The Science of Ecosystem Restoration
a passive technology restoring the
NATURAL BALANCE
When Treating a water body with Algae Control Australia's Pulsar family of ultrasonics, it is worth considering the below water remediation process in view of getting your water back to its pristine self.
Introducing the PBE enables the water to handle incoming flows of sometimes less than ideal algae and nutrients.
The Prebiotic Bacteria Enhancer (PBE) is a cost effective passive technology which restores the natural balance in aquatic ecosystems by providing a favourable habitat for beneficial bacteria. This is achieved through the provision of bioavailable organic carbon elements infused in a dynamically designed homes to significantly grow the good bacteria in any water body. It contains millions of microscopic capillaries of the size that act as a protective home for all beneficial bacteria. This also creates ideal conditions for the proliferation of bacterial species Bacillus to an extent where the colonies form a microbial mat. The populations of Bacillus are able to convert inorganic phosphorus into forms which become available for other beneficial organisms to consume whilst suppressing detrimental species such as E.coli and Cyanobacteria.
It should also be noted, this product is approved for use in drinking water.
Along the way, this is a great add on to water health where the Pulsar Ultrasonic technology takes care of the algae, this PBE gets your water bodies ecosystem back to being able to fight the many imbalances brought about by changing weather patterns and more so by excessive back flows from irrigation combined with the fertiliser and inorganic residue which has become used as common practise for turf and plant fertilization. Combined with this Bacillus is excellent for consuming the dead sunken algae destroyed by this ultrasonic system along with other dam sludge and organic matter.
It must be noted, that with the presence of the Bacillus and their action towards converting inorganic nutrients to usable forms, that the need for fertilising your turf or plants is much reduced due to these available nutrients now present at higher levels in your water. This has a flow on effect by in turn reducing contaminated runoff and slowing the cycle of inorganic nutrients getting into our waterways.
It should however be noted, that due to the ongoing need to fertilise, this will always be a matter that needs to be monitored and addressed.
Bacillus produces enzymes which split nutrient cells down to a size that the nitrogen cycle bacteria can consume. When you have a nutrient overload the small nutrient cells reattach to the larger ones; this becoming a nitrification inhibitor as the nitrogen cycle bacteria cannot consume these larger nutrient cells.
PBE activates a natural 1000X in Bacillus.
Laboratory conditions show that one Bacillus bacteria becomes 8000 in 10 hours. With the stimulation of PBE, one bacterium becomes 8 million in 10 hours. This then naturally allows more enzyme production to cope with the excess nutrient load, splitting the cells back down to a size the nitrogen cycle bacteria can consume, producing biological nitrate as energy for diatoms and microalgae which then naturally eliminates cyanobacteria (blue-green algae).
Once the cycle of cyanobacteria has been broken the whole aquatic ecosystem is able to regenerate. Nutrient loads to lakes and rivers can be greatly reduced by combining the use of he PBE with the implementation of best management practices and potentially combining with Pulsar Ultrasonic Systems to assist with treating continuous inflows containing over abundant algae and inorganic nutrients. This will result in the aquatic ecosystem of any lake and river to be restored.
PBE doesn’t provide any microbes or bacteria in the water; it is put simply a home for natural bacteria to live and multiply and contains multiple organic forms of carbon as bacterial food. Curtin University has shown that PBE holds 832% more bacteria than normal mediums.
Bacillus bacteria make ammonia more efficiently using an anaerobic process in an aerobic environment. This then allows the limited oxygen supply to go to the nitrogen cycle bacteria to complete the good water cycle, making available nitrate which is then consumed by good micro-algae, diatoms through to zoo plankton. This natural competition within a pond naturally lowers Cyanobacteria levels (blue green algae).
The quantity and size of the PBE used is determined by water surface area for any application and are distributed around the waterbody to enable the bacillus to tret the whole body or water. These last depending on the circumstances from around 6 months to a year where they need to be re-administered.
How PBE controls water weeds
PBE removes the nutrient source from both floating and sludge dwelling weeds due to the fact that they live on "luxury consumption" of nutrients.
String Algae's success comes from its ability to fluctuate phosphate levels, so with high phosphate concentrations these string algae become dominant due to the phosphate itself becoming a nutrification inhibitor. This in turn limits the biological nitrate as nitrogen which is the essential food for microalgae and diatoms and without this competition string algae rapidly become the dominant species in the water system.
In normal phosphate conditions string algae forms an algal mat on the bottom of the lake or pond, where through the process of "luxury consumption" it absorbs and stores the waters available phosphate withing this algal mat.
This leaves the water with no phosphate all but eliminating all microalgae and diatom growth. Once all competition has been depleted string algae releases 100% of this stored phosphate allowing for rapid growth into the water system it is infecting.
- Low to no phosphate levels are growth limiting for microalgae and diatoms
- High phosphate levels are a nutrification inhibitor; no biological nitrate as energy for microalgae & diatoms
Limiting String Algae Outbreaks
PBE maintains the health of bacterial groups within the water system.
In cases of high levels of phosphate PBE resets the biological nitrate production allowing the microalgae and diatoms to compete, thus reducing the string algae outbreaks.
In low phosphate levels PBE is a carbon source needed for beneficial bacteria such as bacillus that produce phosphatase enzymes required to dissolve organic phosphate in order for it to become a bio-available phosphorus.
This process therefore releases the string algae's reserve phosphate back into the environment, restricting the outbreak and enhancing microalgae and diatom development.
Fixing Current String Algae Outbreaks
A needed 2 stage approach is required, this process involves (1) the placement of the PBE blocks to enhance the the natural bacterial community . (2) The addition of organic oil digestive bacteria to remove critical energy reserves making the common unavailable minerals into their available form for microorganisms.
This approach kills the outbreak within 4 weeks and visually removes it within 8 weeks.
As seen in the testimonial below, this process works in the same way for floating weeds such as duck weed which in the right condition will completely cover water surfaces.
Bringing Balance to Problem Water Sources
It is typically recognised that unhealthy water attracts many things which can impact us and our communities and the fight is on to get to the bottom of this and restore this balance.
The most common sign of unhealthy water is plague proportions of (Chironomidae) known as non biting midges which look very similar to mosquitoes, but thrive in waters containing excess rotting plant matter and mineral imbalances.
These midges not only make camping an uncomfortable experience but they are attracted to light, so will form in these plague proportions on lighted houses, making their way inside by the millions if they can. This unbalance quantity of food can also lead to overly large colonies of animals which feed on them like bats which can then also ravish local flora due to their over abundance.
Like our bodies, there is a way to get them in balance, but are we prepared for what it takes?
This is a Heading
6 weeks later
The change in 6 weeks -Image from Gough Park in NSW - "get more" below to see how this was achieved.
