KOI POND AERATOR OR POND HEATER??
KOI POND AERATOR OR POND HEATER??
You must keep your koi pond water from freezing over. The most popular methods most pond keepers use are a pond heater and/or pond aerator. The best method is using a large aerator.
The reason is an aerator is less expensive to run all winter than a heater. Most important, however, an aerator removes the toxic gases that form in your winter koi pond. Plus, it adds life supporting oxygen to your koi pond water.
A pond heater will only keep an opening in the ice. A pond heater will not remove toxic gas buildup or add oxygen to your pond water. However, some very shallow ponds need both the aerator and heater. The heater helps keep the water temperature in a safe range.
The combination of good aeration and adding Arctic Blend will really improve the health of your koi in the spring.
Place the aerator within six inches from the surface of your pond water. The aerator will keep an opening in the ice if it develops. The reason to raise your aerator to the top is to keep it from circulating the cold water around your koi at the bottom of your koi pond.
NOTE: The winter of 2013 & 2014 was so frigid across the U.S. that aerators in some ponds froze. Pond Keepers had to use a pond heater above their aerator in order to keep a hole in the surface of the thick ice.