The two most common types of aeration are surface aeration and submersed aeration. Surface aerators only aerate the upper few feet of the water, right around the device. Subsurface or bottom-based aerators add oxygen to the entire lake by efficient subsurface circulation, which eliminates temperature stratification.

Although fountains can add oxygen when the surface water is less than saturated, and they can prevent an oxygen related fishkill in a small pond, they are primarily for decoration. If aeration is needed in a shallow lake, then use one or more surface aerators to get higher oxygen transfer efficiencies than a fountain. If you need a fountain for decorative purposes, then locate its water intake as deep as is reasonable.