Pond Boss Forums AERATION Systems questions Fish kill with bigger compressor

Pond is 1 acre, deepest is 10 feet, 45 years old, neglected til August of 2009. In mid-March I started up too-small an aerator that I began using mid-August to October last year. Began when water temp was 50F with it about 4 weeks ago at 4 hrs per day for 2 weeks then 8 hrs/day. I had about 6 dead fish last Saturday on arrival at my pond. Thought it was the birds. Put in larger compressor and with 2-50square inch diffusers (one at 9.5, other at 7 feet) last Saturday to run at 9 hrs/day. By Monday neighbor reports I had 10 dead. Arrived a week later this past Saturday and had 32 dead fish, mostly BG. Who knows how many dead on the bottom? The compressor is a 1/3 hp Thomas dual rocking piston that does 3.6 to 4.3.scfm free air that I had rebuilt. I am certain I am getting 1 cfm or more to each diffuser, and the pressure at the manifold is 12 psi. I shut it down (unplugged completely) yesterday before leaving and won’t be back til Saturday. Hope to get reports from neighbor during this week. I am worried that I may get more of a kill. How much is possible for further fish kill now that I shut down, and have quit moving bad water to my beloved fish? I am sure this a question that is hard to anser and it depends, but give me the straight skinny, I can take it. I will do a proper startup when the kill stops. I feel like a big dummy.

NOOOO!!!! Rick, I'm not well versed in fish kills, but I know the guys will come along ASAP to try and trouble shoot. My stomach is in knots for you - I'm calling you now. Hang in there buddy, I'm sure help is on it's way!

Rick:

Ted Lea posted this a number of years ago:

Start slow,No more than 15- 30 minutes to start and double each day for a week and you will be at 24/7 If you see any fish activity out of the norm during this process back the time down to the previous days time,Turbidity depends on what is making it that way, If clay particles then sight feeders will have a rough go,Plants in general will not do well.So less turbitity would be advised.Catfish for example higher turbidity OK If planktonic and this is part of your goal then 18-24 inches may be fine. Ted

I don't know what to tell you if you don't live on the property.

A 7 day timer will allow for a pre-determined time on and off for 7 days.

Thanks Essup, you are right and not living there is my dilima. I was too ignorant before and left it on a timer, got in trouble. Now too paranoid.

Cary I have a 7 day timer and can program it for twice as much each successive day, but I cannot see what is happening with the fish to back down run-time if a problem occurs, and my neighbor is not dependable on going each day. Is a half mile away thru the woods and he is sickly.

Still wondering if i am too late or bigger fish kill will occur after shutting it down? Iow, will the bad water stay where the fish are or will fish detect it and mover to better water? I am such a novice I don't know if these questions are fair. I know it depends though.

Its a bummer being paranoid and preceding it with ignorant.

Rick, not wanting to hijack but what type of timer do you have? Im in the market for one, thanks.

I have this one, it is 15 amp rated with 3 prong 120ac outlet:
Intermatic Timer

It is great - I used to build Grandfather clocks and used it to back lite and bottom lite them . I does dusk to dawn too, which might be handy for aerating at night.

Great, thanks Rick.

What you need is some sort of emergency aeration. How about turning it off, switch over to a sump pump to and spray the water back into the pond allowing it to degas and absorb oxygen.

If not that, then turn off one of the diffusers and bring the other one to the 4 foot depth to circulate the upper already aerated water.

My experience has shown that if an end user actually flipped the pond over without doing a complete start up, then all the fish turn up within 24 hours and not just 20 fish of one species.

An update for everyone...I just spoke with Rick on the phone. He is on his way out to the pond to make some modifications.

1. Turn off one diffuser
2. He is using a stone diffuser attached to a milk crate. I
instructed him to invert the crate and attache the diffuser
to the top bringing the diffuser out of the muck.
3. Change the diffuser to half the depth and slowly move it
deeper each week.
4. Shorten the run time using his timer attached to the
compressor.
5. Install a pump to draw from the surface and spray water
the water over the surface which will allow it to absorb
O2 and give the fish a safe haven.
6. Since this is a remote location for him, recommended a web
cam in a clear pelican case mounted to a tree or post which
will allow him the ability to observe the pond from his
work or home and make changes based on his observations.

Rick said he will call me today on his way home to let me know how it worked out for him.

"And THAT'S the REST of the STORY" !

We have had customers that have experienced similar issues when implementing a pond aerator into their pond. I would like to add to this thread that this type of thing in our experience is a rare occurrence. Typically it can happen in older ponds or in ponds that like Farmer Rick's have been neglected. We also recommend 15-30 minute intervals for up to two weeks. If you have an older pond that has lots of decaying matter on the bottom, it is highly recommended that you do run your aerator in intervals at first.

Got it done per Cary. THANK YOU CARY!

Diffuser is at 4 feet set for a 1" boil. It is elevated above the bottom so not in muck. I suspect this pond has muck on steroids as its old and has about 20 small sweet-gum trees at its shore in 2 places. Will follow thru with the rest of Cary's advice.

The good news is I only found 3 more floating dead, after following Greg Grimes' advice to shut it down Sunday. Sounds like semblance of breakin I did saved me and have dodged a bullet.

Still feel dumb on ponds, but less paranoid. Sure wish I lived there.

Rick;
Feel your pain on not being near your pond. I installed a windmill aerator about a month ago and have not been back to check on it's effects. My pond is only 4, so I hope my fish are still belly down.
Good luck............

Joe

That is what I love about this forum !!! Professionals that will chime in and help those of us less knowledgable. I will definitely buy from those whenever the need arises.

Hey, Rick, how about an update. I'm really sorry to hear that you ran into that problem, but for what it's worth, that's probably another great lesson for others who are getting ready to start an aeration program so we don't get into the same jam you found yourself in. Cary's advice sounds great and like a really sound startup plan. To me the biggest shame is that whoever sold you the system didn't think it was important to give you a startup plan similar to what Cary was gracious enough to share.

Hope it's working well by this point, my friend!

Thanks to Greg telling me to turn it off, and then Cary instructing me with steps to recover, it is abated.

Cary has been very helpful in holding my novice hand and it gives great comfort. THANK YOU Cary! I lost less than 50 fish that I could see.

Greg is coming to shock and do a "Lake Audit" Tuesday evening and I am excited to learn a lot more about my pond and fish.

I have an Aqua control Evolution Fountain due in this coming week from Cary through Greg - It should be in time for my deputy pond monitor's (wife's) Mothers Day gift. Of course I probably wont tell her that it can do emergency aeration in cases like just experienced. I want it to be hers bc she asked couple times over the past year why we cant have one.

I got the original smaller aerator last summer pre-PBforum discovery. It was so small I think the guy knew I could not get in trouble, and gave no instructions even in August. Using it as a model,I decided that a pump I had on hand could do better, so I rebuilt it and got in trouble.

My naivety and ignorance was the cause. Pond stuff is complicated. I should not have had this happen with PB forum at my disposal.

Thanks again to Greg and a huge thanks to Cary. PB forum is fabulous.