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Pond And The Seasons
Explaining the normal evolution of ponds, lakes & water
gardens
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Almost all natural ponds, with
or without aeration, will go through a series of classic stages with the changing
seasons of the year. If you have had a pond for a number of years you may be familiar
with some of the processes that take place during the year and if your pond has
become stgnant or smelly you likely have read about how aeration can help with
the health of your pond.
In
the spring in most Northern ponds, as ice and snow begins to melt from the surface
of the pond due to the temperature rising with with the longer hours of sunshine,
several distinct processes start in your pond that may lead to the degradation
of the water quality in the pond. Many natural and man-made ponds when not properly
aerated will see water stagnate and the water temperature tends to remain at a
very uniform level; warm near the surface and cold yet oxygen starved at the bottom.
When
adding the circulating benefits of aeration we can reverse many negative changes
that occur in a pond including build-up of algae and bottom muck. For instance,
if you add a lake bed style bottom diffuser aerator the rising water column creating
by the bubbling diffuser of your aerator will help to circulate and mix the pond
water. Without the bubbling action of this sort of air-compressor driven aerator
the pond water will only be slightly mixed by blowing winds across the surface
and this typically only affects the top levels of the pond. Lower depths remain
untouched and the temperature tends to remain constant and the oxygen levels can
remain low which can cause the release of phophorous and other detremental bottom
sediments. A surface aerator can be helpful in that it will not break the thermocline
and using a surface aerator will ensure that delicate fish will not become over-heated.
Using a thermostat controller on your bottom mounted aerator also reduces the
risk of fish-kills.
As the spring runoff starts to deposit plant nutrients
and organic sediments from the shoreline, many un-wanted byproducts of agriculture
and human over-population can cause an imbalance in the eco-system and these nutrietns
which settle in the pond can lead to filamentous algae or green water and other
common pond problems.
Without adequate circulation in the pond or lake
these sediments will collect on the bottom of the pond and begin decomposing or
chemically altering the composition of the pond sediments which can, under the
proper seasonal conditions, lead to algae blooms that can disturb the peace and
natural balance of the pond. If left alone, over time, with the oncoming warmth
of summer you will quite possibly see these additional nutrients begin to encourage
a rapid growth of algae, bottom muck, and often cloudy green pond water.
Pond Aeration & Care
Our
Recommended Pond Supply Store: Pond Filters, Pond Pumps & Pond Waterfalls
Without the best form of aeration to assist the winds attempts in natural
circulating of the pond water, the suns summer rays will warm the upper levels
of the pond while warm, oxygen lacking water will stay below on the colder deeper
water which often is unsuitable for fish due to the low dissolved oxygen levels.
The
un-aerated pond may started to develop bloomd of surface algae which restricts
the penetration of light rays to merely the surface of the pond so that oxygen
producing bottom-rooted plant life cannot grow. At the same time, having too many
nutrients that combine with clear waters and constant sunshine can lead to excessive
pond weeds that can create thick choking weed mats that float to the surface and
spoil the pond due to their invasive aquatic weed nature. Without an aeration
system often the pond water is beginning to lack oxygen and large amounts of this
floating, hairlike algae die, settle and then decomposeto the bottom of the pond
where the still oxygen lacking waters become the perfect medium for the collection
of noxious gases and nutrients that turn the sediment into a poisonous mix that
can harm fish and other aquatic creatures.
Using a surface aertor like
a fountain or bottom mounted diffusers, often called lake-bed aeration or even
an aerating windmill will keep the layers of the pond in a constant mixing motion
which prevent the surface algae from building up and preventing the suns rays
from helping grow the necessary oxygen delivering plants. Care should be taken
to not stir up the pond like a washing machine as certain species of fish like
trout for instance prefer colder waters and by using aeration 24 hours per day
you may actually cause the waters to overheat which can cause serious health issues
or mortality to fish.
Such
destructive cycles can worsen in the long hot days of North American summers as
we experience steady days of high temperatures and often the green algae consumes
all of what remains of the ponds diminishing oxygen and nitrogen supplies and
algae begin to die and drop to the bottom of the pond. Not all algae in a pond
is bad and under these extreme warm conditions the healthy green algae can replaced
by blue green algae which is undesirable and often toxic for the pond. Blue-green
algae can grow without nitrogen and will soon dominate the pond; the proliferation
of blue green algae in our lakes and ponds is a growing concern and luckily private
pond owners can rectify the problem easier than municipalities who must bow to
municipal and government regulations that often prohibit the installation of aeration
systems and the use of beneficial bacteria to help curb and reverse the problems
of eutrophic lakes and ponds.
Continuing
in our look at the pond; the beneficial green algae, yes, not all of it is bad
for our ponds, which dies and settles to the bottom of the pond begins to decompose
and consumes the little remnants of oxygen that cannot be replaced since there
is no aeration. To introduce fresh oxygenating air bubbles from the bottom diffuser
assembly or from a windmill airstone or even an aerating fountain will assist
in keeping the pond well mixed and the steady supply of oxygen can envigourate
the fish which will heartily empower the entire aquatic eco-system.
Scientific studies have shown
that when we introduce the cleansing agitation from an aeration system and the
mixing is taking place in the pond we find the layer of potential nutrients such
as nitrogen and phosphorus and such metals and manganese and iron will actually
become sealed and trapped in the sedimentary sludge on the pond floor as if a
protective layer encapsulates these unwanted substances and they are banned from
harming the pond!
An aeration
system strategically placed in the pond floor can assist in preventing this
settling of noxious muck which could form a layer of septic sludge and lead to
water of extremely poor quality. To determine if a surface aerator or bottom mounted
aerator is best suited for your pond it is recommended that you speak to a qualified
pond expert in your area. Every pond is different and while certain rules apply
there are, as mama used to say, many ways to skin a cat and twice as many ways
to aerate a pond in the wrong manner!
Let's get back to the seasons..with
the autumn equinox bringing cooler temperatures to your pond, and if you only
have the wind to perform any water mixing and circulating we can only expect limited
improvements in the water quality.Again this is why winter aeration and fall aeration
cannot be discounted especially in areas of northern latitude where we have distinct
seasons because in these conditions, as the newer algae begins to die and sink
to the bottom they once again decompose and consume the available oxygen in the
pond which, if there is no aeration, is severely limited.
Once
our winter comes in like a white coated dentist and the frosty bellows of cold
begin to allow ice and the ice forms on the pond only a tiny amount of oxygen
can actually diffuse through the surface of ice. Of course, fish are at a state
of reduced metabolism so the issue of oxygen for fish is not a prime concern although
to prevent fish-kills it is best to maintain an open hole from an aerator in the
ice to allow a "breathing" of the pond...the escaping gases that are
released through the ice hole are better allowed into the atmosphere instead of
being trapped below the ice. Even in the cold the cycle continues and the decomposing
algae in the pond are constantly consuming what little oxygen remains and once
again a detrimental layer of nutrients and metals begin to form an ever increasing
layer of harmful sludge on the bottom. As was stated earlier, the bottom mounted
diffuser can help remedy this collection of bad build-up.
When the oxygen
supply in a pond is sufficiently reduced you will may notice the stink of hydrogen
sulfide (that horrible rotten egg smell), bad taste (if you brush your teeth in
the pond) , muck and scum build-up and maybe unusually high fish kills.
Installing either a homemade aeration system or a turn-key system offered by many
pond supply stores will keep the ice from completely closing over during the cold
months and not to mention the continuous supply of oxygenating bubbles during
the winter enhances and promotes the natural breathing of the pond. This constant
approach to pond maintenance will ensure that the water in the pond retains its
clarity and all of the the beneficial organisms including healthy bottom rooted
plants and cleansing algae will flourish and keep the pond alive and the water
quality high for bathing, drinking, swimming or any appropriate use.
Of all the treatments for ponds, lakes and watergardens that exist one of the
most critical may be ensuring that an efficient aeration system is in place. Of
course not all ponds will require one but even a pond that has been perfectly
designed may suffer the occasional ills due to seasonal influences but before
reaching for drastic measures like algaecides or copper-suplhates it may be only
a question of adding a simple and inexpensive aeration
system.
For more information
on pond aeration visit the following ten pond aeration websites. Pleasse note
that we are not specifically endorsing any particular way of treating ponds or
any particular business. Due dilligence in all things!
Our
Recommended Pond Supply Store: Pond Filters, Pond Pumps & Pond Waterfalls
1. Superior Windmills for Pond Aeration www.superiorwindmill.com
2. Koenders Windmills for water aeration www.koenderswindmills.com
3. Flash animation: Dugout Aeration www.agr.gc.ca/pfra/flash/dugout/en/dugout_e.htm
4. Canadianpond.ca - Pond aeration systems www.canadianpond.ca/homea.html
5. Low oxygen & pond aeration www.ca.uky.edu/wkrec/LowOxygenandPondAeration.htm
6. Quality Pond Aeration www.qualitypond.ca
7. Rittenhouse www.rittenhouse.ca
8. Lake aeration systems www.vertexwaterfeatures.com
9. Pond aeration - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pond_Aeration
10. The Role of Aeration in Pond Management edis.ifas.ufl.edu/FA021
The
pond report also has information on:
pond
aeration systems |
a pond and the seasons | pond
algae control | solar aeration systems
| windmill aeration systems |
deicers & bubblers | get
links to your website | pond
consultations |
pond
links & resources | eurasian
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