How Do I Select the Proper Aerator & Fountain for a Pond?
Taking care of your pond is often a labor of love. Ponds afford not only recreational activities like swimming and fishing, but they also provide opportunities for wildlife observation. It's important to keep your aquatic habitat healthy with aeration. A fountain can aerate your pond as well as add to the aesthetics of the body of water. Does this Spark an idea?
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Sizing Your Pond
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Knowing the area and depth of your pond is key in determining what type of aeration to use. Multiplying the length by the width will give you the surface area of a square or rectangular pond. If the pond is circular, multiply the radius squared by 3.14. Obtain depth readings using a depth sounder, fish finder, or a simple line and weight combination.
Bottom-Based Aeration
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Aeration systems consisting of a shore-mounted compressor, weighted tubing, and a bottom-mounted air diffuser are appropriate for ponds greater than 6 feet in depth. At that depth, air diffusers are efficient enough to provider total water volume circulation. Typical system sizing requires two diffusers per surface acre.
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Surface Aerators
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Surface aerators are more suited to ponds with depths of less than 6 feet. Typically these types of assemblies include a float ring with a center-mounted can motor and spinning prop to churn up large amounts of water. General sizing guidelines recommend one horsepower per surface acre.
Display
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The proper fountain for your pond will also depend upon your personal display and size preference. View other fountains in your local area to get an idea of the pattern and height that would look best in your pond. Floating fountains are the easiest to install, and nozzle types include three-tier, arch, trumpet, and cascades.
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References
- Photo Credit fountain image by martini from Fotolia.com
