Winterize Your Pond: Aeration
Well, it’s that time of year when fall is soon upon us, then the short cold days of winter. If you own or manage a pond or lake, then you’re probably not thinking too much about “winterizing” it. Nature will take just take its course until spring arrives. However there are a few things that you can do proactively if you want to get a head start on next year.
1) Keep aeration in place thru the winter months. Bottom diffused aeration helps to keep the water circulating eliminating fall turnover and fish kills. It can also help to prevent fish from dying under the ice if you live in areas where you have complete freeze over. Lastly aeration will give you a head start on algae control next spring by circulating oxygen rich water thru the whole pond which will increase the amount of beneficial aerobic bacteria present.
2) Use a pond dye or colorant – even over the winter months. Most algae can grow on the bottom of a pond year around. Come February or March, it can really take off. Using a pond dye adds a nice color but also filters the sunlight, keeping it off of the bottom where most algae live and grow.
3) Continue using beneficial aerobic bacteria until the water temperature drops to 50 degrees. In some parts of the country, you might use supplemental bacteria year around. In the Northern climates, it might be from April through October/November. The biggest benefit of adding supplemental bacteria is in breaking down the organic matter on the bottom and in reducing the amount of nutrients available to feed bacteria and aquatic vegetation. They are much more effective than anaerobic bacteria and really go to work if you have supplemental aeration.