What Are the Benefits of Pond Aeration?

Aeration exposes water to air, where it absorbs oxygen. In a healthy pond, when plants and fish die off, their remains fall to the bottom, and beneficial bacteria break down the waste. But algae forms when oxygen levels decline, coating the water's surface and denying plants and fish the oxygen and sunlight they need to survive. Mechanically aerating a pond cycles waste and oxygen-depleted water to the surface, where gases are released and oxygen is absorbed. Beneficial bacteria thrive, depleting algae's food source. When algae disappears, fish and plant life flourish.

Function

Aeration uses the power of water, air or machinery to force both oxygen-depleted water and waste to the pond's surface, returning the water to a clean, healthy state. Pond aeration is beneficial year-round. Moving water prevents ice from forming over a pond's entire surface in winter, allowing a beneficial gas/oxygen exchange instead of leaving waste to rot until the ice melts in spring. Aeration's main objective is the prevention of algae growth. In abundant quantities, algae can be toxic, capable of harming plants and fish, as well as animals and humans.

Types

Waterfall aeration uses the force of falling water to churn the pond's surface. Fountain aeration disrupts standing water by spraying water onto the pond's surface. Paddle wheel aeration churns water using the same type of spinning paddles that propel riverboats. Submerged diffuser aeration uses compressed air, forced through flexible tubing and diffused into tiny bubbles to move water and sediment to the surface.

Features

Modern aeration systems use power sources such as electric, windmill and solar energy to power compressors and pumps. Linear, diaphragm, rotary vane, rocking piston and piston compressors deliver, in order, progressively stronger pressure for progressively deeper ponds. Shore-based compressors pump air through long hoses to bottom-mounted diffusers, eliminating the need for running electricity to a pond-based platform, where compressors were once located.

Considerations

The purchase price of many larger pump and compressor models is considerable, as is the cost of powering them. Alternative energy sources such as solar and windmill counter the high cost of powering some larger compressors and pumps. But their initial cost is often high, leaving consumers to project long-term instead of short-term savings. Compressor noise on some larger models prevents long-term (especially overnight) use in densely populated areas.

Benefits

Pond aeration suppresses algae growth, allowing humans and animals access to clean, clear water without being subjected to harmful toxins or the lingering effects of algaecides. Skimming or raking pond surfaces is repetitive, time-consuming work. After installing an aeration system, maintaining a pond's ecosystem is as easy as flipping a switch.