7. Is it important or useful to anchor my BioHaven in one spot? If so, how are they anchored?
Answer: A disadvantage of leaving your BioHaven unanchored is that if your pond’s water level changes your island may hang up against a shoreline & this is not always practical. All islands come with anchor attachment points through which an anchor "rope" can be inserted.  We recommend you use chain for large islands, sturdy cord for smaller islands. A heavy object can then be tied to the other end and lowered to bottom. Be sure to allow enough slack for fluctuations in the water level.  Alternatively you can tether your island to the shore, which has some advantages in making it accessible.  We recommend positioning your island in an optimal spot by tying an anchor cord or rope to the single clip that comes with your BioHaven Island.

8. What do I do if a tree or some other large plant “volunteers” on my small BioHaven Island?
Answer: We recommend that you remove such plants from your island. Pruning them back aggressively should also work. On the other hand, a large BioHaven can support about two pounds of additional negative buoyancy per square foot. So in other words, a 500 square foot BioHaven can support up to 1000 pounds of weight, which might include people, picnic tables, or some other waterscape option. We often use rocks on BioHavens as habitat features. BioHavens can be made in any size, and can be customized to achieve higher levels of buoyancy if desired.

9. How does a BioHaven FTW improve water quality?
Answer: Many bodies of water associated with agriculture or septic systems or storm water management or lawn and garden fertilizers carry an unnaturally high nutrient load. This can result in a wide range of serious water quality problems. BioHavens represent a holistic way to “mine” these problem causing nutrients out of your waterway and convert them into a beautiful and wildlife enhancing floating island habitat.

10. Do BioHaven Islands leach harmful substances such as Bisphenol-A into the water?
No. BioHaven Islands are made from PET or PP, which do not use BPA in its manufacture, and is not known to leach any other substances into water. It is the plastic used in most drink bottles and is safe around water. In fact, there is scientific evidence that BioHavens are net absorbers of BPA - in other words, they remove it from water. Please see our Research section.

11. Will a BioHaven FTW eliminate algae from my pond?
Answer: No. However, your BioHaven FTW of sufficient size and development will help prevent algae from developing into a monoculture in your waterway.

12. Will a BioHaven FTW make my pond’s water clear?
Answer: BioHaven FTW's attract and bond suspended solids and colloidal into the island matrix where they will ultimately become soil and plants, beneficial microbes and bio-gas. Some of these solids will also be sequestered into other life forms like damsel fly nymphs and fish. If you prefer to keep your BioHaven Island functioning optimally as a biofilter, the island can be harvested or removed from your pond and the matrix rinsed off. This will keep the BioHaven’s orifices open and able to collect more of the suspended solids and other fines that reduce your water clarity. This can be done as often as once every two months.  In most applications the harvesting or removal of islands is not necessary to achieve long term benefit from BioHaven FTW's.

13. What about Buoyancy?
The buoyancy standard for BioHavens is 5 lbs per square foot, which equates to 55 lbs per square meter. This is the standard for our 8" thick islands. We also make modules that are five feet by 8 feet by 10"s thick, which have a 12 lb per square foot buoyancy standard. Adding additional buoyancy is easy, but does reduce the biomediation quotient. In other words, there will be less surface area for microbial colonization as we add more buoyancy so more buoyancy equates to less pollution reduction.
If we foamed the entire matrix with foam, then a cubic foot of island would displace 64 lbs of water. The weight of the foam is a designable number, but if the foam weighed four pounds and the island was 12 inches thick, then the island would offer 60 lbs of buoyancy per square foot of top surface. The islands can be made of any thickness, so accordingly there is no maximum....we can provide whatever buoyancy you require.

14. My city installed a BioHaven in a retention pond near my home. It has done a great job of removing filamentous algae but there's still duckweed and watermeal present. Will it remove these or do I need to use an herbicide such as Sonar? What impact would this have on the island and its vegetation?
Answer: The plants and especially the microbes that occur on a floating island, will seriously compete for nutrients with all of the other biota in your pond, including watermeal and duckweed. We do not know what impact a toxic chemical will have on either the island plants, or the microbes, that cause our floating islands to work. In fact, the buoyancy of floating islands, which is in part provided by the biogas produced by microbes, can be negatively impacted by some chemicals.
Perhaps the best option is to find a way to limit the nutrients getting into the water. Another option is to experiment with the chemical in question and closely watch the performance, particularly the buoyancy of your floating island. Another option is more floating islands...and the shade that they provide, as well as the additional competition for nutrients will help with overall water quality.
Another variable is to expand aeration of the water. In research that we have been exposed to, well aerated water will almost triple the nutrient uptake capability of our floating islands. Another option is to simply wait...over time the pond will develop a new balance. Perhaps over the next couple of seasons the islands can reduce the nutrient loading enough to favorably impact the volume of watermeal and duckweed.

15. Will a BioHaven ultimately grow and cover my entire pond?
Answer: Evidence from the wild, peat based floating islands we emulate indicates that while this is a possibility, it will take a long time. In some applications, like wetland restoration associated with Mississippi river delta, we hope to achieve high growth rates on very large floating islands. For most ponds however the quickest way to expand your floating island is to purchase another.

16. Must I inoculate my BioHaven with beneficial microbes for it to work at improving water quality?
Answer: No, your BioHaven will attract beneficial microbes that are most likely already present within your waterway. Your BioHaven will also provide water quality benefits as it filters suspended solids and colloidals from the water. However, your island is likely to be even more effective at competing with algae if you do dose it with beneficial microbes, for which our distributors are sources. To inoculate a BioHaven simply drop one of our water soluble half pound bags adjacent to the island’s edge, ideally on the upstream or windward side of the island, so the microbes filter into the island.

17. Are BioHavens safe?
Answer: Small BioHavens do not represent a safety issue that we know of. Larger ones could represent a boating hazard and we recommend that they be well marked so as to be visible under all conditions. Unless your BioHaven has been specially designed to support human activity, we recommend that you do not walk on them, or swim adjacent or underneath them. Roots that grow through BioHavens could represent a serious swimming or diving issue.

18. Do BioHavens attract mosquitoes?
Answer: No, they do just the opposite - they attract fish, nymphs, and other insects that actually consume mosquito larvae. Also, carnivorous plants that eat mosquitoes occur on wild floating islands and would no doubt be readily grown on BioHavens.

19. How long will a BioHaven last?
The oldest BioHavens have gone through eight Montana winters and are doing just fine. There is no reason we know of why they should not last indefinitely.

PLASTIC LIFE:
Our island matrix is made from 100% Recycled Plastic. Plastic, as we know represents a challenge in waste management settings (as it doesn’t biodegrade like many other items that end up there), if protected from UV exposure, it will last indefinitely.
Our design for BioHavens takes advantage of this feature. When a BioHaven is launched, it is covered with a UV protection substrate. This may be BioMix, a peat-based bedding mix, coir or jute, or gravel. Other materials like natural or synthetic latex may also be used.

GAS BUBBLE:
The BioHaven in effect "seeds" a natural system. As the growing cycle causes plants to mature, die off and leave their detritus; and as biofilm grows on and within the islands, giving rise to all kinds of life; this process of life releases gas as a by-product. This ensures the buoyancy of the BioHaven in the long term. 
Off-gasing occurs within the island and contributes to buoyancy over time. These gases keep the natural peat islands afloat.  It is recommend that when launching an island, the plastic matrix is completely covered with plants, BioMix or sod to minimize UV exposure.

20. Will a BioHaven plug up?
We don't believe so. Even if the island is accumulating solids and biofilm inside the matrix, it is constantly being "eaten" by fish and other small (or large) life forms. The heavier stuff will tend to slough off into the sediment below. This is unlike a constructed wetland, which will tend to plug up in due course.

21. Can BioHavens be used as floating walkways?
Yes, but such a BioHaven would need to be customized to support the specified loads. BioHavens can also be used as green docks or piers when built specifically for such purposes.

22. Can BioHavens help fight bank erosion? Will they prevent wave erosion?
• A strategically positioned BioHaven can function as a breakwater.
• BioHavens will dampen wave action.
• Extensive testing is currently being carried out with a noted hydraulics lab to quantify the wave dampening effects of a BioHaven.

23. Will BioHavens flourish indoors?
Aquarium and rock garden scale BioHavens can survive indoors, and provide an interesting new option in such settings. Appropriate full spectrum lighting is required for optimal performance. Inquire for more info.

24. Can I launch a BioHaven myself or do I need a professional to do it?
• BioHavens are straightforward to launch, once the instructions are fully understood, there are also many advantages to getting trained help. All standard BioHaven models come with full instructions, and without any prior training, it is possible to successfully launch them. However, the more site variables there are (slope, limited access to water), the more you are likely to benefit from trained assistance.
• Once you get into the larger islands (130 sq ft and above) they require more manpower to assemble.
• Custom-built BioHavens will always require professional installation to validate our warranty. The advantage of getting a trained professional is the same as in any other field: peace of mind is assured and any problems are likely to be anticipated and solved more easily. Most of our Distributors provide professional launching services, and they can advise with sizing, planting and placement of your BioHaven.
• Living Walkways and docks are always installed by professionals.