Bought a house that has a small (approx 1/5 acre) pond. Pond contains LM bass, Bluegills, and recently stocked Channel Cat fingerlings. From some of the reading we've done and from some other responses we've recived here, we figure it best to have an aeration system. As you can see from the photos, the pond is located in the bottom of a drainage creek in a heavily wooded area. We are told that the pond is approx 10 yrs old and we know that it has a mucky bottom. The only aeration feature is a cascading waterfall that drops about 10-15 feet. The water for the feature is pumped from about a 4-5 foot depth off of the dock. There is an electrical outlet located at the dock. The dam is 70 feet wide. The water is supplied primarily by a creek with runoff and a small spring. A well was drilled several years ago as a secondary source as it seems there is water loss during dry periods. Curious to know what you folks think we might need to make this a clean, healthy system Appreciate any input you can offer. Will add image when I figure it out.
I see from another post that you stocked 100 CC fingerlings and have significant numbers of the other species, correct? I know where I would place an aeration diffuser but I will let one of the pros chime in cause I would not want to steer you wrong. Curious on your waterfall though. Do you know any specifics on what pump was installed? Any chance you could post a pic of the waterfall?
Reason I am asking about the pump is I'm considering building a small forage pond near our main pond. My thought is to have a continuous flow from the main to the forage and let the return be a rock filled stream/mini-waterfall. Looking for what the best pump would be.
I see no pros have stopped by yet to offer advice on your diffuser placement. FWIW assuming you don't see a lot of snow and ice on your pond, I would place the diffuser in that deepest 14 foot area in front of the dock. With all the fish you want in that size pond, I would think you don't want any low DO deep area not being utilized.
Not sure what type pump is submerged to run the waterfall, but here's a pic of the top of the waterfall. It cascades down about a 10-15 foot drop to the pond. The extreme right side of the other photo shows the entry point into the pond You can see the extreme angle of the bank on that side of the pond.