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Over the years I’ve gotten a lot of questions on pond fountains and aeration in general. And I think a misconception of sorts came out of some of what I’ve written before.
People got the idea that I didn’t like fountains. But that’s not really true.
It is accurate to say that I don’t like fountains in really deep ponds, if they are the only form of aeration. They can never aerate as deeply as a sub-surface aerator so if you’re pond is deeper than say 6 to 8 feet, you really should go to the bottom with the air.
But many people like the beauty and action of a fountain at the surface so it’s fine to put one in a deeper pond along with a bottom aerator and they certainly do help create more surface action for even better aeration up top.
Where they really can come in handy though is in shallower ponds. They can actually work in less than 2 feet of water, and let’s face it, there isn’t any sub-surface aerator that can do really well at that.
So if your goal is to really improve oxygenation in the upper few feet of a pond (or if that’s all you have to work with) a surface fountain is a very good option for your pond.
Along with that, there’s the added benefit of a really beautiful spray pattern.
These patterns are created by using various nozzles on the fountain head. Fountains are powered by motors that range from 1/4 HP up to as high as 10 HP kits.
One of our all-time favorite fountain packages is the Kasco JF series. They have a lot of options when it comes to the motor output but what’s really nice is they come with five separate patterns (most come with just one or two) and they’re all included in the price.
Want a high reaching column? No problem. Want a broad, bell-shaped pattern. Easy peasy. Or my favorite is the combination of the two called the Linden.
With all of these sprays you still get the wonderful, relaxing sound of water falling on the surface of the pond.
So, am I against using a fountain in a pond? Absolutely not. I recommend them highly as long as they fit the pond’s needs in terms of aeration. If you consider that, you’ll get great results with your fountain, and have a beautiful display to look at too.
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I only recently found out that fountains are used for aeration, I always thought they were merely for aesthetic purposes. I’m looking into buying a house with a pond. I’m not sure how shallow the pond is, so I’ll have to check. I appreciate your advice of using a sub-surface aerator if the pond is very deep.