Seasonal “Turnovers” Can Shock Your Pond

We may sound like a broken record when preaching benefits of aeration, but this valuable management system is proving to be an unsung hero in minimizing potentially damaging “turnovers”.

What’s a turnover?  It’s a dreaded “flip” in pond water stratification and we’re approaching the season when they occur. Picture your lake like a layer cake.  The upper zone contains life-supporting oxygen.  The bottom has negative gases and is void of oxygen.  During a “turnover” the two exchange places.  If the concerning conditions align, results can be devastating almost overnight.  Many times, the sudden reversal results in fish kills.  A fall thunderstorm or cold front that significantly cools water temperatures in a short time may cause it.

Adding bottom aeration diffusers in the next 30-days might spare you such an unfortunate event.  Installation now, however, requires CAREFUL planning with startup procedures.  Failure to follow these steps may create the catastrophe you’re attempting to prevent.  Some new aeration owners flip the switch thinking they avoided complications, but didn’t follow startup steps.  They allowed the unit to operate continuously instead of brief periods.  The sudden push of dead water to the surface replicates a turnover.  New systems MUST be operated an hour or so for several days to break down oxygen depleted bottom zones gradually. Once the transition is completed safely, units can operated 24-hours daily, year round.

There’s time to implement turnover prevention measures. But these CRUCIAL steps must be followed to the letter.  Don’t kill your fish with kindness!  Let’s visit about a custom-designed aeration plan to improve your water quality.