subject: Cultivating a Healthy Pond [print this page] Cultivating a Healthy Pond Cultivating a Healthy Pond
When you decide to include a water feature in the landscaping of your yard, there are several things you will need to consider. First of all, you should decide how deep the water feature will be. Will you choose a fountain or a fish pond? How many materials will you need to create a nice, calming water feature without a lot of hassle? It's not as easy as just filling a hole with water, either. There are plenty of safety issues to consider, as well as environmental hazards you will need to avoid.
Many people immediately encounter green pond water upon the implementation of their water features. This can happen for several reasons, and there are a few different solutions that you can consider. If you do not plan to include any plant or animal life, you can count on chemicals to keep your water running fresh and clear. This works well with shallow fountains and pools. If, however, you plan to cultivate some sort of life within your pond, you should consider pond aerators to get the results that you crave.
Pond aerators serve a very important purpose, and that is to keep the oxygen levels in your fountains and ponds steady. With depleted oxygen, you will notice stagnation in the water, which encourages the growth of harmful bacteria. These harmful bacteria can kill plant and animal life quickly, and will also emit a noxious odor. Once you have encountered the problems with low oxygen, it can be hard to set everything to right. Pond aerators can take care of the problem in a fairly short amount of time.
You can choose from two separate types of pond aerators. Many people with shallow ponds prefer the aesthetic value that the surface aeration devices can supply. These surface units resemble fountains, though they move more oxygen and water than a simple surface fountain will. If you have a deeper water feature, such as a fish pond, you will want to consider the pond aerators that work beneath the surface. These sit on the bottom of the pond and pull oxygen down, only to redistribute it slowly through the bubbles that are emitted.
There are fully electric versions of these aeration units, or you can find some that are powered by the wind. Consider the depth of your pond and the amount of power that you will need to keep an aeration system running before deciding which power source to use.
