I purchased a Thomas 2650 off eBay to use for my system. Read on the forum that the Thomas compressor is a good one and cheap to rebuild. I plane to buy a Vertex micro bubbler from Forever Green to go with it. Anyone have any good enclosures they have put their pumps in? I was thinking of a garden hose box. My pond is about 1 acre and averages 4 feet but is about 6 feet on one end. Should I put the Vertex in the middle of the pond in 4 feet or would it be better in the deeper end?

I bought a medium sized plastic dog box (where they'd sleep in) to put mine in. They need good ventilation, so I figured that would do it.

Right now, I'd put it in the deepest water possible, using the correct start-up procedure. Then in late Fall, when the water temp drops to the mid 40's or high 30's I'd move it to 3' to 4' depth. When the ice melts again in the Spring, move it to the deepest water again.

If left in the deepest water over the winter, it will cool the deepest water, which the fish need as a refuge from the coldest water.

Water is the densest at 39°F, so the coldest that your pond should get in the deepest water is that. You might have more fish die than normal during the winter if the water gets too cold.

I rigged up a diffuser that is suspended by a 1.5 gallom bleach bottle at 5' depth for the winter. But, the water in my pond goes down to 15'-18', so the fish have a large area that is at least 39°F to play in for the duration of the winter.