First time post 1 yr reader. My situation is very similar to original post with a twist...trout, rainbow to be specific. I have 1.3 ac linered pond "C" shaped with avg 16' dept obvious steep sides. I made it so deep for trout and since linered it will be difficult to remove sediment in years to come. I have 4 diffusors in this pond and 2 in my .4 acre 6' deep bass pond. I've read Bill Cody's ideas about 24/7 air. What complicates things (I know - I know) is there are also warm water fish in there too like WE, RES, BG, SMB, YP, FHM & CC. The trout are still feeding furiously in the cold. Small pond froze over since air is temporarily off for technical reasons. Large pond is mostly open 95% with 4 stations going full bore at the deepest points. Both ponds stocked with 50 pounds NCF each.
My FIRST question is, do I cut back air to a few hours a day to mitigate stress on the warmer water fish or just let it ride on 24/7? I want to keep open water to keep feeder going to attempt to keep some trout through the summer. I'm in the cooler northeastern Ohio area about 30 minutes from the great lakes where it doesn't get extremely hot but kicks your hiney in the winter. We get a lot of Canadian weather influence here. Probably not much different than Bill C. (love his posts). SECOND question for second shallow pond is same for aeration. I gathered from reading periodic air also - perhaps 4 hours/day.
New pond is just south of crystal clear, trout are loving that. Smaller pond is slightly turbid from proximity to new construction but generally runs clear at 16". TMI? Also, with the ground temp at the deeper depth of the pond (16' - mine is 14' to 18.5') being approx 62 degrees I'm wondering if the thermodynamics will play into "heating" the full body. Also, when I read about the cool temps of the inlet air this time of air I didn't note anyone mention the generous heat generation from friction of the mechanical components and the compression process of air in the heads of the actual air compressor. My background gives me a goodly amount of insight into air compressors to offer this as a thought.
Maybe I just made a blunder but hey, it's a great learning experiment. Thanks in advance for any input anyone can offer. Remember the question is about Ohio trout and warmer fish and how to WINTER then over. I think I have summer covered by all the great posts although sometimes I end up with more head spinning than when I began. LOL. Thanks for humoring me folks. Glad to be part of a great group of folks. Merry christmas!
Description: Here is my ponds. Front pond is 20 years old LMB, BCP, GSF, BG, BH, SMB, FHM lots of muck, 7' deep .4 acres. Far pond is new this year FHM, SMB, WE, YP, RBT, HBG, BG, RES. 14 to 16', both aerated. Both habited.