What is aeration?
Aeration is the process of adding oxygen to water. A koi pond needs healthy levels of dissolved oxygen for a number of reasons, the most important one is for the fish. The bigger the fish are in length, the more oxygen they need. But how do we get aeration? Mother Nature provides naturally occurring aeration through wind, rain, splashing water from incoming streams or waterfalls, and aquatic plants. Even the little critters that you might see in your pond add to the aeration through their body movements. Putting it simply: oxygen permeates through the surface of the water and the more disruption to the surface of the water, the more oxygen that gets in!
Fountains, Streams and Waterfalls Help Aeration
Fountains aerate by pulling water from the pond and propelling it into the air. This process utilizes air-water contact to transfer oxygen since the water is propelled into the air and breaks into small droplets. When returning back to the water, these droplets mix with the rest of the water and thus transfer their oxygen back to the ecosystem of your waterfeature. Fountains are popular method of surface aerators because of the aesthetic appearance that they offer combined with the benefit they bring to the ecosystem. Streams and waterfalls aerate in a similar fashion.
Adding Additional Aeration
In the hot summer, the need for dissolved oxygen increases and the health of the fish can be compromised if the need for dissolved oxygen is not met. A great way to dramatically increase the aeration in a pond is through a aeration system. A aeration system operates by an air compressor that sits outside the pond and exerts air in different areas of the pond via tubing and attached discs that are dropped to the bottom of the pond.When turned on a, a beautiful column of bubbles will then rise toward the pond’s surface from each disc. This bubble column helps the overall balance of a pond by providing extra oxygen to fish and plant life and will also help with the circulation of water to reduce any stagnate areas.
Aeration in the Winter
Cold water holds more oxygen than warm water so the aerator isn’t needed so much for adding oxygen during the colder months unless your koi are 10” or larger in length. Larger fish require supplemental air during Winter months, as they consume more oxygen than smaller fish do. The bubbles breaking the surface of the water will help maintain a hole in ice that forms, as well as, provide that supplemental air for larger fish. The hole allows harmful gasses from the fish to escape out of the pond. The location of the aerator in the summer can be right at the bottom of the pond, but in the Winter it should be relocated up on to a plant shelf.
Click here to read more information about winter care for your waterfeature.
Where to buy:
Dreamscapes carries aerator systems year round at our Retail Store/Aquatic Center in Lebanon Pennsylvania. Along with aerators, Dreamscapes also carries a full line of pond supplies from water treatments and fish medications to pond pumps, heaters, fountains, plants and fish! If you think you need it, we have it!
Retail Hours: April 5th-October 27th 2018:
Monday-Wednesday: By Appt
Thursday-Friday: 10am-5pm
Saturday: 9am-12pm
October 28th-April 2019: HOURS BY APPT
Retail Hours: April 5th-October 27th 2018:
Monday-Wednesday: By Appt
Thursday-Friday: 10am-5pm
Saturday: 9am-12pm
October 28th-April 2019: HOURS BY APPT
2155 State Route 343, Lebanon Pa | 717-272-6555 | info@dreamscapeswatergardens.com
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