Pond Boss Forums AERATION Systems questions New Pond Aeration Advice

Hello All, My name is Rocko, from Alvin Texas and I am new to the forum. In June of 2018 my wife and I dug a new pond on our place. It is 80' x 140' and approx. 18' deep, with a deeper hole on one side. We are planning on stocking it this week with Bluegill Perch and Blue Catfish. I have a few questions about pond aeration. I have been reading a lot of posts and watching a lot of videos and not sure of what we need to do.

We want a healthy pond full of fish and feel pond aeration is a key. I am a career Firefighter and working on a budget. So, I may try to build my own system using a HiBlow HP 200 septic air pump and two airstone diffusers or I am looking at a Koenders HD 250 with two airstone diffusers.

My questions are as follows:

1. Will the HiBlow pump be big enough to do the job?

2. How deep do I place the diffusers?

3. If I don't place the diffuses on the bottom will the entire pond circulate?

4. Will pond aeration keep the pond from turning over?

5. Do we aerate 24/7/365?

6. Is starting pond aeration better now while its still cold or wait until it warms up a bit?

Thank you in advance for helping us out and answering our questions. We are really excited in our now pond and want to get started in the right direction. I have subscribed to the Pond Boss Magazine and really looking forward to learning more about pond management in the future.

Welcome Rocko to the forum lots of info here to read. I used to live close to Alvin in the Pearland area for 60 years.... retired to Oakwood..... can’t help you with aeration question but bunch on forum can and will be along

I've been running air for almost a year now, but will try to get your thread started with my 2 cents...

1. Will the HiBlow pump be big enough to do the job? I’m not familiar with your pump, but I have read plenty of thread here at PB talk about the HiBlows. Go to your favorite web search and do a “HiBlow site:forums.pondboss.com” search and you’ll find plenty to read on the subject

2. How deep do I place the diffusers? Rule of thumb for ponds that see hot summer months is to put them about 1/4 to 1/3 of the area's depth off the bottom. This is supposed to allow the water below the diffuser to remain mostly uncirculated, hence cooler water for a fish reprieve during those hot summer times. A thermocline should develop at the level of the diffusers. I say “should” because my pond has shown no evidence of that thermocline and my diffusers are set at 3 feet off the bottom of my 10-foot-deep pond. I believe that the updraft of my diffusers pulls the water from below and carries it upwards, miximg my pond. Churning of the muddy sediments is also happening to back up my theory. Maybe my system is too strong. It’s a Gast 0523 ¼ horse pump with 3 Vertex single diffusers. Maybe my ¼ acre pond is small enough with steep enough sides to resist a thermocline with the use of aeration.

3. If I don't place the diffuses on the bottom will the entire pond circulate? See my thoughts from #2.

4. Will pond aeration keep the pond from turning over? If able to run 24/7/365, I think turn overs will be eliminated.

5. Do we aerate 24/7/365? Hopefully someone with knowledge of your area can chime in…I live in Missouri and taper my system off as the air temps get below my water temps and then only run 2 hours a day to help keep a hole in what little ice-overs we get.

6. Is starting pond aeration better now while its still cold or wait until it warms up a bit? I think this should also be answered by someone with knowledge of your warmer climates, but I think that if you air temps are warmer than your water temps (18 to 24 inches below the surface) then you can run your system. This only applies for springtime because as the water temps approach hot summer air temps (85 degrees thereabouts), you should consider backing the run time back off, maybe even only run at night.

Whatever you decide, make sure you bring your system up gradually when you first bring it online so that you do not turn your pond over and kill fish. 15 minutes the first day, double that time the next day, then double again until you reach full throttle. The only exception would be if you smell rotten eggs during the aeration “on” period, then stay at the time duration for the following days until no smell occurs, then you can start the doubling process again. Unless the smell comes back, then repeat that time duration until smell is not present…and so on.

That should give you something to think about and others the opportunity to correct me if I’m off base a little and add to my ramblings…

Welcome to the club, it’s good to have you!

Welcome and thanks for your firefighter service.
Good answers so far.
1. HiBlo pumps come in different models from lower cfm to higher cfm and higher psi(pressure); priced appropriately. HiBlo pumps run noticeably quiet due to design as linear diaphragm. They are rebuildable. IMO they are more for shallower ponds depending on psi of compressor.
The HiBlo200 Max Continous Operating Pressure: 4.3 PSI. IMO this means a maximum of 4psi X 2 = maximum air release of 8ft deep.

Deeper than 7-8ft likely unnecessarily strains most linear diaphragm pumps. Example 9 ft deep you need at least 4.5 psi for pump to release air at 9 ft deep. CFM is cubic feet per minute(air volume flow) and most diffusers require at least 0.5 to 1 cfm each head or membrane. Most pumps lose some air volume as the depth(psi) increases.

You want your pump to have at least 1/2 the psi of the depth of your diffuser. It is much better to have 1-2 extra psi because as the diffuser plugs up there is adequate psi available reserve to minimize excessive strain on the pump which does shorten the life span of the pump. Pumps are generally the most expensive part of the aeration system; protect them, value them, and properly size them to your needs, and they will serve you well.

For your pond depth(16-18ft) I prefer the rotary vane 1/4hp compressor(10psi continuous operation rating). This gives you a psi reserve of 1-2psi.

Most smaller ponds(0.2-2ac) will naturally mix down to a depth of 6ft, exceptions occur.

Despite what manufacturers claim all diffusers tend to clog up depending on water conditions; some clog faster than others. In my experience air stones clog faster and are harder to clean than smooth membrane diffusers. Rough surface diffusers provide lots of surface pores for accumulations of biological and mineral clogging growths. IMO all diffusers should be raised, examined, and cleaned EACH YEAR to get the best all around performance of pump and diffuser.

You can easily build your own aeration system from individual parts. There are numerous ways to save cost for DIY. It all depends on how fancy and convenient, easy, and time consuming you want it to be. Example - self weighted airline is the very best underwater BUT you can use good quality garden hose or black polyetheylene irrigation tubing (abt 0.10/ft). The tubing can be allowed to float or weighted with rebar, chain, stranded cable or even bricks. Bricks should be attached(wide banded) so they DO NOT KINK the airline which is esp important. Just as in water flow & fire hoses more flow usually requires larger diameter pipe when pressure is limiting. Smaller diameters require more psi which can strain the ability of the pump. For most small ponds I suggest 1/2"-5/8" ID air tubing for total runs of 80-300ft. For demonstration, I've used a good quality garden hose that floats as aeration airline going on 20yrs now. This saved a significant amount of money vs weighted airline.

Thank you to Pat Williamson, Quarter Acre and Bill Cody for you advice. I am patiently waiting for others to chime in and will continue researching.