I was leafing through the Aquatic Eco systems Catalog and Tech Talk 114 caught my eye. The article is about using Hypolimnetic Aeration to increase DO without disturbing the thermocline.

This sounds great for a trout pond. Does anyone have any experience with Hypolimnetic Aeration?

I am thinking about using airlifts and some culvert to bring oxygen to the bottom (15' deep) of my 1/10 acre pond.

Bender. Look into a product called AquaKler for your situation. The results to date look good. We will putting this product to our own tests also this spring. Additional info can also be obtained at vertexwaterfeatures.com and at aquakler.com.Good luck

I know of a new product called AquaKler that may be perfect for your situation. This is a chemical compound that when applied to a water body quickly sinks to the bottom and slowly releases oxygen over an extended period of time. (up to 4 months?) We are conducting several case studies and so far this product has brought up and kept oxygen levels high for almost two months in ponds 1/2 - 1 acre. It's not practical or cost effective yet for larger bodies of water, but for your situation it would not take much to raise the oxygen levels on the bottom of your pond with out disturbing the thermocline. Per the manufacturers request it is only available through our distributors so if your interested contact me and I can put you in touch with the closest to you.

This is very interesting.

Approximately how much is this product to use per acre or acre/foot of water per treatment? Could it viewed as a replacement for aeration? It may be easy to justify if it meant I didn't have to run electricity to the pond or buy an aeration system.

Also, I noticed on the AquaKler website that the product is "practically insoluble in water at neutral pH levels". Does that mean it is only active as pH moves away from 7 or that the byproduct is practically inert?

The recomended rate is 40lbs/acre which is what we have used on a couple of our test plots. The depth shouldn't matter since it sinks to the bottom. We applied it in both a shallow pond and a deeper pond. Its effects can be active for up to 4 months depending on BOD. This is what we have been told which is why we are conducting our own tests. So far so good, but we are only 2 months into it. Since it is only effective for a few months, I don't think it is an alternative for year - round aeration especially in ponds much larger than an acre or two. I would recomend its use for winter aeration - apply before the pond freezes and it should provide oxygen through out the winter. Another case would be shallow water applications were bottom diffusers are inefficient (under 4') or where cold water fish species are a concern.
As far as the PH question is concerned I am unsure how the PH effects the solubility, but I will find out.

Could you not just wait until later in the winter season when there is snow on the ice, drill a few holes in the ice and dump some in? That way it would not be active until it is really needed? As ice over up here is around five months.

NOTE: Just in case you southern folks think I mean a hand drill when I say drill through the ice, I am mean using a 10" ice auger for ice fishing.

I don't see why it wouldn't work. I actually think the effects would last longer in the north because the cold water holds more oxygen and every thing slows down decreasing the BOD.

Sounds great where can I get it? In your tests have you used the Accelerator product?

I am planning on using a diffuser when temps allow. Will this product still work if I turn on the diffuser at night when temps are below 70?

The accelerator product is quick release and has its applications when one wants next day results. There are other products on the market that do the same as the the accelerator. The AquaKler is a completely new product. I don't think you need the accelerator.
You can use both the aeration system and the AquaKler at the same time.

In the near future the total benefit to the oxidizing type products may be realized in conjunction with monitored DO and water temp levels.When to add how much to add etc.My o2 level is X and I need it at XX for example. Slow release products such as AquaKler will have a place in aquaculture as one better monitors and understands the water enviroment.Affordable monitors both hand held and remote are getting closer everyday. Five years from now most of us will be sitting in our favorite chair and be able to view this data (cheaply)Oxygenating agents are yet another tool to consider for your water situation. You will be hearing more about them soon, so stay tuned !!

If this were April 1st I would be waiting for the punchline. I've never heard of this stuff. Cecil, have you heard about this for your trout ponds?

It sounds perfect for me. How much oxygen does it provide? Does it produce visible bubbles? Does it work at high pH such as 8 or 8.5? Can I put it in my 150 gallon fish raising tanks so I don't have to aerate all day? This would eliminate my fears of a power outage killing my fish. Can you use too much? Is there any concievable horrific side effect that hasn't been considered?

Bruce, probably no April 1st punchline on this for small waters 1 acre or less applications for now depending on the situation. We will be doing our own testing this spring as previously mentioned(or this winter if it ever gets here)on AquaKler. We as a Vertex Dealer sell AquaKler but I have to test it myself before I am comfortable talking about it or selling it. It will and does have its place I just need to determine where it fits. What I have seen to date is good.I will let the AquaKler Pros answer your questions.

I agree with Ted about the AquaKler having a place in the proverbial "Aquatic Tool Box". I have interviewed both the manufacture and lake management companines that have used and tested this product.

Sue is correct in the fact that in ponds less than 2-acres, the results so far have been favorable. The lake management companies we interviewed said it kept the 02 at desireable levels for about 1-2 months depending on BOD and time of year.

A couple of other lake management companies were not pleased with their results and said the cost of repeated applications exceded the cost of an aeration system and monthly electric bills.

Maybe the pH question earlier played a roll in the results those companies had experenced and were not happy with the results?

I think with Ted and Sue doing their own testing as well as ourselves, (we have ordered some for testing in spring) we may be able to nail down these questions and find where the application will best be suited and what drawer this new tool can be placed in.

I really appreciate that you all are doing some independant research, because five of my six ponds are under one acre and I could benefit greatly from something like this.

It means that the Aquakler becomes more active the lower the sediment pH is. That is what you want. Almost always the sediment with high organics contains a lower pH than the water column.

Hello everyone. I work with the company that produces Aquakler and as I was reading through your comments I saw that there were some questions. If I can be of assistance with regard to the Aquakler please let me know.

As with any new product there always some questions as to how it works and where. I would like to answer them as directly as possible.

I will start, you might want to start another thread just for Aqukleer. Sue has already addressed this. If i have a msall .2 cre pond mostly less than 2 feet that has major algae issues do you think Aqukleer will help reduce algae and how? thanks

Can you use Aquakler in the bottom of a fish raising tank?

Bruce,
What type of tank are we talking about. It this a pond or a fish tank?

Greg,
Geoponics makes no claims as to the control of algae. However, I can say that Aquakler will greatly assist with the immoblization of Phos and increase the aerobic condition of the organic sludge at the bottom of the pond. It is very simple to apply and you do not need any type license to apply it.

You can see some areas that have been treated by going to the presentation part of the Aquakler site. However we do not make direct claims with regard to the control of algae. I will just say a pond with good oxygen is a healthy pond.

Thanks for your question.

I'm raising fish in a 150 gallon Rubbermaid tank with an aerator.

I thought the Aquakler would serve as emergency backup oxygen if the aerator quit working.

Bruce,
Yes it could do that however I think you would be much better served with a product like the Aquakler Accelerator as it release is in 90 secs. However Aquakler would work for extended period of time, but I would think you would want to get your aerator fixed as quickly as possible.

I'm away from my tank for two to four days at a time. If I had the Aquakler I think it would serve as a safety backup in case the fish were without functioning aerator.

In that case it would work very well.

Thanks for answer. I have been to the site, b/c this is seriously good news if it works to reeduce phos as you describe. BTW I'm asking the questions b/c I'm a potential dealer that has major issues on several smaller bodies of water we manage. So feel free to explain in a more detailed manner, scintific manner.

I get how Aquakleer would aid in startified pond with no DO on bottom. I would think in my example with such a shallow pond you will recieve oxygen anyway right, not strafied with it only being 2 feet. Is there a direct reduction in Phos by adding more oxygen and again explain how? thanks

Greg-

Our experiences indicate that the anoxic conditions found in the sediment layer allow the Phos. to escape. By changing the sediment layer to an aerobic condition, the redox is moved to the positive thereby locking the phos. and removing the ability to release into the water column.

R. Wicker, please correct if I am wrong. Thanks.

Thanks Cary well stated, but will Aquakler do that Wicker?

Greg,

That is exactly right. Aquakler works by oxidizing the sediment. Mr. Martin is exactly correct. The soluble Fe2+ is easily oxidized to Fe3+ by oxygen in a wide pH range. Fe3+ has a great affinity to form insoluble complexes with ligands such as mono and polyphosphates. If these complexes are subjected to anoxic conditions, Fe3+ is reduced to the soluble Fe2+ and the phosphates are released in solution.
Moreover the soluble Mn2+ oxidizes only under alkaline conditions (pH >8) to the higher valence states. Oxidation of Mn2+ under alkaline conditions is catalyzed by Fe. Oxidation of Mn2+ is enhanced by H2O2 leading to a Mn3+ polymer with O. In the presence of Fe, Fe-O-Mn complexes can also form. Acidification of this complex quickly releases Fe back in solution.

Effects of Anoxic Conditions:
Other oxidants become more important
Sulfate reduction (SO42-) forming H2S then FeS…
Denitrification (NO3-) releasing NH3 which accumulates
Fe reduction (FeOx) forming Fe2+ releasing P
Mn reduction (MnO2) forming Mn2+ releasing P

Also to answer your question on depth, because a body of water has exchange of oxygen with the atmosphere may mean that the water column itself is aerobic, but 2mm into the sub-aqueous content pH will drop as will the oxygen levels. The exchange of porewater from the sediment into the water column can carry Phos.

I hope this helps....

thanks for the lesson. I apparently know much more about water than I do soils. If you knock me on the head enough it fianlly sinks in. I will probably give some a try. thanks

Hope changing the topic doesnt throw anyone off, but I thought this topic better suited the thread.

R. Wicker,

Ted mentioned water temps in one of his posts. With Bender's question pertaining to raising trout can you comment on how this product reacts at different water temps? This may offer those folks that live in areas or have marginal summer water temps where year round trout raising is not possible.

What kills trout quicker, low DO or high water temps?

R. Wicker :

Two questions. I understand your prior post about how the product works in general. Could you address these in both general language and chemically.

1. If an infertile low alkalinity pond is being fertilized with typical NPK pond fertlizer (to keep it simple 0-46-0) the missing or short chemical is P. How does this product interact or react since it locks up P in its function?

2. What effect does the product have on alkalinity or acidity in the pond bottom and water?

I will try to answer both your questions as general as possible.

Russ, Aquakler will become somewhat more reactive with higher temperatures as will most reactions. However, Aquakler's reaction is more based on pH. The lower the pH the faster the release of oxygen. With regard to your question on what kills trout quicker I can not answer, but like all aerobic organisms oxygen is very important. That being said, the solubility of Oxygen increases with the decrease of water temperature. Trout naturally live in cooler waters which contain much high levels of DO as opposed to warmer waters. Again these are my thoughts...I am not an expert in trout farming.

Ewest,

You can always overload the system with P, we have been doing it for hundreds of years now, and we have drastically increased the curve in the last 150 years. But, I understand this is not your question.

The amount of transition metals are the key. When you have much more P than transition metals you will overload the system. This is not normally the case, but it is possible. In this case you would be saturating the sediment and the water with DO. If you wanted to off set the load of P you could do so with the proper steps, but I assume that you would want the P for a specific reason as growing phytoplanton, etc.

Aquakler will act as a buffer to raise the sub-aqueous pH. Once it has reached close to a nuetral pH the reaction will begin to slow down. You would have to put an exuberant amount of Aquakler in a to change the pH of the water column and most developed pond are well buffered naturally. I can not see this being an issue.

Hope this helps...thanks for the questions.

So does this mean that when I apply it to my pond with a pH of 8.4 that the oxygenation will occur, but just more slowly? Or will it not occur at all?

Yes it will occur but much at a much slower rate. Please remember that the sub aqueous content is almost always lower than that of the water column. You may have 8.4 in the water column but I am sure that is not what it is in the sediment if you have excessive organic matter.

Water pH fluctuates daily due to photosynthetic activity, being low at dawn and high mid afternoon. Sediment pH is less variable on a daily basis. Anoxic conditions lead to lower pH sediments due to increased CO2 levels. When these anaerobic conditions occur other oxidants become more important, sulfate reduction (SO42-) forming H2S then FeS
Denitrification (NO3-) releasing NH3 which accumulates. Fe reduction (FeOx) forming Fe2+ releasing P. Mn reduction (MnO2) forming Mn2+ releasing P

Sorry about the typos....I have been giving seminars all day a little tired.

R. Wicker :

Not sure I understand your answer. I will ask the question in a different way.

Many (a high % of) ponds in the Southern US and parts of Texas are naturally infertile and acidic with low buffering ability. Alkalinities are form 4 to 20 ppm ( very low buffering ability) and thus many people use ag lime and high P fertilizers to increase fertility and thus carrying capacity. These ponds , most without aeration, have a summer thermocline and anaerobic pond bottoms in summer and more bottom O2 after fall turnover.

What would the product do in those conditions wrt alkalinity and P fertilization ?

Interesting point.

Can anyone advise on the costs of this treatmeat? How long does it last before requireing re-treatment?

Frank

Frank - this product needs to be applied by a profesional applicator so you would need to contact someone in your area for a quote. It would be more cost effective to invest in an aeration system for your 3 acre pond unless your pond is extremely shallow and aeration isn't an option (less than 4 feet). The AquaKler can last for 2 - 4 months depending on conditions (pH, BOD)Maybe longer - we're not sure, which is why we are testing.

Frank I will put it to you this way. We have lake management companies that do one application of Aquakler in the spring do not have to touch the pond all summer long and you can use it on any depth of pond. These ponds have a history of problems ranging from algae to BOD. We are using it lakes that are 80 feet deep to very shallow ponds and it is extremely easy to work with. About like spreading fertilizer.

There are several distribution companies of Aquakler in Georgia, Frank and if I can answer any more of your questions please do not hesitate to let me know. I will actually be there this month doing training seminars.

R Wicker

Thanks for the info. Please provide me with the names of Georgia distributors.

When will you be in Georgia? Where? Perhaps we could meet at my pond to discuss specifics. I am near Macon in central Georgia.

I have no electricity at my pond so typical aeration systems are not possible.

Thanks

Frank