Summer Fish Kill

Summer fish kill is a legitimate concern to pond owners.  The best way to prevent something is to become educated about the problem and take measures to make sure the problem does not occur.  Oxygen production in ponds is highest during summer months.  Warm water and long daylight hours maximize the amount of algae and aquatic plants in ponds, resulting in more photosynthesis and more oxygen.  Usually the oxygen produced during summer days exceeds the oxygen needed during the nights and that is a good thing.  However, there are certain situations when enough oxygen is not produced and that is when fish kills happen.

One certain scenario is referred to as the excessive vegetation scenario.  In this case, consecutive cloudy days cause oxygen production during the days to go down because of a lack of sunlight.  Unfortunately the demands for oxygen remain the same, but not as much oxygen is being produced.  Once all the oxygen is used up and there is no more for the fish to survive they begin to die.

The big question for pond owners is how to prevent summer fish kill?  One step that pond owners can take is restricting the growth of plants and vegetation in and around their pond.  This step can be taken early on and should be to maintain the growth of vegetation.  Another big step to preventing summer fish kill is to have an aeration system installed.  Aeration systems are designed to add oxygen into ponds which is exactly what ponds need to prevent fish kill.

For any other questions on how to prevent summer fish kill please contact Sanco Industries today.