A: As winter gives way to the sunny days of spring and summer, you should absolutely plan to leave your aerator running. That water-churning system that benefits your pond over the cold months will also benefit your pond during the summer—and then some.
Winter Bubbles
As most pond owners know, an aerator, like
The Pond Guy Pond Aerator, used during the winter serves two purposes: to aid de-icers in creating and keeping a hole in the ice and to circulate water to vent gases when filtration systems are shut down for the season. The circulation also encourages contact between the water and the environment, which will increase the dissolved oxygen level in your pond.
Summer Aeration
In the summer, aeration provides some extra benefits. Besides moving the water and boosting the oxygen level in the water molecules, aeration does these things:
- Circulates the water in areas where filtration may not reach, preventing stagnation and low-oxygen pockets in your pond. Filtration systems only move the top of the water column, not the bottom. But an aerator works from the bottom up, circulating the water and increasing dissolved oxygen levels throughout the pond.
- Keeps oxygen distributed throughout the water column much more efficiently than a water feature, like a waterfall, spitter or stream.
- Provides bubbly camouflage in which fish can hide.
- Stirs up debris on the pond bottom, allowing it to be filtered out or broken down by beneficial bacteria. If that debris is allowed to collect, muck will build-up and release harmful gases as the organic materials decompose.
- Helps beneficial bacteria thrive and flourish, thanks to the circulation and oxygen. Higher oxygen levels stimulate and increase the number of natural aerobic bacteria living in your pond. More bacteria means more efficient filtration.
As you're prepping your pond for spring, jump-start the season with
DefensePAC Pond Care Package. It contains Oxy-Lift Defense, Nature's Defense, Clarity Defense, Muck Defense and Seasonal Defense — everything you'll need for spring cleaning, bacteria boosting and water clarifying.
Aeration definitely has its benefits, no matter what the season. If you want a balanced ecosystem with happy fish and plants, keep your aerator running.