Pond Boss Forums AERATION Should I aerate? Aeration. What would you do?

I am so glad I found this site it is great. I have a 30ac natural lake 12-13feet deep and almost perfectly round. It gets deep fast so half the lake is 12'. I put 960 rainbow trout 5". I know I want and probably need aeration. Surface temp is at 70f. 1/3 of lake has weeds to about 6'. Water is vry clear besides the algae in .5" strings thick from top to bottom of lake. house(power) sits 200' from shore. I get wind almost everyday white caps once a week maybe. I was going to put a small aeration system in until i read on the forum that is not a good idea. Can't afford much but I am going to try.
1. fishing
2 swimming.
Please give me your opinions.

You're right, this site is great. Welcome to Pond Boss, we're glad you're here and participating.

I'm no aeration expert but I can tell you to aerate a lake that big it's gonna cost a few bucks, too small of a system and it is possible to do more damage that good.

Let's wait for the experts to chime in.

Howdy, Blair.

Have you got electric available at the pond?

blair - I have some experience with Canadian lakes (MS thesis). Since you are at a more northern location and your mean depth is around 12 ft with weekly episodes of wind sweeping across the water to produce white caps, I doubt that your lake needs mechanical or supplimental aeration. In more northern waters that do not get real warm, wave heights that produce white caps can often mix the oxygenated water down 12'-15' deep or deeper depending on wave height and surface temps. This also depends on the fetch (unobstructed wind distance) and the long axis orientation of water body. If trout are able to survive all summer in your lake it is likely DO is adequate at all depths all summer. Before I would buy an aeration system, the lake should be checked for dissolved oxygen concentrations at several of the deepest locations in mid-August to check for the degree or amount of stratification. The wind may periodically destratify your lake before the DO is consumed near the bottom.

What other fish are in the lake besides what you stocked? Do you have a native minnow population and do you know what species they are? Is the lake fed by a stream? Is there an outflow?

I have put only a few stickleback minnows in. There are leaches and FW shrimp. Shrimp are so thick(6 inches apart) that I will have a hard time catching fish. There is a 650 ac lake 100yards from mine it ran from ap 21 till july 1 at 6000gal/min and is kind of running again only maybe 10gal/min. there is an outflow creek. It is not running now but the lake is close to running out. It ran out for 2 months also. I want it for swimming but it smells like sewer on the edges and the strings of algae is not good for swimming. I haven't put power down to the lake but I could. I would like to run aeration during the night to keep the lake cool enough for the trout and Just plow strips of snow off in the winter

What is recommended for a DO meter. I would like to buy one then I would know the DO2 instead of Just being worried all the time.
Thanks for your input everyone.

We prefer the YSI 55 model. Look at the resource guide (upper left on PondBoss homepage) for Aquatic Eco Systems as they are a dealer and repair center and they support The Boss

blair - Be prepared, DO meters are not cheap expect to pay around $500+-$1000. If your needs are only a few tests per year it would be cheaper but more time consuming to use a liquid or chemical test kit for measuring DO. However, In this case you would need to use a water sampler that could capture a discrete water sample at a specific depth without exposing it to very much air. Air bubling into a container adds oxygen to the water sample. There are home made discrete water samplers. Is there a lake mgmt company near you that could come out and at a fairly reasonable cost sample the DO once a yr?

No lake mgmt that I have found yet. Thanks for the info I will think about buying DO meter.

I went out on the lake to get some temp readings.
Surface= 72F
6'= 68F
12 bottom= 67F
The Algae? is still bad. Calm days it starts to sink but very slowly then the next day it is all over again. I will try and take a pic of this stuff so you guys can tell me what it is.

Here are some pictures of the algae. and what do you think of those tempertures?

Only 5 degrees difference in 12 feet sounds pretty well mixed IMO.

That is a very exceptable temp difference for not having mechanical aeration so you are well mixed,key being the large surface acreage and mother nature at work.

Thanks for your thoughts. I am getting a real kick out of this sight with you guys joking around (siphon origin) not to mention what I have learned. I am building a 60' foot dock to fish off of and park my boats. Don't expect to much you guys but I will take pics and post them anyway. Any opinions on the algae or is that something else.

P.S. The wife is starting to get jealous of Pondboss forum.

..... and so it begins.

Hey every one this is an update on my lake. I placed a 50 foot commercial gill net in for three days and checked it daily. Result was zero fish. I am hopeful still there is something in the lake but it doesn't look good. We had a bad fish kill in aug. 260 trout found out of 960 and no sign of life since. It kind of took the wind out of my sails. This is a natural 30ac lake that i think comes close to sustaining fish but maybe not every year. I was wondering if you guys think i could get away with aerating part of the lake? I have read its not good to undersize a system (I know there is at least 2 feet of stinky muck on the bottom) but I cannot afford a $10,000 aeration system. I still have not found a consultant in our area.I am ordering Do2 kit right away. I am going to try and post some pics

Gorgeous place Blair!!!!!

That doesn't look like FA to me.

Tip on posting pics.....re-size to 640X480 and copy/paste the IMG code to display on the page.

If you have that much muck and smell, I think you would benefit from aeration. Have you checked your PH and alkalinity? Sounds like Wild Bill can be a tremendous resource for you having done his thesis on northern waters. What about underwater structure, is there any?



pondering causes for low fertility;

Would alum be a benefit to bind the phosphorus? And then fertilize? A "Real" aeration systenm would be very expensive but also very well designed. I think if you're handy you could build your own for well under 3K. Depends on how elaborate you want to make it. I know little about the chemestries of northern waters (or my own for that matter). Would lime be of help? Sodium Bicarb may help with the muck stench, aeration surely would.

Man, you're living on my dream lake!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks rainman we have owned this for 17 years. I moved here and want to make it the best it can be. I am kind of handy. I have been trying to look for compressors. What are the best rotary vane or piston. I think this lake has plenty of fertalizer. visability is about 3feet so maybe not. I will do a ph test

Hi Blair5002- How deep is your lake? If it is shallow, a vane compressor may be better because they supply more air, but if you have long tubing runs and fairly deep water a vane may not be able to handle the high PSI required.

It is no deeper then 12' But half the lake is that depth. Almost a foot of ice on it already

From what Sue said and what I've researched a vane compressor or three would be best for that many acres. In a few years aeration could give you quite more depth as well depending on the sediment make-up and amount.

Does the lake near yours empty into yours? If so, does it have fish? And if it doesn't have fish, do you know why?

I'm totally ignorant of northern waters and want to learn more.

12' deep with tubing runs as long 500' at at your altitude (Saskatchewan averages around 2000' above sea level)a compressor would be running around 8.7 PSI. A Gast 1 HP vane compressor would give you about 10 CFM, but it would be running pretty close to its maximum PSI of around 10. If there is any back pressure from diffusers the PSI would go up causing more frequent need for maintenance on the compressor. If you need to go further into your lake than 500' you should consider piston compressors. Most aeration manufacturers have switched from vane compressors to piston compressors. Pistons can operate at higher PSI, require less maintenance and have less problems. You should have a professional size your lake and make a recomendation/design and then take it from there as to how you want to proceed on your budget.

Thanks for the info .We are at about 1800' above sea level. the lake is relatively round 1100 feet across approx. Some shore lines get deeper a little faster but it is pretty even all around. I think i want to aerate at night only, to cool off the lake. In winter i will only run one compressor in the winter and plow strips in the snow. I am starting to wonder if i can afford to get a BOW this size managable. There was pike in this system for years though so maybe it won't take much help.

I bought a rebuilt Thomas 1/3 horse system to start with. I will buy maybe 2 more before spring. Another 1/3 and then a small one to run next(snorkel type dropping water into cage) to my future fish cage. What kind of fish density is recommended in a cage? RBT up until 10" long. I want a couple of 20'x4'x4' cages.