aeration

I have a small 200 gph pump (very low power usage) submerged in my pond for
additional aeration - just as added 'insurance'. The output is below the
water so the water is just 'bubbling' like a natural spring might. I do not
want it splashing for several reasons. I have been told it is the breaking
of the surface which helps to oxidize the water.
Questions: 1) Is this actually doing me some good. 2)Aesthetics aside would
an airstone attached be significantly better.
Thanxx
Bill Brister - Austin, Texas

Bill,

If you are worried about "aesthetics" and airstone
pumping air into your water from the bottom of your
pond would probably be a better idea, especially as the
summer is coming on and higher pond temps, especially
in Austin, Texas. The airstone in the depths of your
pond would allow a lot more "air" to come in contact
with the water than just moving it up and and across
the surface using the pump.

Tom L.L.
----------------------------------------------

Newbie Bill wrote:
I have a small 200 gph pump (very low power usage) submerged in my pond for
additional aeration - just as added 'insurance'. The output is below the
water so the water is just 'bubbling' like a natural spring might. I do not
want it splashing for several reasons. I have been told it is the breaking
of the surface which helps to oxidize the water.
Questions: 1) Is this actually doing me some good. 2)Aesthetics aside would
an airstone attached be significantly better.
Thanxx
Bill Brister - Austin, Texas

"Tom L. La Bron" wrote in message
...
Bill,

If you are worried about "aesthetics" and airstone pumping air into your water
from the bottom of your pond would probably be a better idea, especially as
the summer is coming on and higher pond temps, especially in Austin, Texas.
The airstone in the depths of your pond would allow a lot more "air" to come
in contact with the water than just moving it up and and across the surface
using the pump.

Tom L.L.
----------------------------------------------

Newbie Bill wrote:
I have a small 200 gph pump (very low power usage) submerged in my pond for
additional aeration - just as added 'insurance'. The output is below the
water so the water is just 'bubbling' like a natural spring might. I do not
want it splashing for several reasons. I have been told it is the breaking
of the surface which helps to oxidize the water.
Questions: 1) Is this actually doing me some good. 2)Aesthetics aside would
an airstone attached be significantly better.
Thanxx
Bill Brister - Austin, Texas


Actually, the air water interface is at least as important, if not more
important. The larger the surface area of the air/water interface, the greater
the exchange of gases. While an airstone can pump air through the water, it
does so in a limited way, since it is only making contact with a small area of
water at a time and only influences the immediate area around the airstone. By
inducing a current across the surface of the water with a pump located at the
bottom of the pond, you will induce more gas exchange because of the greater
surface area involved. It also helps in preventing zonation from froming in the
water column, since you are pumping the water from the bottom and streaming it
across the surface, which in turn, allows oxygenated water to move towards the
bottom of the pond. The ripples going across the surface of the pond also looks
nice.

"Newbie Bill" wrote in message
m...
I have a small 200 gph pump (very low power usage) submerged in my pond
for
additional aeration - just as added 'insurance'. The output is below the
water so the water is just 'bubbling' like a natural spring might. I do
not
want it splashing for several reasons. I have been told it is the
breaking
of the surface which helps to oxidize the water.
Questions: 1) Is this actually doing me some good. 2)Aesthetics aside
would
an airstone attached be significantly better.
Thanxx
Bill Brister - Austin, Texas



Try making a venturi out of pvc. This will give you the circulation benefit
of the pump with more aeration than an airstone. You can also make it for a
couple of bucks, so it's cheap to try.

Basically, your pump output goes into a piece of horizontal 1/2" pvc a
couple of feet long. Cut the pvc in half and add a T with the opening
pointing straight up. Get another piece of pvc long enough to fit in the T
and stick a couple inches out of the water. Cut one end at a 45 degree
angle and shave the pvc so it will fit past the stop in the T. It needs to
get down into the T and get into the flow coming from the pump, with the
open angle away from the pump. The water flow sucks air in from the upright
pvc and bubbles out of the lower pipe.

Here's a possibly better explanation, with a different method. With a small
pump, I'd stick with 1/2" pvc and shaving the pvc may be easier than finding
tubing that will fit inside the 1/2" pvc.

http://spaghoops.com/pond/venturi.htm

I'm also in Austin btw. My fish love playing in the bubbles, although I've
got a 1600 gph pump on the venturi which gives them a pretty good current to
play in.

Let me try this again. Thanxx to all who have answered so far. All of your
suggestions are helpful but they may raise more questions than they answer.
Let me revert to 'pump layout 101' questions.
My pond is around 800 gallons. It is shaped like a snowman with a smaller
'circle' on top (about 5 ft wide) of a larger one (about 6 1/2 ft). There is
very little 'indentation'/restriction between the two circles. The top has
an irregular buttom (has a platform in it as the original owner had designed
it as mostly a spitter pond) but it is only about 18" deep in the small end
and 25" in the larger end. It is a little over 9 feet long. Accordingly it
does has a high surface to volume ratio, which I assume helps a little bit
in gas exchange. I have a 1600 gal Laguna pump(full open) running from the
deeper end to my filter which comes back in over a small shelf of two flat
rocks stacked on each other, in the shallow end. This does create minimal
splashing, some ripples and bubbles. The small pump in question is in the
middle of the larger circle. Surprising to me, the bubbling/rolling from
the 200 gph pump actually produces stronger ripples than the 'splash' end
(floating food is pushed towards the 'waterfall'). I have a bunch of water
lilies around the edge of the deep end which is why I am trying to avoid
splashing with the little pump. Even a very small bell fountain effect was
splashing the leaves and making visibility poor. It wont be long before the
water rolling from the small pump is pretty much the only open surface on
the deep end. I have about 8 submerged anarchis.
Everything is running well right now but I am particularly concerned about
it being so shallow and my first ponding hot Texas summer coming on. It
gets full afternoon sun. I have more flow from my big pump than I need. I
was planning to build a 'sink filter' as filter #2 and divert some flow to
it, as my fish load is very high. Naturally I am not getting a full 1600
gph due to elevation loss, but I think it would be adequate for both. Water
parameters are perfect right now, but they are growing right.
Now, as a result of your valuable input I am unsure how to proceed. I
would very much appreciate your educated guesses. I could divert the large
pump and try the venturi idea, and add new pump and filter as/if required
later. (Trying to avoid higher electricity usage when possible.) Your
input has now started me to consider zonation which I assume is
stratification(just read a bit about this). Perhaps? I should divert the
large pump for additional airation and just us the small to move lower water
some. I hadn't thought it through but to put in an airstone I would need
(even if small) an external pump that sucks air and not water right. I am a
bit concerned about moving the small pump much deeper since it has no
prefilter, just small slits in the case, which seem to plug up within 2-4
weeks just from algae growth, much less pulling sediment. The fountain tube
attached (I didnt mention before) put the bottom of the pump about a foot
deep and exiting about an inch from the water surface. I suspect if I lower
it much more there will be very little rolling water on the surface. I am
also wondering if I should be diverting from the large pump directly into
the pond just for water movement. or. or. or. Probably there are other
permutations which I havent considered.
Sorry to be so lengthy but, like I am discovering in ponding, few things
have a totally simple straightforward solution when my budget is small and
my ambitions are large. Thanks again for all the help. My general naivete
was once again in full force when I first started 'building my pond'. I
love it, but every time I learn something - which is almost daily - I learn
two more things I dont know enough about. I can only begin to imagine the
disasters I would have already encountered if I didnt have this group for
soooooo much support.
Bill Brister - Austin, Texas (for Grubber it's actually Leander)


"Newbie Bill" wrote in message
m...
I have a small 200 gph pump (very low power usage) submerged in my pond
for
additional aeration - just as added 'insurance'. The output is below the
water so the water is just 'bubbling' like a natural spring might. I do
not
want it splashing for several reasons. I have been told it is the
breaking
of the surface which helps to oxidize the water.
Questions: 1) Is this actually doing me some good. 2)Aesthetics aside
would
an airstone attached be significantly better.
Thanxx
Bill Brister - Austin, Texas

"Newbie Bill" wrote in message
m...
Let me try this again. Thanxx to all who have answered so far. All of
your
suggestions are helpful but they may raise more questions than they
answer.
snip

What was the question again? LOL.

Seriously. Your parameters, as you say, are fine. You have adequate
filtration. Your fish are not gasping like two pack a day smokers at the
surface. Me thinks you are falling prey to one of the most primal ponding
effections...you are worrying to much. If'n your pond is workin', don't go'a
fixin' it.

Aeration is important, but it's nothing something to lose sleep over.
Certainly not scientifically speaking, but if you have moving water, good
water params and happy fish, I'd say you have plenty of aeration.

You mention the Texas summer coming...you may be more interested in some
shade.

BV.

The best way to tell if your pond is low on oxygen, the low tech, beer in hand
way, is to
get up before the sun rises. If your fish are gasping at the surface you need
more air in there. If not, they are doing fine.


kathy :-)
A HREF="http://www.onceuponapond.com/"Once upon a pond/A

"Ka30P" wrote in message
...

The best way to tell if your pond is low on oxygen, the low tech, beer in
hand
way, is to
get up before the sun rises. If your fish are gasping at the surface you
need
more air in there. If not, they are doing fine.


kathy :-)
A HREF="http://www.onceuponapond.com/"Once upon a pond/A

Getting up before the sun rises and grabbing a beer before heading to the
pond may be considered uncouth. To avoid this, stay up all night drinking
beer, and when the sun rises, go out and check on the fishies. If they are
gasping for air, worry about the aeration after you've slept it off. If
they ask for a beer, you have had too many beers to make a decision. Try
again tomorrow.

"grubber" wrote in message
...
"Ka30P" wrote in message
...

The best way to tell if your pond is low on oxygen, the low tech, beer
in
hand
way, is to
get up before the sun rises. If your fish are gasping at the surface you
need
more air in there. If not, they are doing fine.


kathy :-)
A HREF="http://www.onceuponapond.com/"Once upon a pond/A

Getting up before the sun rises and grabbing a beer before heading to the
pond may be considered uncouth. To avoid this, stay up all night drinking
beer, and when the sun rises, go out and check on the fishies. If they
are
gasping for air, worry about the aeration after you've slept it off. If
they ask for a beer, you have had too many beers to make a decision. Try
again tomorrow.

I guess I have a problem then, because I usually do this check
automatically. If the sound of the fish gasping wakes me up, I know two
things. 1) the fish need more aeration, 2) i drank too much and passed out
next to the pond.

BV.

Okay okay - You guys are tooooooooo funny. THANKS - I'm sure I do need to
tone it down a bit. Prolly part of my 'problem' is all in all things are
going great. I am addressing a 'bug' problem, but in general the pond is
great. I have 6-10 lily blooms on any given day. Water cannas about to
bloom. Other marginals getting bigger. Numbers good. Seems I did so much
and was trying to learn so much at first I just have to look for problems.
Heck I have to do something to 'justify' the many hours I'm just sitting
around watching the fishies and soaking in the beauty. I probably would be
in the top ten at least, in a tan contest. Yes, yes life is good.
Of course as mentioned, everytime I learn something I come up with 2 more
'problems'. 1-I don't drink, 2-I most definitely don't get up before dawn.
According to BV if drinking improves your ability to hear the fish gasping
from afar maybe I could just put a tape recorder out by the pond and see if
a sugar rush would help my hearing. Baby monitor? Well - maybe not .
Ein prosit, ein prosit zur gemutlichkeit! Now you've learned something. I
was an Air Force brat in Germany during high school. I DID drink then
Bill

"Benign Vanilla" wrote in message
...

"grubber" wrote in message
...
"Ka30P" wrote in message
...

The best way to tell if your pond is low on oxygen, the low tech, beer
in
hand
way, is to
get up before the sun rises. If your fish are gasping at the surface
you
need
more air in there. If not, they are doing fine.


kathy :-)
A HREF="http://www.onceuponapond.com/"Once upon a pond/A

Getting up before the sun rises and grabbing a beer before heading to
the
pond may be considered uncouth. To avoid this, stay up all night
drinking
beer, and when the sun rises, go out and check on the fishies. If they
are
gasping for air, worry about the aeration after you've slept it off. If
they ask for a beer, you have had too many beers to make a decision.
Try
again tomorrow.

I guess I have a problem then, because I usually do this check
automatically. If the sound of the fish gasping wakes me up, I know two
things. 1) the fish need more aeration, 2) i drank too much and passed out
next to the pond.

BV.