esshup (and everyone else),

Running full pond aeration (non-surface) can actually make things worse, as shown in your first trout pond example.

I have read lots of aeration threads on the forum, but I have never seen the reason for the importance of full pond aeration. (It just seems to be assumed.) I have also never read a good article that was like a treatise that fully explained all of the underlying science. Therefore, my questions below are totally newbie questions!

Originally Posted by esshup
Another thing to consider is that if the bottom aeration system is sized to run 24/7, and someone only runs it for a few hours per day, they run the risk of under-aerating their pond which causes issues of it's own that won't help their situation.

What are the actual issues with under aerating a pond?

I would imagine that a pond with good surface wind exposure is oxygenated above the minimum required level for the fish most of the time.

1.) Do fish thrive better with additional oxygen in the water, even well above the minimum threshold? For example, are fish more active and therefore better at catching forage? Is there a better survival factor of eggs hatching to fry, etc. due to better oxygen transfer through the walls of the eggs?

Or is under aerating a problem due to periods of "crisis" conditions?

2.) Do we require full pond aeration to survive the crisis when an oxygen crash occurs due to the die-off of a massive algal bloom, or pond overturning anoxic bottom water during a cold rain event, or due to long term oxygen stress due very high temperatures in the water column?

3.) If a manager provided adequate aeration in only a portion of a large pond, would fish be able to find these "oxygen refuges" to get through any crisis periods, or would you be damaging a significant portion of your fish population - ESPECIALLY in the desirable older/bigger class of fish?

Finally, I have been reading articles lately about commercial fish operations. It is amazing how often the accompanying pictures show surface aeration in the background. This is something I seldom see on Pond Boss threads.

4.) Do we need to consider more use of hybrid aeration systems on Pond Boss that include subsurface aeration combined with surface aeration?

Thanks in advance for any good answers provided. Clarifying any misconceptions about aeration that were stated or implied in my questions ALSO counts as good answers and might even be more helpful to all of us that are non-experts on aeration!