"Jackytar" wrote in message ...
I just wanted to thank everybody for the good advice on my recent pond
crisis. We had a dead koi, at least one distressed koi and a faint sewer
smell to the water when we got in to do some maintenance. Folks here
recognized it as an oxygen deficiency with resulting anaerobic breakdown
of plant debris (which releases hydrogen sulfide gas... I'm learning!).
Well, my fish are looking much healthier now and my pond smells mountain
lake fresh. This was accomplished by a 50% water change w/dechlorinator,
a cleaning out of all visible debris... I did find a rather large, dead,
lilly root system under some planting medium in one corner of the
pond... and by correcting a significantly decreased water flow over my
water falls caused by a partially obstructed pump intake. I'm also
treating the fish with formalin (sp?) for good measure. The cause of the
crisis was my ignorance... no water changes in the 10 months since I
purchased this home, failure to recognize the clogged pump in a timely
matter, and no knowledge of oxygen-starved fish behavior.


I'm exploring the idea of adding an aerator, as was recommended by some
contributors here, but I get conflicting information. First of all, the
pond is 3 yrs old and the previous owner did not have a mechanical
aerator. There are two waterfalls that make some noise, and today I'm
adding a water spitter (which the previous owner did have). The pond
seemed to be doing just fine with proper maintenance and no mechanical
aerator, at least until this dunderhead took over. Secondly, the local
pond retailer and "guru" doesn't even sell aerators. He says there are
very few if any ponds in this area (south Louisiana) that has one.
Thirdly, the pumps and airstones designed for outdoor use I'm seeing for
sale on the internet are designed for *much* larger ponds (mine is
approx 1000gal). So I'm wondering... is an aerator more of a "boost" to
a small pond than a necessity? To be honest I would prefer not to have
an aerator if it is one of those "might help, won't hurt" deals. It just
means more unnatural looking equipment and noise, not to mention the
expense.

Thanks,
Jacky

Two waterfalls and a spitter should add plenty O2 to the water. Not
knowing how "small" the pond is all that I can say is leave well
enough alone. The fish would be gasping at the top of the pond if you
needed to add aerator. It would help you if you had a few books by
Helen Nash to help you. Happy water gardening.


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