Don’t get me wrong! A pond using a waterfall, fountain or pond aerator to add oxygen is a perfectly good set up and will suffice. However I recommend adding some plants for the following reasons:

• Aquatic plants add to the overall look and feel of the pond.
• They somehow make the pond seem less liking a swimming pool and more like a natural pond or lake.
• Atmospheric oxygen does not dissolve into water easily; particularly in warmer water (cold water holds more oxygen than warm water).
• Turbulent action at the surface makes the absorption of oxygen easier. That is why the splashing of a fountain or waterfall helps.
• Oxygenator plants on the other hand release oxygen into the pond beneath the surface, effectively removing the barrier between oxygen in the air and the barrier at the pond surface.
• Aquatic plants provide a place for fish to shelter or hide from predatory birds and other predators.
• They also make a great place to spawn for many fish species.
• Oxygenator plants or any aquatic plant for that matter compete for the nitrates in the pond water with algae cells (algae are a microscopic form of plant life). This reduces the opportunity for algae blooms to develop and with it reduces the problems associated with pea soup like water and subsequent carbon dioxide problems.