# Linear Pond Aeration
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Pond Oxygen Basics
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Fish consume oxygen. Aquatic plants add oxygen to water through photosynthesis. They produce more oxygen in the daytime, when they're actively conducting photosynthesis. If fish in a pond need more oxygen than the plants in the pond are able to produce during a day, fish will die out until an equilibrium is reached -- the right amount of fish for the amount of oxygen supplied by the plant matter. To overcome this, many people aerate their ponds to produce more oxygen than the pond's plants can provide.
Agitation Aeration
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You can agitate a pond's water with a tractor rotary mower attachment or with an outboard motor. You back a tractor with a rotary mower attached, or a boad with an outboard motor attached, up to the edge of the pond and run it. Cruising around the pond in a boat with outboard motor, however, will not aerate the water. You can install paddle wheels to agitate the water. You can also use a large-volume pump to spray or blow water across the top of the pond.
Bubble Aeration
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With a bubble aeration process, you place a diffuser disc or "air stone" on the bottom of the pond and pump air through it with a compressor. These aeration devices are generally 9 to 12 inches wide and produce a local, steady stream of bubbles that rise to the surface of the pond. Linear aeration hoses are another type of bubble aeration device. Linear aeration hoses typically contain tiny holes 4 inches apart and can stretch out more than 100 feet. They are flexible, and they sink by themselves as you uncoil the hose from the back of your boat.
Localized vs. Linear
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Diffuser discs and air stones produce bubbles that are concentrated in one area. Their effect in the rest of a pond is limited; further, if they are used in very shallow water they can create splashing and froth that are less useful than bubbles for adding oxygen. They are most effective in deep ponds. Linear aeration hoses, on the other hand, are more effective in shallow ponds where the production of bubbles can be spread over a wide area. Linear aeration is especially useful in shrimp and fish aquaculture, water treatment plants and large basins with flat bottoms.
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