Airmax® Aeration

Pond & Lake Q & A

Q: Why is it important to aerate my lake during the summer? – Eric in Texas

A: Though the hottest days of summer are nearly behind us, your pond or lake still needs proper aeration – especially as we approach fall, when temperatures shift and your pond water will turn over. An aerated pond is a healthy pond, and a healthy pond is one you’ll enjoy all year long.

Why Aerate?

Ponds and lakes go through two stages of life: Stage 1, when the pond has just been excavated and Stage 2, when the pond has had a chance to become established. During Stage 1, which may only last a year, the pond is virtually nutrient-free. It has little or no leaf and plant debris, the fish have produced little waste and the environment has leached almost nothing into the water. It’s like the honeymoon stage of your pond – all the beauty with little maintenance.

After a season or two, the pond enters into Stage 2. Nutrients, like leaves, plants, fish waste and plant fertilizers, build up in the pond. You’ll start to see large amounts of algae and weed growth. Under the surface, the water column becomes murky with debris; at the bottom of the pond, muck will start to develop. This decomposing organic waste adds even more nutrients to the water – which can cause even more algae and weed growth. Talk about a vicious cycle!

At the same time, all those decomposing nutrients create a rise in toxic gas levels. Ammonia and nitrites build up in the water while the oxygen level plummets, especially in the deeper depths of the pond. Because ponds without aeration can become thermally stratified, the toxic gases created on the bottom build up in the cool water underneath. A change in temperature, a heavy rain or sometimes even high winds can turn the water over allowing the toxic, oxygen-deprived water at the bottom to mix into the top layer leaving your fish without oxygen and causing a fish kill.

The Solution

Many pond owners will turn to fountain aeration or surface aerators to churn the water. While fountains are aesthetically pleasing, they will only draw surface water, leaving the bottom of the pond uncirculated and doing nothing to eliminate toxic gases underneath.

A bottom bubbler, however, will circulate the entire water column from the bottom up and eliminate the thermal layers that form in the pond or lake. In a permanent state of motion, the action caused by the bubbler will continuously vent gasses and provide oxygen to the bottom sediments, allowing the beneficial bacteria to break down the toxic gasses and muck and give off a little oxygen in return.

The best option for a bottom bubbler is the Airmax® Aeration system. In combination with aerobic muck-eating bacteria, like MuckAway™ Pellets or PondClear™ Packets, the system can eliminate up to 5 inches of muck per year – and keep your pond or lake healthy no matter the season.

POND TALK: Why do you aerate your pond or lake?

Picture of a Fish Kill due to Fall Turnover

Being Aware of Fall Turnover.

Instead of a Q & A for Ponds & Lakes today, I wanted to make everyone aware of what Fall Turnover is and the steps you can take to protect your fish. Around this time of the year we receive quite a few phone calls from customers waking up to find a pond full of dead fish. Hopefully, I can shed some light on this subject that can help you prevent an event like this from happening.

What is Turnover? With no aeration present, the pond’s water is stratified (aka has a thermocline). Meaning that the water at the top is warmer and full of oxygen while on the bottom the water is cooler, nutrient rich and contains no oxygen. This causes the fish to habitate towards the surface of the pond. As the seasons change from the hot summer to the cold winter, the pond goes through a process known as “turnover”. This is when the cooler,
un-oxygenated water at the bottom of the pond, mixes with the warmer oxygenated water at the pond’s surface. Since the rising cooler water contains no oxygen, the fish lose the ability to breathe in a sufficient supply of oxygen. Shortly after, the fish begin to die.

Aeration to the Rescue! You’ve probably heard me talk about aeration in many Q & A’s over the past couple months and are probably sick of hearing about it. But it really is that important and really is a solution to a majority of a pond’s problems.

By properly aerating your pond, the oxygen will be saturated throughout the pond, thus eliminating the thermocline and eliminating the chance for future fish kills caused by “turnover”.

You can also under-aerate a pond as well. Please read the following Q & A for more information.