All life revolves around the availability of Oxygen. In aquatic environments like fish ponds, oxygen is the single most limiting factor for success. All aquatic life forms demand oxygen. From the fish down to the bacteria any body of water has what is called an “oxygen demand”.
Of all the essential elements in water, oxygen is also in the shortest supply.
Ponds and lakes gain oxygen in two ways:
Photosynthesis by algae and plants.
Atmospheric oxygen is transferred into water at the surface of pond.
Photosynthesis may produce sufficient oxygen for very low fish loads but is inconsistent due to the fact that at night algae and plants remove oxygen through the process of respiration. Most of the ponds and lakes we deal with have higher than natural fish loads and lower than natural numbers of plants and require additional oxygen to maintain a clean and healthy environment.
We suggest the following air flows:
100-500 gallon ponds - .15 CFM minimum
500-1500 gallon ponds - .75 CFM minimum
1500-3500 gallon ponds - 1.5 CFM minimum
3500-6000 gallon ponds - 2.5 CFM minimum
6000-8500 gallon ponds - 3.5 CFM minimum
8500-12,000 gallon ponds - 4.5 CFM minimum
12,000-20,0000 gallon ponds - 6.5 CFM minimum - use multiple pumps or see our "Floating Fountains and Aerators" section
20,0000 - 40,000 gallon ponds - 8.5 CFM minimum - use multiple pumps or see our "Floating Fountains and Aerators" section
Ponds over 40,000 gallons see our "Floating Fountains and Aerators" section
