Your dug out or watering hole is essential for your livestock, but it needn't be an eyesore to your landscaping. Consider utilizing it to enhance your property's Eco system and aesthetic value. With proper planning and consideration it will keep your water healthier, and your livestock healthier.
Stocking your pond with mosquito eating fish will keep that menace down to a manageable level, but there is much more you can do. Your pond is an ecosystem already, stagnant water is a breeding ground, just not for anything good. Stagnant water is an environmental hazard, but unless you have a free flowing river handy you may want to give mother nature a hand in freshening up. If you rely on rainfall or have limited irrigation you should consider any number of the aeration systems available for keeping your water fresh and full of oxygen. Options abound, so let's have a look at how they apply to various situations to help you narrow down the choices for your particular situation.
A high volume pump can circulate the water with very little maintenance and very little electricity. Durable and versatile they are a discrete way to ensure your livestock are drinking fresh water and no worries of skittish or sensitive livestock noticing anything other than fresh water and better health. Sizes and powers vary, so be sure to discuss with your provider the true environment of your pond so they can suggest the perfect option for your needs.
Products like Green Clean can keep the algae levels at bay while not harming the beneficial bacteria to keep your water clear and clean. Weeds are a natural inhabitant and are not a hazard unless they are out of control. They can take over and choke out your watering hole if left unchecked. Healthy bacteria balance is a key element to the survival of the biological micro system that keep your water healthy, regardless of who else lives there. Your watering hole can become your recreation, dual purpose with a little creative stocking. My yard has a watering hole stocked with bass, and neither my horses nor the visiting deer mind sharing with my fishing buddies. Bream and minnows can give your pond active life, and are environmentally very friendly and require very little maintenance.
What if you have a showcase yard though, and the landscaping of your watering hole is just needing a bit of spark? There are fountains to turn your eyesore into the highlight of the entire yard, add some dramatic or subtle lighting to showcase it. From the biological standpoint a fountain aerates – some as effectively as a standard pump, but with flair. High grade commercial fountains are well worth considering, they have warranties and construction that by far surpass the smaller urban residential variety. The lighting actually serves a purpose other than the amazing esthetics as well, properly placed it can also make your watering hole safer. A lot of predators prefer the cover of darkness, and accidents and incidents can be prevented just by having the visual aid of proper lighting.
Your property and your lifestyle are as distinct and individual as you are, there will be a solution for any situation but these are a few of the options you might want to consider to keep your livestock's watering hole healthy from discretely aiding mother nature, to drama and flair, so everyone can enjoy your pond for years to come.