“BUBBLES!” Yells an excited youngster, running toward the water. Kids aren’t the only ones excited by bubbles in a pond. As someone ‘in the industry’, this is a great sign! This tells me there are aerators being used to increase and maintain water quality in a pond. What’s so great about these though?
Aerators constantly mix the water column, preventing layers from forming in the water column. This is known as stratification. When a water column stratifies, it can put your fish at risk. Quick temperature changes can lead to ‘pond turn over’ which often leads to fish kills. We definitely want to avoid this.
There is a draw back to diffusors though, they require electricity! For a remote pond or lake, miles away from a power line, diffusors may seem completely out of reach and you may think your pond is destined for failure. THINK AGAIN!
Technology is constantly transforming and growing, including aeration. Today, solar powered aerators are available; providing pond and lake owners that are off the beaten path the ability to utilize aerators.
These units are pretty self explanatory, they utilize solar panels to power aerator units. This allows a pond or lake owner/manager the ability to use aeration pretty much anywhere. What about at night though? Don’t we run the risk of the water column stratifying over night?
This isn’t just a windmill, inside is a compressor. As the wind blows, the blades spin, and the compressor pushes air out to diffusors in the bottom of the pond. Some clients elect to use both this and solar aeration to cover all their bases. Overall, it’s great to have the options without the cost associated with running electrical lines out to a remote pond or lake.
These are great innovations for pond maintenance to combat a common problem. A pond or lake owner/manager can have the benefits of pond aeration regardless of the ponds location. Further maximizing the use of a remote pond or lake.