There is no doubt that we are changing seasons. The warm days of early fall have passed and overnight temps are now down around freezing in the upper midwest. Winter is coming!

Most of us have endured frigid winters where temps drop into the negative numbers for days or weeks on end. Ice and heavy snow cover change our ponds into a closed ecosystem that is much different than an open pond in the summer. On a frozen pond there is no way for the water to exchange gasses in the air. As a result, the oxygen that is present when the pond freezes is depleted by animals and decaying vegetation sometimes leading to suffocation.

Adding an aeration system to your pond now can be one of the most important things you can do to protect your fish this winter. There are many types of aeration systems available. In general, systems can be divided into a couple of types:

• Surface aeration (including fountains and deicers)
• Submersed aeration (bottom diffused systems)

Generally speaking many surface aeration systems can be beautiful to look at. And any aeration system will “move” water and introduce oxygen—to a degree. But, as it relates to protecting your fish in the iced-over months of winter, nothing beats a deep water diffusion aeration system. A properly configured and installed aeration system will send air to diffusers that “live” in the deeper areas of your pond. The air exits the diffusers in the form of small “micro-bubbles” which rise, carrying the warmer water from the deeper parts of your pond to the cold surface. Bottom diffused aeration systems do their job so well that the warmer air and water mixture will actually maintain a hole in your ice even through the nastiest days of winter. And keeping a hole in your ice gives toxic gasses an exit to the air above.

Why trust Bjornsen Pond Management with your aeration plan?:

1. Every pond is different. Some are deep, others are shallow. Many ponds are surrounded by trees, leading to high amounts of decomposing organic matter. Your pond may be densely populated with fish—or may see very little full sun. All of these issues must be taken into consideration when configuring your aeration system.
2. We will custom configure a system for you! Is your pond 1/2 acre or 12 acres? Do you have electricity available pond side? How deep is your pond? Is your pond shaped like a bowl or does it have an irregular shape? How much sun does your pond receive? How much wind? What is the water source? All of these things factor into our recommendations. Bjornsen Pond Management has been configuring and installing aeration systems for years. Inexperience can be a killer—literally.
3. We sell many types of systems from deicers to fountains, to surface aerators, to deep water diffusion systems. Many systems are available in 110v or 220v electric, wind powered, or solar. We will configure the best system for you based on your specific pond.
4. We sell only high-quality systems. The brands that we carry are the leaders in professional-grade systems. Yes, there will always be cheap systems tempting you—they simply do not hold up over time.
5. We will support the system with installation and maintenance advice and service parts. We are just a phone call away.

Our expertise for custom sizing and quotes is free! Is your aeration system working properly? Is it properly sized for your pond size and fish population? Now is the time to check things out. Your fish will thank you! We have dozens of systems in stock—we built up our inventory knowing that availability could get scarce and that prices are going up the 1st of January.

Contact us via our Online form or call Wes: (319) 640-1253 or Kevin: (319) 350-2918, or browse our aeration systems below.