Secrets to A Clean and Healthy Pond

Pond owners all over North America are e-mailing in to Pond Owner Magazine – informing us of regional pond maintenance courses and support. Regional government environmental and agricultural departments have, on staff, experts in water quality and pond maintenance.

These pond professionals often hold courses in pond management and pond care – they may even come out and visit your location to take samples of your pond water quality and give you advise on what measurements pond owners should take in order to restore or maintain a healthy pond.

It is very interesting to note that every one of these pond professionals no matter what size or shape the pond is in will prescribe aeration as the number #1 priority for all ponds.

Pond aeration essentially changes the chemical composition of water (H2O) – by adding additional levels of oxygen into your water – you essentially oxidize water and in the process eliminate the excess nutrients and organic matter that cause a pond to turn over.

Stagnation, algae and weed growth is directly correlated to the lack of oxygen in a pond. Pond aeration is critical to the sustainable health of water.

Another key point of advise from many of these pond professionals is to avoid the use of pond chemicals if you can. Pond chemicals address the symptoms of a pond problem by killing off algae blooms or weed growth. The real pond problem is Oxygen levels of the pond. The biggest issue with treatments such as pond chemicals is that the weeds and algae simply sink to the bottom of your pond – you do not get rid of them. Once at the bottom of the pond they begin to decompose – oxygen is require for the decomposition process – further depleting the oxygen levels in your pond. In the long run hurting your pond not helping it.

Pond Conditioners are becoming known on the market – these are environmentally friendly pond treatment products that when combined with aeration – further enhance the quality of your water. There are beneficial bacteria and enzymes, food grade pond dyes and other pond treatment conditioners that are extremely helpful in giving ponds the extra strength they need to stay healthy and clean.

For those of you that do not like the idea of spending hundreds to thousands of dollars per year on an electric aerator to produce oxygen for your pond then you may want to visit two of the leading manufacturers of Windmill Aeration Systems – Koenders Windmills and Superior Windmills.

© 2007, Pond Owner Magazine.
www.pondowner.com

Aeration For Small Backyard Ponds

Pond aeration is not only for ponds that are larger in size. All ponds and all aquatic life need oxygen to survive that is why aeration is so important.

Until recently, small backyard ponds have been dependent on electric aeration systems to keep their ponds clean and fish health – now, rather the only having electric aerators as the only option to pump oxygen into the water Koenders Windmills presents the Backyard Windmill.

Backyard Windmills not only look nice but can also aerate a small koi or fish pond. These backyard windmills pump 0.3 CFM of air at upto 8 PSI. For ponds that are greater than the size of a pool I would suggest other larger windmill aeration systems from companies such as Koenders Windmills or Superior Windmill.

However for the small garden pond the Backyard Windmill is unbeatable. The price point is excellent and it works great.

If you do not have a pond and you love windmills – the backyard windmill comes in an ornamental style as well. With powder coating options such as green and yellow, red and white and bronze it has a color for every taste.

If you are looking for ways to keep your garden pond or small koi pond clean without using electric power then perhaps you should research the Backyard Windmills by Koenders Windmill. Go to www.backyardwindmills.net for more information.

This summer make sure that your small backyard pond are kept clean and algae free by installing an aeration system.

© 2007, Pond Owner Magazine.
www.pondowner.com

Windmill-driven Aeration Systems Re-Establishes Pond Health

Wind-powered aeration system “oxygenates” water, preventing pond stagnation and stratification that threatens people, livestock, wildlife and property values.

Still pond waters can sometimes go bad. Just ask any pond owner who has watched their pond turn into a dark or green ugly mass of weeds and algae.

Problems of stagnation, stratification and harmful toxins are creating poisonous water conditions in ponds other non-free-flowing bodies waters throughout North America. This can be perilous to livestock, fish and other wildlife – not to mention humans. Real estate property values can also be affected negatively from a smelly and unsightly pond.

As discouraging as this may sound – it is equally as encouraging to discover, that many pond owners who manage or maintain a pond for agricultural, recreational or household use are restoring their water to health again by installing a relatively low-cost and extremely effective technology – the windmill-driven aeration system.

“If you have a sick pond or dugout, you know how frustrating and expensive it is to try to treat your way out of the problem,” says Miller, who owns a farm in Batavia, NY. “I got to the point where I was so tired of pouring in chemicals and raking algae that I wanted to fill in my pond and forget about it.”

Fortunately, for Miller, after years of band aid solutions that were both costly and time consuming with very little effect, he began to look research pond aeration rather than pond chemicals as a resolution to his water problems.

He found out that not only are chemical treatments such as copper sulfate expensive, but research shows that ponds treated with it over years begin to show diminished results. Further, this treatment method may be eliminated by stricter environmental rules governing its use in future years as people become more environmentally conscious.

Inducing oxygen through water circulation.

Two years ago Miller started to investigate the prospects of using aeration to oxygenate his pond while also providing circulation in order to avoid stagnation and thermal stratification of the water.

Miller became quite interested in a technology that used a windmill to compress air and pump it through one or more air diffusers, which were located at the bottom of a lake or pond.
This pumping action of the air permeating the water circulating at the bottom and bubbling to the top would cause the water to flow outward to the sides of the pond on top, thereby aerating through exposure to the atmosphere and circulating the water at the same time. Increased levels of oxygen were delivered to the pond, thermal stratification is reduced, and the pond would become healthier.

In essence the pond aeration acts as a natural filtration system, burning off excess nutrients and organic matter that facilitates the growth of algae and weeds. Clean, clear water also prevents odors and pests and inhibits the spread and growth of mosquito larvae that may be floating on a pond’s surface.

“I don’t think anyone disagrees that water aeration is highly beneficial to non free-flowing waters,” Miller says. “It is really a question of which technology is best for your application. In my case, since my pond had virtually become a cesspool, I figured that a windmill aeration system would be necessary to clean up my pond.”

While electric-powered aeration systems would no doubt do the job, Miller decided their operating and maintenance costs would be too expensive for him. Exploring the Internet he came upon the web site of Superior Windmill, which looked promising. He learned that farmers in the western states use this wind-driven aeration and circulation system to keep ponds clean so it is safe for cattle to drink from them.

“You don’t have to use any power to run them,” Miller says “Plus they are maintenance free.”

It turned out that Superior Windmill, headquartered in Regina (Saskatchewan), was a world leading developer of windmill aeration technology as well as a supplier of windmills and diffuser systems.

© 2007, Pond Owner Magazine.
www.pondowner.com