Pond Boss Forums AERATION Systems questions Weighted or unweighted hose that is the question ?

Body of water is perfect bowel shaped 130ft across and 35ft deep at center. I figure I have 1,466,000 gallons in my aquarium. I have purchased a used Gast 0523 rotary vaned pump that puts out 4cfm and 10psi of pressure. It is too hot to experiment out side so I keep coming up with hairbrained ideas to build my aerator system. I will be purchasing 3 or 4 Vertex AirStation 9" diffuser disks to do the job, (CWS Environmental Clean Water Service, Inc. has the best price since shipping is free). Finally to the point, I thought about makin 1 or 2 weighted stands at a depth of 15ft 3 ft off the bottom with weighted hose and fight possible turbidity problems. OR Use cheaper thick walled contractor garden hose 150 ft long and fight possible problem of hose floating on surface but I could hang aerator head from a (yet determined sized) float in dead center of my pond at 15ft and not worry about kicking up localized muck. I am in awe of the level of intelligence and experience in this forum. Thanks Chuck

If the budget for your system keeps you from buying weighted hose...you will pay more than the difference in labor and frustration. I have read where folks have used other types of hose (PEX & garden hose) and then weighed it down with bricks, cinder blocks, sand filled garden hose, rebar, etc). Popular opinion suggests not skimping on the weighed hose. I can tell you that pulling the diffusers up for inspection, cleaning and relocating is pretty easy with weighted hose. I can't imagine the line having bricks zip tied to it! It's not hard to keep a DIY hose weighted down, it's just not that easy getting it in place and moving it if need be. I have moved all three of my diffusers in the last year trying to perfect their operation and pulled them up twice for inspection and cleaning.

I have not heard of anyone suspending the diffusers from a float. That could ave some benefits, but you will now need an anchoring system to keep the float from moving around the pond and it does not eliminate the weight needed to keep the diffuser down (or the hose).

Money is no object when it comes to my fish. Wifey will just have to find a job! My thoughts are weighted hose will be about 80ft long and laying on bottom and should pretty well have enough friction to keep head in general vicinity with minimal weighting from bottom of head to bottom of pond and a large float from head to surface. This scenario seems heavy to move and the 80ft plus hose on bottom will stir up mucho silt when moved for inspection. OR Cheap garden hose (that might probably float) with a larger, say 10lb weight from bottom of head to bottom of pond with a slack rope float to surface to mark head location for retrieval. OR Weighted hose from bank to where curvature lifts from pond floor transitioning to cheap buoyant hose from there to aerator head again weighted on bottom of head and float on top to locate. OR just wait until pond has evaporated in this heat. My head hurts it's nap time! lol ---Just subscribed to Pond Boss this stuff is over my head.---