Pond Boss Forums AERATION Systems questions Placing airstone on bottom of pond?

F-Aerator - To elaborate on Ted's information, I will add some of my thoughts. Typically air diffusers should be separated from the sediments on the pond bottom with either a sheild/plate or with distance or height(on a stand). Diffusers that lay in the bottom sediments, which may be fairly deep, will lift and circulate the light, "fluffy" organic particles on and around the diffuser as the surrounding water is "lifted" or moves into the water column. This can create cloudy and turbid water throughout the pond. Water currents from the aerator will tend to redistribute the resuspended sediments or keep them in suspension until they decompose or settle elsewhere. Duration of this cloudiness will likely continue until all the sediments surrounding the diffuser are pulled or "cleaned away" from around the diffuser. Other factors may also contribute to the long term cloudiness once it develops.

Four sided airstones can under certain conditions expel air bubbles from the bottom of the stone. Although typcially if sized corrrectly with the compressor's air flow the air bubbles are released primarily from the upper surface of the airstone. Bubbles released from the bottom of an airstone lying in the sediments with out a bottom shield will have a tendency to erode the pond bottom sediments and or soils below the diffuser and cloudiness will persist as long as airflow to the airstone is active.

Typically bottom aeration systems that are sized and installed properly will not by themselves make the pond water cloudy or turbid. If a pond turns cloudy after aeration is installed correctly, other factors are usually responsible or contributing to the "problem".