News for February 2009
Why aeration? A quick overview.
I have a lot of customers call me wanting “aeration”. Somebody said they needed it, or they heard that they were missing it and wanted to know where it was. Chances are, they actually do need it. But very few people have an understanding of what aeration is and what it accomplishes. Hopefully, I can shed a bit of light on the subject explaining the three biggest benefits of pond aeration.
Aeration is simply “ to supply or impregnate (as the soil or a liquid) with air”, as per Merriam-Webster dictionary. The end result in our application is dissolved oxygen (DO).
So how does dissolved oxygen benefit our pond? First, it keeps oxygen in the water allowing fish to thrive. It allows for a greater fish density which may be of interest to fishermen.
This oxygen also allows for a greater rate of aerobic decomposition. It helps the natural aerobic (oxygen breathing) bacteria break down detritus and dead plant life that settles on the bottom of the pond. The aerobic bacteria that breaks this down works a much quicker rate than anaerobic bacteria. Less decaying matter leaves less nutrients for growing algae and other pond plant life. Simply put, it reduces the growth of the aquatic plant life that can take over your pond.
Physical aeration also breaks up the stratified layers of a pond. Ponds will settle into layers based on chemical composition, gas levels, and water temperature. Moving these layers keeps your pond moving and reduces the risk of your pond “turning over” leading to fish kills.
These benefits of pond aeration can be paramount in maintaining the health and beauty of a pond and its inhabitants. If you are lucky enough to have water moving into the pond, be it from a spring or series of springs or streams dumping into and flowing out of you pond, you may receive enough aeration naturally to suffice. Larger ponds with more surface area tend to be aerated by the wind. If your pond doesn’t exhibit these conditions (and most don’t) then physical aeration might be what you are looking for.
Edited: February 17th, 2009