April 25, 2007

Landscaping Tips: Koi Pond Aeration Needed for Healthy Fish

Hint! For a prefab pond, tip it upside down on the area you’ve reserved, mark it out with 6 to 8 inches extra around the outside and start digging.

Fish keepers know that koi pond aeration is an important element in a healthy garden pool. Animals need oxygen, and fish are no exception. Koi fish literally breathe the oxygen that is dissolved into their water. A lack of oxygen in the water is the number one reason for koi to die unexpectedly. To get that needed oxygen into the water, a system for koi pond aeration is needed.

Two factors affect the amount of oxygen in the water. Allowing algae to grow in the pond depletes oxygen and having too many fish for the size of the pond does the same. Either of these conditions require koi pond aeration be supplemented.

Waterfalls are a common addition to the backyard pond. Besides being pleasant to hear and to look at, the tumbling of the water increases the amount of oxygen in it. Waterfalls are a useful part of koi pond aeration. When the weather warms up, though, a small waterfall is not enough to provide adequate oxygen for your fish.

Hint! Building a garden pond that will last for years means that all debris should be removed from the cavity to avoid punctures to the bottom of the pond. Once the hole is the required depth and size, add the prefab or lay the lining.

In the summer, especially if the temperature goes over 80 degrees F., koi pond aeration becomes very important. Large waterfalls, fountains, and other ways of keeping water moving, should be used day and night when it is hot.

There are also bubbling devices that can be placed in koi ponds to provide aeration if installing a waterfall is not practical. Especially in the bottom of the pool, koi pond aeration is a necessity, since this area is farthest from the surface. An air pump is needed to use these bubbling devices, which include airstones and rings.

Hint! it’s generally a simple task to place the pump in the water and connect the hose to it.

Airstones are ceramic stones that attach to the hose from an air pump. The pump pushes air through the porous stone, which forces bubbles through the water. The stones are natural looking and sit on the floor of the pool, providing koi pond aeration where it is most needed. Several airstones can be used with the same pump.

An air ring also sits on the pond floor. It provides several outlets, through which the air bubbles up, providing koi pond aeration. Stones, rings, and electric waterfalls should be left on throughout the night for the koi to receive a healthy oxygen supply.

Carlo Morelli writes for http://www.onlineTips.org, where you can read more about koi pond designs and ultraviolet pond filters.

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