Keeping a Clean Lake by Using Pond Aeration Systems
By: Randy Hine
Aeration of ponds and lakes using pond aeration systems or lake fountains is necessary to maintain the quality of the water and the health of the organisms living in them. To understand why pond aeration and lake aeration are so important, it helps to know a little bit about what is going on in these small bodies of water and what it takes to keep them healthy.
Ponds and lakes are more than just holes full of water. Regardless of the size of the body, there is a whole ecosystem in there that must be maintained and cared for. In bodies of water with strong, deep currents, nature can sometimes provide enough aeration without human help, but this is rarely the case with lakes and ponds. If they are very deep, these small bodies of water will usually develop a zone at the bottom where there is no circulation, and the water in this area will almost certainly be oxygen-deficient. In some cases, the entire body of water may have no natural circulation at all, and pond aeration or lake aeration is needed to help nature along and make sure the water is fully oxygenated.
To understand why aeration is so important, it helps to think of what will happen without it. First there is the problem of nitrogen excess. Nitrogen is a chemical that is ubiquitous in nature and absolutely vital to plant life, but if the nitrogen level in a pond or lake gets too high, it can reach toxic levels and cause fish to die. This can easily happen, since every leaf and stick that falls into the water contains nitrogen. That includes the grass clippings that happen to fall in the water, and if any fertilizer has been applied to that grass, it will probably run off into the water and kick the nitrogen level even higher. When all of these factors have done their work, the water may contain enough of the chemical to kill fish.
Another problem that can foul the water of a lake or pond is the growth of algae. Algal blooms are one of the biggest causes of water foulness in small bodies of water. Algae not only makes the water smelly and foul-looking, but also absorbs a large amount of the oxygen in the water, contributing to the problem of oxygen deficiency mentioned earlier. Nitrogen contributes to this problem because it is a plant nutrient, and algae grows more when its level goes up. This is also true of phosphate, a chemical that is found in decomposing fish waste, fertilizer and fish food.
The best defense against these problems is good aeration through a pond aeration system or lake fountain. Aeration helps to reduce the levels of nitrogen and phosphate in the water and also helps to replace the oxygen depleted by excessive algae growth.
About Author:
Randy Hine writes about Lakes and Pond maintenance for www.herrmannsfishfarm.com. He has a particular interest in Pond Aeration Systems and lake fountains.
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