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Nanobubbles - Is it the right solution for my pond?
We all need oxygen. Did you know your pond does too? Dissolved oxygen (DO) fosters healthy fish and aquatic wildlife, promotes beneficial bacteria, and helps maintain balanced water quality conditions. Pond owners have long relied on floating fountains, surface aerators, and submersed aerators to increase and circulate DO throughout their waterbodies. However, in recent years, an innovation called nanobubble technology has emerged, which allows for up to 25 times more oxygen transfer than traditional aeration systems.
What are nanobubbles?
As the name suggests, nanobubbles are microscopic bubbles. With a diameter nearly 400 times smaller than human hair and about one million times smaller than ordinary bubbles, nanobubbles have no natural buoyancy, allowing them to disperse and remain suspended in the water column for weeks to months. These bubbles are continuously injected into the water using a compact, shore-mounted unit.
Is nanobubble technology the right solution for your pond?
To determine if your waterbody is anoxic (DO deficient), Aquatic Experts will conduct advanced water quality tests. They may also assess nutrient concentrations and test for the presence of toxins produced by cyanobacteria (blue-green algae). Visual surveys are conducted to pinpoint muck build-up, turbidity (water cloudiness), nuisance algae, and foul odors. They may also ask if your waterbody has ever experienced a fish kill, a situation where populations of fish die off suddenly which is most commonly due to low dissolved oxygen levels. If your pond suffers from any of these conditions and is less than five acres, it may be a suitable candidate for nanobubbles.
Before & After
- Nanobubble Technology
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What do nanobubbles do?
Improve water quality and safety
A defining characteristic of nanobubbles is that they are negatively charged, as opposed to positively charged pond nutrients, algal cells, harmful cyanotoxins, and other pollutants that may be in the water. When they come in contact, nanobubbles can help oxidize and degrade these materials.
Promote muck decomposition
It’s common for eroded sediment, dead plants, and other organic matter to accumulate and form a layer of muck on the bottom of a pond. Beneficial aerobic bacteria naturally break these materials down, but their efficiency diminishes when DO levels drop. Nanobubble technology optimizes DO at the water-sediment interface to help accelerate muck “digestion.”
Eliminate foul odors
While oxygen-loving aerobic bacteria are beneficial to ponds, anaerobic bacteria, which thrive in the absence of DO, produce gases with foul “rotten egg” odors and create stressful conditions for aquatic life. Nanobubbles help make aquatic environments less favorable for these undesirable bacteria.
Promote a flourishing ecosystem
Fish absorb DO into their bloodstream through their gills, so fish kills are more likely to occur in anoxic water. Optimal DO levels enhance fish activity and growth potential, leading to a more thrilling catch for fishing enthusiasts. DO-rich environments also foster healthier native plants and zooplankton, which play vital roles as the foundation of the food chain.
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Alternative technologies
Nanobubble technology is not the only recent innovation to restore anoxic environments. Side stream saturation provides similar benefits without creating bubbles. Side stream saturation uses suction and discharge lines to inject oxygen at low pressure into specific water depths, achieving five to ten times the oxygenation efficiency of traditional aeration systems. The enriched water is infused into the bottom sediments where it will remain for long periods of time.
Boost Your Waterbody's Health with Oxygen
While oxygen is key for healthy water, it’s not the only factor in maintaining a balanced, beautiful pond. Aquatic Experts recommend integrating different management tools that have been tailored to your waterbody’s specific needs. In many cases, nanobubbles can help enhance the impact of these solutions, which may include nutrient remediation, biological augmentation, physical muck removal, aquatic weed management, and traditional aeration.
Does nanobubble technology sound like the right solution for your pond? Contact us today!
Explore the Benefits of Oxygenation
Contact Us to Add Nanobubbles to Your Pond
Call us at 888-480-5253 or complete the form below to connect with an aquatic management expert.
SOLitude Lake Management is a nationwide environmental firm committed to providing sustainable solutions that improve water quality, enhance beauty and preserve natural resources.
SOLitude’s team of aquatic scientists specializes in the development and execution of customized lake, stormwater pond, wetland and fisheries management programs. Services include water quality testing and restoration, algae and aquatic weed control, installation and maintenance of fountains and aeration systems, shoreline erosion control, muck and sediment removal and invasive species management. SOLitude partners with homeowners associations, golf courses, private landowners, businesses and municipalities. SOLitude Lake Management is part of Rentokil, a leading business services company, operating across the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.
For more information, visit SOLitude Lake Management at solitudelakemanagement.com, and connect on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.