Aerating your pond exposes water to air; allowing the water to absorb oxygen. In a pond that is well aerated and well taken care of, when plants and other living things like fish or other organism die off, their remains naturally collect at the bed or bottom of the pond where some beneficial bacteria will break it down. This balance is usually distorted when oxygen levels in the pond decline, thereby coating the water surface, denying the fish and plants in the pond the much needed oxygen and leading to their death.
Aeration generally forces waste and oxygen depleted water to the ponds surface and is beneficial and important all year round. The main intention of aeration is to prevent the growth of algae; this is because in large quantities, algae can be toxic, killing all the beneficial bacteria that is used to clean up the pond. Algae are also capable of causing harm to human beings, fish and other animal forms. Mechanical pond aeration can also be implemented, oxygen depleted water in the pond is cycled to the surface where unwanted gases are released to the atmosphere and oxygen is absorbed. At aerationequip.com you can find the type of equipment needed to add oxygen to your pond.
There are several types of pond aeration that can be implemented; waterfall aeration refers to the use of falling water to partly churn the ponds surface and bring up the water that is on the ponds bed to the top. Fountain aeration on the other hand sprays water onto the ponds surface thereby disrupting standing water. Paddle wheel aeration is more mechanical as it uses spinning paddles that are similar to those used in riverboats to churn water. Submerged diffuser aeration is slightly more advanced and more appropriate for larger ponds, it uses compressed air that is forced through some flexible tubing before being diffused into some tiny bubbles that move water and other sediments to the surface.
Pond aeration allows animals and humans access to clean, clear water minus the harmful toxins of algaecides. Raking or skimming pond surface is also a tedious and time consuming exercise; coming up with an aeration system for a pond is thus the best alternative and is quite simple to implement too.
We have researched a handful of sites online and another reasonable choice for a retailer of aeration equipment is Living Water Aeration, look them up and give them a call. We have also had some luck finding a pond aerator on Amazon.com.