Oxygen is required to keep a pond clean and healthy. Under normal conditions you can only get about 8 pounds of oxygen to dissolve in 8 million pounds of water. Not very much!!! Ponds without sustainable aeration systems become stratified and little or no oxygen exists from about 1 inch below the surface to the bottom of the pond. This stratification can result in hypoxia and massive fish kills when a sudden rainfall mixes the top and bottom water.
Luckily, it takes very little energy to stop stratification in ponds. As little as 0.15 cfm/acre can prevent stratification, immediately improving water quality and preventing massive fish kills. Avoid aeration systems that do not have backup power or have high maintenance. Aeration downtime for any reason encourages stratification and increases the risk of fish kills due to hypoxia.
What type of aeration do I need?
Solar powered air diffuser systems are the best way to aerate all ponds. First, they can operate in iced over ponds and freezing conditions and require the least maintenance of any aeration system. Second, in the diffused air system a compressor sits on the shore and pumps air into tubing to the pond were the air escapes out a diffuser. This process puts oxygen directly into the pond and also creates an uplift effect forcing the water to mix the entire pond with as little as 0.15 cfm/acre. Take care not to place the diffusers so they disturb the bottom pond silt. Suspended silt uses more oxygen than any aerator can ever put back into the pond. From a solar powered design standpoint it is more cost effective to suspend the diffusers above the pond bottom. This uses less energy and reduces maintenance.
How often do I need to aerate?
Fish cannot hold their breath any better than you can. Most summer fish kills occur at night or early morning. We recommend running the aerator 24 hours a day, year around to prevent pond stratification and summer fish kills.
If you live in an area where ice forms on your pond only diffused air can get oxygen under the ice to stop winter fishkills.
Sewage: EPA studies support 300-750 watts per acre using bubblers or 1 cfm (28 lpm) per 1000 gallons of raw sewage flow.
Aquaculture: University studies support +300 watts per acre or 0.5 cfm (15 lpm) for up to 2000 lbs of fish. Some KOI aeration experts have shown that a tiny airstone can easily support a 1000 gal, fish tank. Aussie studies show less than +300 watts for under 4 hours/day/acre of aeration is all you need in the evening and just before sunrise. Texas AM tilapia "cherry snapper" studies show you need one EKBS-20 to provide adequate oxygen for every 100 lbs fish during active feeding. We recommend a minimum of 1 PEC-45 air pump, operating 24/7, for every lb. of fish food you add to the pond each day.
Farm ponds: Candian Environment studies support 60 watts or 0.1 cfm (3 lpm) per acre specifically using solar powered bubblers to improve water quality. We recommend 60 watts of PEC Solar Aerators , per surface acre,
in clean water ponds, to improve water quality and prevent fishkills.
Oxygen Demand of Ponds: Studies at a stagnant REED Swamp show the oxygen demand of the pond is only 30-250 mg/m2/hr, rates easily satisfied by a single, 0.1 cfm, PEC-45 air pump. Other studies from a typical 1 acre catfish pond, show the total oxygen consumed in respiration by fish, plankton and sediment during the summer may range from 10- 20 lbss of oxygen/hr. Clearly, aeration at ten times the REED Swamp rates, or 1-2 cfm, will not improve the overall dissolved oxygen concentration in the entire catfish pond. However, a single PEC-45 pump can still be used to provide a small refuge of aerated water and prevent the buildup of toxic gases in the pond.
CALCULATE LAKE SURFACE AREA
A) Multiply the length of the lake (in feet) by the width of the lake (in feet) to get the square feet of the surface.
Area = L x W
B) Divide the surface area (in square feet) by 43,560 to get the number of surface acres.
SURFACE AREA/ 43,560 = NUMBER OF ACRES
I. GOAL: CALCULATE MINIMUM WATER QUALITY NEEDED AERATORS
Normal aeration requires the displacement of 1 (one) acre foot or 325,900 gallons of water every 24 to 48 hours. For normal water conditions use a minimum of 1 HP per surface acre = 6 of our S-10 Solar bubblers. For warmer climates or excessive algae growth use a minimum of one 2 hp aerator per surface acre = 6-12 of our S-10 kit solar bubblers.
CALCULATE MINIMUM NUMBER OF AERATORS
Number of aerators = Number of acres (rounded upward)
Example: The lake is 180ft. wide x 60 ft. long (180' x 60' = 10,800 sq. ft = .24 acres, rounded up to1/4 acre).
43,560 sq. ft/acre
Lake requires either:
(2-3) EKBS-10 Solar Bubbler kit aerators for normal conditions or
(2-6) EKBS-10 Kits for warm climates or lakes with a history of high algae problems.
II. GOAL: USE NUMBER OF AERATORS TO MAXIMIZE WATER QUALITY
Begin aeration prior to hot weather and algae build up.
Physically remove or chemically treat excessive algae and sludge prior to aeration. If water quality is compromised (light to moderate algae), aerate 24 hours/day continuously until algae is under control. Aeration does not remove algae. Aeration does increase the rapid consumption of excess nutrients in the water that cause algal blooms. This reduces the frequency and severity of future algae blooms.
For ponds less than 1/4 acre you can use 1-2 of our EKBS-10 Kits.
For 1/4 acre ponds you can use 2 of our EKBS-10A Kits or 1 of our S-80 110 volt line power Kits.
For 1/2 acre ponds you can use 1-2 of our EKBS-15 Kits or 2-3 of our SA-80 110 volt line power Kits or 4-6 of our EKBS-10 or a combination of both.
For 1 acre ponds you can use 1-2 of our EKBS-20 Kits or 2-4 of our EKBS-15 Kits or 3-6 of our SA-80 110 volt line power Kits or 6-12 of our EKBS-10 or a combination of both.
