The purpose of a fish pond aerator

(For aerators from Living Water Aeration click here, for others click here - you will be forwarded to the bottom of this page) Pond aeration equipment is a vital part of any pond set up; these are mostly supplied as pond aeration kits which will comprise of a pond aerator pump, with special pond aeration tubing and a pond aeration diffuser.

A pond will deteriorate if it does not have enough pond aeration with proper pond aerators to raise the dissolved oxygen level to meet the demand of the plants, fishes, and other organisms in the pond especially those located on the bottom. As soon as the pond deteriorates, stratification will occur and sludge and debris will start to settle on the bottom of the pond which will produce toxic gases. These gases make it difficult for the organisms in the pond to survive especially the fishes and other bottom dwelling organisms that help keep the pond clean. The fishes as well as the bottom dwellers will be prone to diseases or even death. This loss greatly reduces the ability of the pond to clean itself. In order to oxygenate or introduce oxygen into a pond, a pond aerator is needed. Pond aeration provides the pond with the required oxygen content for the fish, plants, and other organisms to survive and live in the water. Pond aerators also help eliminate stratification of the pond water. Pond aerators are quiet, reliable, as well as efficient. During hot weather conditions, a pond aerator can provide the needed oxygen in the pond. During winter conditions, a pond aerator does not only provide oxygen to the pond but it also creates water movement on the surface of the pond by means of the pond aerator pump which keeps that area of the pond from freezing. Through this opening in the ice, fresh oxygen can come into the pond while toxic gases from the decomposition of decayed organisms can escape.

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With the pond aeration equipment on the market today, it is difficult to choose the right one for you. There are two types of pond aerators. There is the fountain type of aerator. There are also the pond aeration diffusers. Based on aesthetics, the most popular pond aeration equipment among the two is the fountain pond aeration kit. The water passes through the pond aerator pump and through the pond aerator tubing to the fountain head and as it leaves it splashes the pond surface. This helps control algae on the water surface. The only disadvantage is that fountain pond aerators can only aerate shallow ponds. Pond aeration diffusers are required for the deeper ponds. Foe the fountain pond aerators there are nowadays solar pond aerators to reduce running costs even further. The pond aeration pump is powered by means of a solar panel so no mains supply is required. The advantage of the solar pond aerators is that they can simply float on the surface of the pond with no wires; this gives the pond a different look every day. Prices for the solar pond aerators can be slightly higher than the standard pond aerator kits but this is quickly worthwhile with the reduced running costs.

In order to aerate deeper ponds, diffused aerators are the best pond aeration kits to use. The reason for this is because air diffusers of diffused aerators are laid on the bottom of the deep pond which is why they are also called lake bed aerators. This maximizes the aeration of the pond because aeration starts on the bottom going upwards by means of the pond aeration tubing and a pond aerator pump regardless of how deep the pond is. As the diffused air rises to the surface, oxygen is dissolved throughout the pond. Not only do diffused aerators totally aerate the pond, they are very economical to operate because lesser energy is used to push air to be diffused through the air diffusers than to push water through the fountain.

Diffused pond aeration kits have three basic parts—the pond aeration pump, the pond aeration tubing, and the pond aeration diffuser. The pond aeration pump is the device that sits on the shore while it pumps air into the pond aeration tubing and out to the pond aeration diffuser located on the bottom of the pond. Air will then rush out of the pond aeration diffuser, which is strategically place on the bottom of the pond, into thousands of tiny bubbles scrambling to the surface at an average speed of 30cm (1 foot) per second aerating the pond for the much needed oxygen. These bubbles don’t only transfer the water from the bottom to the top, they help circulate and de-stratify the pond. They also replenish oxygen throughout the water so that aerobic bacteria can clean the pond of toxic gases like ammonia and hydrogen sulfide. The bubbles also create ripples on the surface on the pond. The ripples deflect sunlight preventing it from reaching the bottom of the pond. Without sunlight, algae will not grow on the bottom of the pond.

There are three factors that affect the efficiency of the pond aeration diffuser – the size of the bubbles, the depth of the pond, and the placement of the air diffuser.

The system becomes more efficient if the size of the bubbles is reduced by the pond aeration diffuser. This is because smaller bubbles can stay in the water longer than bigger bubbles. Consequently, a larger area is covered by the bubbles as they spread out while they rise to the surface.

The rising of the bubbles to the surface of the pond can move a very large amount of water. It is calculated that a diffused aerator can move 5,000 to 8,000 pounds of water per hour. Because of this, there is an increased water circulation as the depth of the pond increases. In other words, the deeper the pond, the more likely will water be able to get mixed and aerated with the diffused aeration system.

The air diffuser has to be located in a strategic place for the system to be effective. The problem is that ponds are unique. They vary with depth and the size of the pond. A lot of ponds even have “dead spots.” It would be a good idea to call in a specialist to inspect the pond and determine where the air diffuser should be place in order for the system to be effective as well as efficient.

Pond aerators are designed to be operated continuously throughout the day and night. These devices are oil-less which requires very little maintenance. What needs to be done to keep the devices fully operational is to periodically clean the air filter and replace the diaphragm as well as the gasket. Muriatic acid or chlorine can be used on pond aerators to keep them operating like as if they came straight out of the assembly line.

Pond aerators have varying prices. Depending on how large your pond is, aerators can cost you from $120 for the small pond aerator up to $1700 for the high volume surface aerators.