive and expensive. Excavators can damage embankments, and even small-scale sludge removal systems can cost thousands of dollars.
Biostim Pellets and Tablets avoid all that: they remove sludge biologically instead of mechanically.
Biostim Pellets: What They Are, and How They Work
Biostim Pellets were initially developed for the wastewater treatment industry, where removing organic sludge is a serious challenge. In industrial settings, desludging by physical removal can be extremely expensive. Many local landfills won’t even accept this kind of material when it’s removed.
But Biostim Pellets changed the approach. Each pellet is full of biological stimulants designed to encourage the growth of beneficial bacteria. When you throw them into a dam or pond, they sink right to the bottom — right to the sludge. It sinks straight down at the bottom, and it degrades sludge; it basically digests it. You can take sludge that’s thick and slowly, over time, reduce — and hopefully completely eliminate — the need for expensive dredging.
Organic sludge is very rich in nutrients, so it acts as compost; it’s like a compost fertiliser for weeds and algae. So if you can get rid of that sludge and out-compete it by dropping in beneficial bacteria that’s going to feed off that stuff, then your long-term problems with algae and weeds are going to get better.
How to Use Biostim Pellets
Biostim pellets come in handy tubs, and they’re easy to apply. You just scatter them into areas you want to reduce sludge — or across the whole dam if you’re treating a larger system.
– Typical dose: around 5 kilograms per surface area
– Frequency: monthly treatments until the sludge improves
– Aeration: highly recommended, since the bacteria perform best in oxygen-rich water
It doesn’t really matter what’s happening with the water up above, so it doesn’t matter if the dam is really deep. It doesn’t matter if the water is rushing through an irrigation dam; you’re actually treating the bottom. That’s one of the key advantages of it in irrigation dams: you can have as much water coming in and out of the dam as possible, and it doesn’t really matter because this stuff’s going to work on the bottom.
It also means that you’re able to treat certain areas locally, so if you have a really large reservoir, you don’t want to treat the entire dam, or if you’ve got certain problem areas that you want to get rid of sludge, you can do that. You can even protect certain areas from sludge and muck, like a suction line and a float going out over your dam. Biostim Pellets are ideal for local treatment.
As the bacteria get established, you’ll see the sludge layer shrink and water clarity improve. Weed growth should drop off. Regular treatments help keep this balanced and ensure the system stays healthy over the long term.
A Natural, Ongoing Solution
You should think of Biostim Pellets as your dam or pond’s ongoing maintenance routine — like fertilising your lawn, but for the health of your water. When combined with aeration, they work even more effectively by keeping oxygen levels up and helping bacteria thrive.
Most of the activity happens in the early stages after each treatment. You’ll chuck them in and get lots of action, and it’ll slowly stop. That’s the bacteria multiplying and digesting the sludge. When it stops, you stimulate it again, and you keep that cycle going until the system balances out.
Over time, you’ll notice the difference: your dam or pond will become cleaner, healthier, and easier to maintain — without heavy machinery or massive expense.
Ready to Learn More?
If you’re dealing with sludge, odours, or algae in your water, Biostim Pellets might be the perfect solution. They’re safe, effective, and proven in wastewater and environmental applications.
Get in touch with us to learn more about biological treatments and how they can help you ensure the best water quality.
