Pond Boss Forums AERATION Systems questions Soaker Hose

FF,

Just as a reference for you in the future in case you need it. If your pond is circular with a 100 foot diameter and 5 feet deep, your surface area is about .18 acres and the pond holds approximately 300,000 gallons.

Thanks, The kasco surface aerator is a motor with 2 blade prop aimed up sitting in floating ring like this but unsure of the hp size. http://www.aquaticponds.com/Kasco-Marine...7cNrhoCUmTw_wcB

The fountain or cascade is maybe a foot above the top of water.

I have a good amount of duckweed on the pond bottom as well. Will the duckweed on bottom surface or is it dead?

I suppose using the aerator as a circulator could help by mounting a motor horizontal instead of vertical if nothing else if it produces enough wake it may put all the duckweed together to ease in skimming it with net.

A small pond this size can develop a temporary thermal stratification. Windy conditions and/or cool rain can remix the pond.
For your needs I would seriously explore using a pond circulator instead of the fountain type.
https://www.pondliner.com/kasco-marine-3400cf-pond-circulators

Using a bilge pump sitting on dock not in water to pump air and not water would this burn up motor or work? It's 12 volt. I think I saw a youtube of a bilge pump pumping air and not water and lasted several years.

I thought that for getting the duckweed all to one side. I believe all I have to do is mount motor horizontal and not vertical.

Turning prop down instead of up supposedly becomes a deicer.

Fish, are you looking for advice or just someone to sign off on the idea you already have?

Are you sure you're dealing with duckweed?

Bilge pumps are designed to pump water, not air. They are also designed to run intermittently and are cooled by the water while they are running....IMO trying to use a bilge pump as you describe is a good way to destroy the pump and, if it pumps air at all before it dies, it will be very inefficient.

Totally new to this. I'm suppose to attend a pond management course this week but it will be easier imo if I know the basics. I posted pictures probably on my first post of thread I started. I believe it's duckweed. I believe the class will identify it if I take a sample.

Any links and what size aerator I need? According to previous post it will be cheaper to operate. I didn't know if I could make one and I'm looking for advice and where to look, and what to look for. I believe something quiet, and economic are the goals plus cheap

Hey FF,

First, I apologize if we are coming off a little tough on you but you came here for advice and none of us want to see you fail.

I offer this:

1) Bill C. provided you may not even need aeration but you do have a surface aerator already so IMO I would use it. I would pull that aerator though and make sure it's in good working order; not plugged up or has worn parts.

2) I agree with Sprkplug. The pics you showed of the "Duckweed" in your other post doesn't look like Duckweed to me. Duckweed has no discernible stems and tiny tiny flowers (maybe 3mm).

I'm not a pro but I hope you keep asking questions and know that our motives are to give the best answers we can for you to succeed.

You said fir a pond this size you would use a circulator. This size meaning small correct?
Just mounting horizontal becomes a circulator correct? And it will aerate while circulating correct?

Thermal stratification results in fish kill?

My guess before the class is its duckweed and or water meal but still new to this.

I have pics of piles of the weed I pulled out but it won't post.

Before its removed

Pile aftrr removed

Looks like maybe a strain of FA, filamentous algae, to me. The picture is not real clear. Might be something else mixed in there too.

Go here and look for yourself to see what you are dealing with:
http://aquaplant.tamu.edu/

They give management options for you as well. AFTER you have read the link, determined what you are dealing with (watermeal, duckweed or Filamentous Algae) and gone to class come back here and discuss your ideas for control/management. You have received very good information from the members here. Control and management for duckweed/watermeal and filamentous algae is different, but the underlying problem that caused it is the same.
(excess nutrients not being utilized by anything else in the pond)

cool thanks. If it's fa I already have crystalplex.

Small means small pond. A Kasko circulator is a special design and is not just a horizontally oriented water pump.

Your pictures are poor quality at best; too out of focus. It is like looking at your stuff through the bottom of a glass coke bottle. IMO others have it correct - doubtful it is duckweed. If you go the circulator route get the one from Kasko it is made to do what they are intended for. Now that you likely have FA a circulator may not be what you need since a circulator is better for duckweed than very coarse types of stringy FA.

Pictures were better but I had to keep cropping them because forum said couldn't be more than 2 mb

The kasco circulator and kasco surface aerator isn't the same motor?? So pond this size doesn't need aeration? What is the effect of the thermal stratification u mentioned? Fish kill?

A circulator and surface aerator fountain with the same size motor are designed to perform different tasks or methods of moving water. Watch the two styles operate and read about the benefits of each style. Try you tube for videos.

Thermal stratification is a feature of water and characteristic of water bodies and not necessarily a bad thing. Deep trout lakes stratify so can shallow ponds. Results of thermal stratification is dependent on the water quality in each pond/lake when and if it can cause problems. As a general rule the cloudier the water the more thermal stratification becomes a concern and more likely a fish kill could occur.

I'll admit I'm getting a little lost on this thread. To summarize what I think I know:

FF's pond is .18 acres in size and 4 to 6 feet deep. There is an existing 1 HP Kasco aerator in the pond. The aerator link provided depicts what I think is the style aerator discussed several months back here on the forum as an alternative to bottom diffuser aeration for shallow ponds. I can't remember which member brought the topic up but I seem to recall it is an aerator designed by a well known pond guy or fisherman and is capable of moving water to 10 feet depth (I think). One downside is it takes a large motor to move the water making it more expensive to operate than an air bottom diffuser. Does anybody remember more about this aerator or discussion?

Anyway, I don't see why FF needs more equipment over what he already has unless he wants to maybe save money on electric. As Bill C. pointed out, he may not need aeration at all. I would think he can always use his Kasco for short periods of time as all he needs to move is 300,000 gallons of water to turn the pond once.

I suspect I am missing a key point or two in this discussion. What am I missing?

If FF already has a 1 hp Kasko then he does not need anything else. I missed the post that he had an existing aerator.

I have Kasco surface aerator unknown how many hp it fountains up maybe a foot above water as it floats on top of water.

But now that it's running I still have floating weed mats that I guess are duckweed or FA. I read duckweed has a lack of bottom aeration as cause or part of the problem. The weed is on bottom too .Fishing is very difficult and can't see fish even at noon bc of all the weed or FA.

Posting a better picture is difficult bc of the 2 mb limit.