A pond needs oxygen to support life.

Any natural body of water will support life in much lower concentrations than the average garden pond. In such natural bodies of water, sufficient oxygen is absorbed at the water’s surface. As a garden pond almost inevitably contains a higher concentration of life forms than would naturally be supported, it is often necessary to actively promote aeration of water.

The first step to aerating your pond is effective planting. Plants will both provide oxygen and also absorb many of the nutrients present in pond water that require effective managing to avoid algal growth problems.

A less passive method of aerating the pond is through the use of water features such as fountains or waterfalls. Whilst the aesthetic appeal is a major benefit of such a feature, there is a functional purpose to installing them. As the water moves through the air, more oxygen is absorbed across the increased surface area. The movement of water also ensures that the entire volume of water will be exposed to oxygen far more regularly than in a pond with minimal water movement, other than that generated by surface and fish movement.

A water feature does require a pump to create the water movement. For the environmentally conscious, there are solar powered options available on the market.