Originally posted by dave in el dorado ca:
...maybe the real difference is bottom diffusers create vertical convection cells and circulators create horizontal convection cells..
I guarantee that you're correct. Seen it wid' me own eyes, did I.
Not only does this affect circulation/aeration efficiency, but it also has a profound influence on silt suspension and shoreline erosion in smaller ponds. I had to entirely shut off a circulator in one of my ponds because it was tearing shoreline off the edge of the pond and suspending it in the water column. It helped my aeration in one respect (water movement) but hurt it in another (inability to support a macrophyte community).
Lots of questions need answered when it comes to which system to choose.
