Pond Boss Forums AERATION Should I aerate? Summer Airation, Super Heating?

Every winter I see discustions about super cooling a pond.

I have been wondering about ponds in the hot part of texas and in the deep south during the summer.

During the summer the surface water reached very high temps and I have noticed the fish linger below the top layer of really hot water and do not rise until things cool a bit on the surface.

If Airation is running during the bright hot days will it super heat the entire water column?

Is it best to run it dusk till dawn? Will this oxigeniate the lower water enough for the fish to remain at the bottom during the day when it stratifies that 1-2 ft of super hot water again during the day?

Bobby, warmer water holds less dissolved oxygen. There are more variables with warm water than cold. In winter, it's not often an oxygen issue, but actual temperature issue....cold kills. Cold reduces immunity and increases stress.

Depending on the Biological oxygen demand of a particular BOW, you may HAVE to agitate and aerate 24/7 to keep enough dissolved oxygen available. Catfish production ponds holding 11,000+ pounds of fish per acre/foot of water can't have enough aeration and agitation in 95 degree water, and weaker fish will still suffocate. In a more typical sportfish pond with only a few hundred to thousand total pounds of BOD per surface acre, it may well be better to only aerate at night to keep water temps as cool as possible. Species present, both plant and fish would add to what is the best choice.....it all depends!

yes thats what I meant , Not an overloaded food fish pond but a typical sportsman/farm pond.

More specifically for fish that might be a little heat sensative such as HSB or SMB or YP a little out of thier range,

That's a good thought Bobby only mix the water columns at night so no to "heat soak" the lower temp water during day.

Bobby, in the situation and species you mentioned, I do recommend night time only aeration during the coolest parts of the night. Often midnight to 6am around here. Winds will help cool water through the evaporative effect...also a good time to aerate.

I believe Highflyer and George have some very good experience and/or testing when it comes to the aeration of warmer waters. Hopefully they will chime in here

Bobby, if I knew as much about aeration in hot, drought ridden Texas farm ponds as I do after more than 10 years experience as I do today, I sure would have saved a lot of blood sweat and tears – but would not have been as much fun.
I will give you a couple of links and share my experience, but I believe all comments about aeration should be confined to regional experience.

Perfect Pond – Had One
http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=397656

http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=386835

After a heartbreak fish kill in 2011 I discovered what many already knew about surface aeration and added a 1 hp Kasco aerator to back up my1/4 Gast/Vertex membrane diffuser system.
Below are photos of my current system, taken from above links.
I run aeration systems 24/7 except during the coldest Texas weather – bottom membrane diffusers daylight and surface aeration nighttime.
Bottom membrane diffusers add O2 by circulation whereas sufrace aearation adds O2 dirrectly but is only effctive in shallow water 7-8 ft and shallower depths.




Brian (highflyer) and I are currently putting together a solar DIY 12 volt 1/4 hp surface system for 1/10 acre sediment pond.
Kasco 12 volt 1/4 hp aerator is already in place ready for us to hook up solar components.









There is a lot of aeration information for Texas hot weather drought ridden ponds on the links provided – halleluiah - our record setting drought has been broken by recent record setting floods – good fresh water!

Good luck with your program.
George Glazener

Bobby, I hope not to barge into your post here. My apology here but I would like and hope George will be able to answer or Highflyer. Yesterday I spoke to Walt 2 Overtons about setting up a system and he suggested it might take 6 stations of defussers on my 3.5 acre pond. Due to bottom contour, but when we discussed surface aerator he said it would require electricity which I don't have @ the pond. So my question? Is there a surface aerator that is solar battery powered? And if so, does the cost prohibit it's use? I understand solar if not cheap based on some quotes I got @ the PB forum.

Thanks
Tracy

Tracy,
what do you have stocked are you concerned about overheating and running the sytem during the hot summer daylight hours?

Hi Tracy, congrats on the Camelot Bell LMB as well as your other stockers.

About your aeration plans - how far away from electrcity?
You can run air a long distance and maintain good air pressure with a good pump for a bottom difuser system.

I would venture a guess that a solar aeration system of this magnitude would be cost prohibitive but will let Brian (highflyer) address the solar issue.

IMO, surface aerators are not effective in water over 7 or 8 feet deep.
Neat program you got goin'!


Best,
George

Bobby, I am concerned with a fish die off at some time in the future when my plans reach into size and numbers of larger lmb and larger hsb along with high numbers of larger forage fish needed to maintain the growth of the larger lmb and hsb.
I have been blessed or cursed, however you want to look @ it, but my personality drives me to the extreme in some of the things I do in my life. And so for me to meet my goals in a 3.5 acre pond it will most likely need to be aerated or rolled over to maintain my goals of high numbers of heavy fish. I don't think I am different than most here (wanting good numbers of large fish) but for the $ spent on pond, forage fish, water well etc, then, the correct aeration, cooling system looks to be the way to insure my money spent. Please feel free to let your thoughts be known to me

George, I am a newbe here as you know. And you have told of the pain and heartbreak and the pleasures of being a pond owner. I thank you for that, because of you my friend, there will be some of your namesake HSB in my pond . You seamed to have corrected your problems using a surface aerator along with your diffusers. I am wanting to follow in your footsteps but bypass the heartbreaks.
In conversation with Walt, we decided we could run air to a 6 or 7 station air manifold from the farm house(guessing about 600 yds). And then would have to run weighted line the length of this pond (200 yds) to the opposite shallow end of 6 foot depths, and 2 lines to the separate deeper water depths of 12 feet and the second of 10 foot depths). These two different deeper areas are divided by what I call a roadbed that runs for 100 yds. And then to another shallow 6 foot depth area. We figure we could get that done!! But in discussion, I brought up the surface aerator and he said we would need electricity and I have none @ the pond. So my question here in Bobbies post, is there a surface aerator that can be beneficial through solar panels at a reasonable cost? I had to set a post and elec @ my water well and the cost was around $1500.00 but is 7/10 of a mile from the pond. So I am thinking it might run between $5 to $10,000 to have elec and then the surface aerator or is there an option here.
I hope I did not ramble on here as what makes sense to me may not make sense to others.

Thanks
Tracy

Tracy, here is our Kasco 12 volt 1/4 hp surface in battery mode.
Surface aerators are most effective in water depths less than 7-8 ft.
Solar panels, battery and electric components are in the back of my truck awaiting Brian's work break for installation. It should do a good job for shallow portion of ponds - we'll post a report upon completion.

Brian has tested and proven reliability on a prototype of the same type Kasco 12 volt solar surface unit for his brood pond.
I'm sure he will chime in as soon as he gets back on the ground...

I purchased my Kasco 12 volt 1/4 hp surface aerator from Todd Overton so he might be able to provide cost information.

Thanks George, do you run this along with diffusers? So I am guessing u roll the pond over and also run the Surface aerator?
How large of an area will the kasco cover?
Tracy

Tracy, I have a 110v 1 hp Kasco surface aerator running off pondside elec that we run continuos nightly but can be operated simultaneiosly with bottom membrane Vertex aeration in emergency situations.

This Kasco 1/4 hp surface unit is designed for portable emergency use - modified by Brian for solar charged batteries.
Brian's system can be up graded for 110 use but more expensive.
We plan to use mine for night time use only in a small sediment pond.

Kasco says 1/3 acre which may not fit your needs.
I would seek Brian's opinion on feasibily for a large solar powered 110 system.

http://www.kascomarine.com/products/aerators/12v-emergency-aerator/

FWIW another vote for night aeration. Perhaps another thing to think about is on a hot day the air temp can be well above the water temp so you are pumping hot air to the bottom of your pond. At night, the air temp can be significantly lower than the water temp so you are pumping cooler air to the bottom of the pond.

Definitely talk to Brian about his off-grid surface agitators. From what little I know about it, Kasco sent him a new propeller design. I don't know if he has it up and running now or not, I think he had the propeller in Fegruary. I would also ask him how many running hours he has on the system - that will help figure out it's longevity. For running at night, you will need batteries. I think he has sourced some for a better price.

YES, definitely get Brian's input on solar surface agitators.
We are currently installing a 12 volt Kasco surface aerator in our small sediment pond based on his proven prototype.
George Glazener

Thanks Guys, I am still up in the air here as to if and when I might take this path that many have taken here. As I told someone here, I fish a lot of nice ponds in Oklahoma growing up there and never fished one that was aerated. And let me tell some of you Northern guys, it get real hot in the summer there 100 + degree days ramble on for several days in a row up there.

Tracy