1. Prevent Fish Kills
Without aeration, the two best sources of oxygen for a pond are aquatic plants, and air from the atmosphere. This can be extremely problematic come wintertime. When the temperature cools, thick layers of ice form, creating a sheet across the entire surface of the pond. This sheet of ice stubbornly prevents any oxygen transfer from occurring between the pond and the atmosphere. Additionally, when snowfall inevitably builds up on top of this ice sheet, sunlight will be completely inhibited from entering the pond. This will further prevent oxygen restoration, as aquatic plants will be unable to photosynthesize. As this happens, fish will begin to use up the available oxygen, and the dissolved oxygen content of the pond can fall to dangerously low levels. Over the course of the winter, without any renewing oxygen source, fish will often begin to suffocate. Come the end of winter, there’s a good chance that when the pond thaws, it will reveal a collection of dead fish.
This outcome can be avoided by way of winter aeration. A diffused aeration source at the bottom of your pond will keep the oxygen supply plentiful throughout the winter. Not only that, but it will make for a much healthier, more attractive, and all around nicer pond come springtime.
1a. Eliminate Pond Stratification And Turnover
Another problem that can plague ponds in the spring is that of pond turnover. This phenomenon occurs when the top and bottom layers of the pond mix due to a fluctuation in temperature. This causes what is known as pond stratification to dissipate. When this occurs, the layers laden with dissolved oxygen are forced to mix with the layers that are oxygen deficient. The result is an environment with a sparse content of dissolved oxygen spread out over the entirety of the pond, leaving no area with a healthy dissolved oxygen level. This can often result in large fish kills, as well as a dirty, odorous, unhealthy pond for months to come.
By employing the use of aeration year round, the layers are kept circulating under the ice throughout the winter months. This will help your pond avoid stratification, turnover, and all of the disastrous effects that often afflict ponds in the spring.
2. Avoid Pond Odors
During the winter, in the absence of oxygen, anaerobic bacteria is forced to break down any excess nutrient that happens to find its way into your pond. When this happens, it is done inefficiently and with the emission of many noxious gases such as sulfur and methane. Especially when your pond is closed off by a layer of ice, these gases can be dangerous to fish if they become too prevalent. Not only this, but when the pond thaws in spring, you will be greeted by the staggering stench of numerous months buildup of odorous gases. For obvious reasons this is a very unpleasant experience that should be avoided at all costs.
Once again, winter aeration can help solve this problem. First, it will supply the necessary oxygen so that aerobic bacteria can break down nutrient efficiently. Additionally, aeration will create a hole in the ice that will remain throughout the winter, so as to allow noxious gases to escape into the atmosphere instead of building up in your pond throughout the winter.
3. Inhibit Algae Growth
A common misconception with pond owners is that a problem only exists when the pond is covered in algae throughout the spring, summer, and into the fall. This is not the case. The pond problem actually begins when the dissolved oxygen content starts to decrease. When this happens, it allows nutrient levels to rise, algae to grow, and the overall health of the pond ecosystem to deteriorate.
Cold water is naturally able to absorb oxygen better than warm water. So, what better way to take advantage of nature in this case than to boost the level of your pond’s dissolved oxygen over the winter, when it can absorb so much more oxygen? Aeration will boost the dissolved oxygen level over the winter months, and instead of having a pond deficient of dissolved oxygen come spring and summer when less oxygen can be absorbed, you will have a healthy pond. These leftover effects should prove beneficial into the following seasons as the benefits of aeration will build upon themselves, yielding a healthy pond throughout the year.
4. Be Environmentally Friendly
The main benefit behind winter aeration is that, overall, it is much better for the environment. Because the water is kept circulating, a hole anywhere from five to fifty feet in diameter will generally form in the ice and stay throughout the winter months. As was mentioned previously, this allows gases to release into the atmosphere, which is good for the aquatic life. Now, not only the pond environment benefits, but other wildlife in the area can also be a beneficiary of winter aeration. Allow me to explain…
Oftentimes the cold, desolate days of January and February seem gray, dry, and virtually lifeless. Open water can offer a refreshing break from this both for wildlife and for you. Animals have a place to drink, fish have the necessary dissolved oxygen, and any land animals that are dependent on a water source have that provided to them. Furthermore you, the pond owner, can admire the beauty of nature from the comfort of your own home during a season when it is generally scarce.
It’s difficult to quantify or qualify the benefits of winter aeration, but rest assured that this one step can lead to a healthier pond, safer and happier wildlife, as well as much needed stress relief come the spring and summer.
