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Pond Air Pumps
So why do you need pond air pumps? For most pond applications that have properly sized waterfall pumps, you don’t. The only need for extra aeration is if you’re trying to cram as many fish into your pond as possible. And that is a recipe for disaster, particularly if you run into a power outage for a few hours and you wind up with a pond full of dead fish. It is much better to either increase the size of the pond or decrease the numbers of fish. What about winter application or indoor ponds Aeration is likely a very good idea in winter indoor ponds. I’ve used filters that hang on the side of the tank quite successfully and also some of the smaller swimming pool type filters that are specifically designed for fish tanks. The extra pond air pump was used to add that extra measure of water oxygen so the fish wouldn’t have any problems at all regardless of their metabolic rate. (remember that fish metabolism slows way down in the winter time) So if I want to use pond air pumps in the winter – what do I look for? Size or amount of air delivered in relation to the size of the indoor pond. Let me also suggest you check out the size of the air pump you are interested in and ensure it will pump to your pond depth. Pumps are rated for the 1) amount of air they deliver and the depth they will deliver it to. Get the largest one you can afford to deliver water to the depth you need it pumped to. There is little point in buying a pump that will only deliver water to 2 feet deep if your water garden pond is 4 feet deep.
Do I really need an air stone connected to pond air pumps? Darn good question. I know that many folks say you do. My understanding is that oxygen exchange actually happens at the surface of the water and not in the multitude of air bubbles produced. The key is to get the water surface moving as fast as possible so that more of the pond water is able to interact with the surface oxygen layer. In my own indoor aquarium or overwintering areas, I never used the diffusers or air stones. I preferred the unrestricted flow of air coming straight from the pump. It isn’t as pretty but there was no lessening of air caused by the filter stone or algae buildup in the filter stone. I would use a stainless steel nut attached to the line to weight it down and just let the air rip up big bubbles. Given, as I said, that I wasn’t overly concerned with how it looked, it worked just fine. What about water at the bottom of the pond? I’ve read this kind of article too where pond air pumps manufacturers claim you need aeration at the bottom of a pond because there’s not as much oxygen down there. I’ll have to get back to you on this one as my natural farm pond and every lake around me isn’t equipped with a pond aerator. And those darn fish seem to hide down there when I want to catch them just fine. If you have a properly sized water fall or pond pump, I doubt there’s a need to get oxygen down to the bottom of the pond using pond air pumps. One of my best friends is an expert on air compressors and has a website devoted to them. You can find everything you need to know about air compressors right here. Click here for free newsletter or to ask about pond air pumps
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