Pond Fountains and Your Pond’s Ecosystem

Where there is water, you can generally assume there is life. The pond in your backyard is its own separate ecosystem, and its balance depends a lot on what you do to maintain it. One of the main factors of water health is the dissolving of oxygen into the water. The presence of dissolved oxygen in the water keeps the living things in the water healthy, and keeps the water itself clean. The main process used to maintain proper levels of oxygen in water is aeration. The various designs of pond fountains not only provide a visual statement, but they perform the necessary process of aeration.

Oxygen Levels

There are a few things that can cause a low level of dissolved oxygen in your pond. If there are too many fish and plants in your pond, or lots of organic waste, it can deplete the oxygen levels. When those levels are too low, there are a number of consequences. In deeper ponds, the water can begin to stratify, and make less room for life. The decaying process will slow, causing an unpleasant odor. Most importantly, the fish, and other animals, in your pond rely on the oxygen in the water for their own health. If there is not enough, the animals will eventually die. There are a couple of ways that aeration can combat these issues.

Aeration

The process of aeration uses a couple of different techniques to bring movement to the water, and dissolve more oxygen to the supply. When oxygen is constantly being dissolved, the water stays clean and healthy. There are two main ways to aerate your pond: floating pond fountains and diffused aeration systems.

Floating pond fountains are best for ponds without much depth. These units interact mostly with the top few feet of your pond. It pulls the water, and shoots it up into the air. When the water hits the surface again, the oxygen transfer occurs when gases are released.

Diffused aeration systems are more effective with deeper ponds. If you have a pond that is eight feet or deeper, this will be the better choice for you. Instead of pulling water upwards, these units push compressed air to the floor of the pond, creating a constant flow of air bubbles in the pond. As these bubbles reach the surface, they mix the water with the air, and increase the level of dissolved oxygen.

Once you have a little information on water aeration and your pond’s ecosystem, you’ll understand the need behind pond fountains. While they are beautiful, that isn’t their only use. The health and cleanliness of your water depends on your actions. You will find that installing a pond fountain is a major improvement.