Winter aeration, do you think I need to? - 07/20/10 05:41 PM
Here are the physical specs. New this year, 1/2 acre pond, max depth 11-12' which is about 1/3 of the bottom area. average depth 6-7', lots of sand bottom flats & plateaus with structure. Pond is lined with no vegetation (yet). Started aerating in mid April using Vertex AirMax1 with two diffusers spaced about 50' apart at maximum depth and will continue 24/7 till at least mid Nov. We are located in north central Ohio, Seneca County. Now to the fish, stocked with 130ea 6-8" YP, 60ea 7-9" HSB, 60ea 8-9" Crappie and 4ea 8-10" LMB along with whatever forage (golden & fathead) survives. My wife wants to let the pond freeze over in the winter for ice skating, in a couple years I won't mind either for ice fishing. My question is with all this oxygen demand (fish) and no natural O2 production (plants) should I keep aerating all winter? Also, if the answer is yes, can I continue to use the same system I am using now during the summer? Thanks Jeff