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What is the max or recommended distance I should be running weighted tubing or PVC pipe for, say, the Vertex PondLyfe 2 system? I can't seem to find much addressing optimal routing for lines between the compressor and diffusers. Even if the effect on efficiency is small (is it?), the effect on cost for pipe or tubing might be large.

I'm looking at either a 150ft run alongside a 350ft run, or a 350ft run tee-d off for the first diffuser at 150ft and going on to the next one at 350ft, or possibly something like 200ft of PVC pipe to a remote valve box with two approximately equal 130-150ft runs of weighted tubing. (see attachment)

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My gut tells me that you would want to run the PVC pipe (3/4 or 1" sch 40) to a point at the shore that allows the weighted line (5/8" id) runs to be about the same length (each with a flow control valve). I would actually consider running PEX instead of PVC also.

You do not want to run out to the first diffuser and then "T" off and go to the second. This will not allow for any individual flow control and if one is deeper than the other it will flow less where you may want more. The first diffuser will get the bulk of the flow and the second will get what's left over. AND, if one diffuser blows out, the second will suffer and you can not turn one off for maintenance.

I would also be concerned about using the Pondlyfe system as it is only rated for 2 CFM max. This tells me that you will loose CFM's the longer you make your lines, but I could be wrong...they tout that it is good for depths of 30 feet and their pump may not suffer as much with longer tubing runs like a rotary vane or diaphragm pump would. I'm not privy to their systems and strongly suggest you contact them directly before purchasing and/or designing your line runs.


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Wow, sorry I never replied to your thorough answer! It's odd to me that I have to add my own posts to a watch list, I must have forgotten to do that here. Most forums seem to auto-notify for new posts and replies. (let me know if I'm missing something!)

Anyway... Vertex got back to me and said the following:

"150ft runs are more than okay for this unit, it will all depend on what the running pressure is. Typically as long as it does not exceed 500-700ft you'll be fine.

The remote valve box is a great option if the power supply is a significant distant [sic] from the pond. This would run one single line from the cabinet preferably a 1" PVC you can source locally into a remote in ground valve box at the pond where you can hook up the tubing and control the valves. This is a great alternative to paying to bring electrical closer."

So, perhaps the remote valve box would do the trick? That's what I was planning, having the two pressure "circuits" in parallel rather than in series, starting all the way back at the compressor or at the pond's edge. Alternatively, I could run weighted tubing to the midpoint between the compressors (~250ft) and then Tee out ~100ft to each diffuser station. Do you think I'd need to go to something more powerful if these diffusers are set at 10-12 ft depth?


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Just about everyone on here will tell you to run air to the pond except me. I say run electric. Unless you keep your line on grade from pump to water, any dips in your airline will collect condensation. Without the right site, how do you take a buried airline up to a valve box or into the water without making a big P-trap in the line? That P-trap full of water will increase the load on your pump. The increased load will draw more power anytime the pump is running, lead to premature wear, CFM losses, etc. I have never seen anyone factor in those long term costs when saying it's cheaper to run air.

Yes vertex discs can operate with .5 CFM per disc, but 1 CFM per disc is what was recommended to me. You are also starting with only 2 CFM so any losses and you will be less than 1 CFM per disc.

Last but not least, I can't tell you how many times I wished I had run electric instead of air simply for lights, etc, etc... With electric you have lots of options and possibilities, not so much with air.


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That's a great point, Mr. Buffet! Thinking long-term like your daddy, good stuff. grin

In my case, since the pond is about 15ft from my house, getting electricity out to any areas we will want to develop down the road shouldn't be an issue, but I'm not too keen on running, say, 300ft of wire and then putting the compressor kind of out in the middle of my yard because the ideal location for the compressor would be not too useful for anything else.

I wonder if there is a good way to mitigate the accumulation of condensation in the line? Maybe at the pond's edge after the long run, I could run a Y with an extension and threaded cap running down at a steeper angle. The upper leg would supply air, the lower leg would catch accumulated water?


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Drainable water trap is a good idea in your situation.


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Originally Posted By: Kris B
What is the max or recommended distance I should be running weighted tubing or PVC pipe for, say, the Vertex PondLyfe 2 system? I can't seem to find much addressing optimal routing for lines between the compressor and diffusers. Even if the effect on efficiency is small (is it?), the effect on cost for pipe or tubing might be large.

I'm looking at either a 150ft run alongside a 350ft run, or a 350ft run tee-d off for the first diffuser at 150ft and going on to the next one at 350ft, or possibly something like 200ft of PVC pipe to a remote valve box with two approximately equal 130-150ft runs of weighted tubing. (see attachment)


Just a thought or three after looking at the pic of your pond and reading your post. The pond is kind of boot shaped with the toe facing left. I would run a separate line to each diffuser and control their flow independently at the manifold by the compressor. Trying to drive more than one diffuser from a single line limits your control. IMO for maximum efficiency, I would put the compressor at the heel of the boot to minimize cost of weighted line and line pressure drops. I would build the compressor enclosure at least a couple feet off the ground(mine is 40 inches)and you will never need to worry about condensation as you will have a significant drop of grade for your air lines into the pond.

Here is a picture of my compressor enclosure. I made it oversized so I could keep minnow traps, a tackle box, and other good stuff in it. With the exception of the posts, I made this from things I dug out of the burn pile the contractor that built our house left. You can see the air lines for each diffuser coming out of the bottom of the enclosure. The air lines run underground thru a poly pipe from there at a good grade to the pond where they branch off to the individual diffusers. The elevated enclosure also keeps your compressor high and dry in the event of a high water event(I've had 18 inches of water under mine!) and provides a comfortable height to do maintenance on the compressor. (This pic was taken right after I built it. I've purdied it up some with a landscape border enclosure filled with white stone. I hate to weed wack!)



...Just my 1 cent

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Last edited by Bill D.; 11/20/19 09:51 PM. Reason: clarification

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That's a great idea, and looks great. If the scraps look that good, the house must be a beauty! I was born in the West Suburbs, by the way, not too far from you!

My biggest issues are cosmetic. 1) I'm in a suburban area, and 2) that compressor house would be right in the path from my in-laws' house!

So I'm going to have to choose one of the following options (DIY Costs above cost of compressor and diffuser stations):
1. Run power to the heel of the boot and put the pump housing there. DIY Cost ~$800.
2. Run 1" PVC to the heel of the boot and then split out weighted airline tubing into the water at that point. DIY Cost ~$600.
3. Run independent weighted airline all the way to diffuser stations (or run 1" PVC to water's edge and split there), different run lengths equalized by valve system at the compressor station. DIY Cost ~$650.

I think the last option would actually be the easiest. I'd only have to trench about 50ft and could slope that down without too much trouble. I'd have 100ft and 300ft independent weighted tubing runs but I could put a manifold with pressure gauges on the downstream side to be sure I'm evenly distributing air flow.

So then the question comes back to QuarterAcre's point about the PondLyfe system: is it sufficient? Vertex told me I'd be fine as long as my runs were less than 700ft or so, but I'd like to be realistic and not be working my compressor at 90% capacity all the time. I'm not tied to that system, and I don't mind buying my own pump. I've read a lot of threads here but it seems like things are very much case-by-case.


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Here is what Vertex advertises...

PondLyfe Specifications

Horsepower: 1/4
Max/Running Amps: 2.0/1.6
Maximum Air Output (CFM): 2
Maximum Depth: 30'
Maximum Aerated Acres: 1.5 Acres

My below deductions from the above minimal information is based on general advertised specifications within the residential, commercial, and industrial arenas...

A max air output of 2 CFM is likely to be without anything hooked up to the pump (It is a max after all). If this is true...adding any length of line, fittings, valves, and diffuses will only reduce the flow (even if only slightly).

A max 30 foot depth tells me that the pump is capable of pumping air down to to 30 foot deep, but not below that (~15 psi max). This means at 29 foot deep you're barely getting any bubbles and at 30...no bubbles (It is a max after all).

Maximum Aerated Acres of 1.5 indicates that the system set up with the shortest runs possible will turn the pond over once in a 24 hour period. This would not be enough if you wanted to run only at night to avoid summer daytime heat waves.

In vary gross terms (due to not knowing what kind of pump they use and not having a pump curve for it)...the 1/4 horse Gast pump loses about 1 CFM across its pump curve which represents zero to 10 psi. Using this as a loose example...I suspect your 2 CFM pump would lose about the same relatively. If you had your diffusers at 10 foot deep with adequate sized plumbing and two 300 foot or less runs, your pump would be seeing about 6-7 psi of back pressure. This leads me to believe that you would lose about 1/2 - 3/4 CFM total (remember I said gross terms).

This loss does not kill the system for being suited for your pond, but any losses will reduce the turnover rate of any system.

Without knowing alot more details which Vertex may or may not give up (like a pump curve), I can only surmise that the Pondlyfe 2 system would be marginal at best for a smaller Louisiana pond. I tend to want to be on the overkill side of adequate rather than under.

I cannot help to think that Vertex is recommending a system that will produce bubbles when they say "...it will work...", but they may not be sizing it for maximum pond Meistery. Try to get a pump curve from them and then we can get crazy with the calculations and really discuss aeration design.

A quick calculation based on Vertex's advertised specs...

1.5 acre pond (255' square - 6' ave depth) = 2926125 gallons,

with two Vertex diffusers at 8' deep pushing 2500 GPM total,

Given that each diffuser gets 1 CFM each (no losses)...

The pond would turn over in about 20 hours.

Take into account your pond size (smaller I think, which helps), your pond shape (which hurts) and some losses (which also hurts) and I think the system will be marginal depending on how fast you want to turn the pond over. In Louisiana, I would shoot for a 5 to 8 hour turnover to keep it happening in the cool of the night.

Get a pump curve if you need more than a long drawn out guess (lol)...

EDIT: I would look at the Gast 0523 (or similar) and three diffusers, not just because that's what I have, but because you would have 4 CFM to work with and you could put the pump house wherever you wanted it without being too concerned about the line losses, AND you could spread the 3 diffusers out and get better surface conditioning. That...and it's easy to spend your money!

EDIT EDIT: I don't want anyone thinking that I am downing Vertex...I am not. I use their diffusers an love them...I just see a lot of specs in my line of work and they rarely depict "normal" situations, but rather maximums or minimums which are far from the desired outcome. It is possible that Vertex is specifying the equipment for average end uses, but I would need to hear that from them.

Last edited by Quarter Acre; 11/21/19 04:26 PM.

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Wow! Thank you for the detailed analysis, you've been incredibly helpful many times already in my short 6-month time on this forum!

You're absolutely right that I want to be sized higher than needed. Even if the turnover time was sufficient, I'd rather my system be running at 50-80% capacity than scraping by at 95%.

Seems like I might save some $$ with the GAST 0523 too, which I've seen recommended in several places on here. The plug-and-play nature of the Vertex system was appealing because I've got way too many projects going on at home. But the costs of the projects are escalating, so this might work out for the best.

Looking at the GAST website, there appear to be multiple single phase 115V model 0523 variations (https://gastmfg.com/products/compressors-and-pumps/rotary-vanes-motor-mounted/0523). Having this model yourself, do you have any input on which variation would be most suitable?

Once I choose one, I am thinking I will then need 3x (XL1?) diffuser stations, 1" PVC and weighted tubing as needed, a one-in-three-out valve manifold, and 3 pressure gauges to put on each manifold outlet. Maybe a 4th gauge to put at the pump output? What other wiring would I need? I've got a dedicated 120V circuit outside for this.


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Sounds like you are pulling together a plan. IMO you will also need a pressure relief valve on the compressor outlet and make sure your diffusers come with check valves.

Good luck

Last edited by Bill D.; 11/24/19 10:43 AM. Reason: Typo

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Nice post Canyon! Very informative!


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Here's the pump I bought...


I use a single 120V 15 amp circuit. That circuit runs my dusk to Dawn light, the pump, and the pump house fan.

Notice that the pump can be wired for 240 as well. You'll want to verify it's wired correctly from the supplier. If not, it's easy to switch.

I use a GFCI outlet for safety... Pond water and electric in close proximity, plus it's outside. I also use an outdoor rated timer to control the pump. That's it.

If I had to do it over, I'd add a second duplex outlet for convenience...droplight use, extension cord, or whatever. I would also like a timer that would allow me to turn the pump off without unplugging the pump or timer, stopping the timer so that I did not have to reset the timer clock when the pump needs to be turned off for messing around with the system. Rare, but it would be nice.

My system consists of an intake filter, pump, pipeworks manifold (plumbing fittings to make the air go 5 ways), 1 way for a pressure gage (fluid filled) to read pump pressure, 3 lines out with flow control valves to difussers, and 1 for a pressure relief valve.

I ran 3 PEX lines out of my pump house into the water where the weighted line connects and then goes out into the pond. This kept the control valves above ground and in the pump house. I used a buried 4" PVC pipe to run the PEX lines, 18" deep that stopped under water below where the ice could freeze. This would allow me to replace the PEX lines or add more if desired.

I do not have pressure gages on the individual lines, but that would be cool... Not necessary though. I adjust the bubbles by sight and monitor the overall system pressure by the single pressure gage. Individual line gages be handy if you had to troubleshoot a malfunctioning line, but I'm not seeing a real need for them.

Last edited by Quarter Acre; 11/24/19 12:35 PM.

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I use an Intermatic DT101 timer and have been very happy with it. It has the functions that Canyon mentions. It can also be wired for 120V or 240V.


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Originally Posted By: Quarter Acre
….I use a GFCI outlet for safety... Pond water and electric in close proximity, plus it's outside. I also use an outdoor rated timer to control the pump. That's it.

If I had to do it over, I'd add a second duplex outlet for convenience...droplight use, extension cord, or whatever. I would also like a timer that would allow me to turn the pump off without unplugging the pump or timer, stopping the timer so that I did not have to reset the timer clock when the pump needs to be turned off for messing around with the system. Rare, but it would be nice.

….


This is a good description of what I did. My timer provides the control you describe. I went one step further and put each of the duplex outlets on separate circuits with the breakers in the house. This allows me to plug the compressor in one circuit and have my security lights and other stuff on the other. During the winter, if we have thick ice or heavy snow cover, I can turn my compressor on and off from the house when I want to aerate without losing my lights. I do have to reset the clock on my timer every spring though.

Last edited by Bill D.; 11/24/19 09:29 PM. Reason: clarification

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Great information, and I'm grateful to you all for the good counsel. This is going to be fun stuff!

From what many people seem to say, there's no need for me to install aeration before the pond is filled up, but instead to wait a year or two for the pond to stabilize. Others seem to advise getting straight to it. Once I get fish in the pond, oxygen depletion below the thermocline will happen quickly, correct?

I was thinking, given that the pond should be done by middle of December and filled by Jan-Feb if I supplement with the well pump, that I would stock FHM in Feb perhaps while filling is ongoing, and then stock BG in mid-late Spring, followed by LMB later in the year or the following year.

I'm not sure I understand the relationship between aeration and stocking schedules - will stocking drive the need for aeration or should I wait to aerate regardless?


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Two big factors that determine how quickly to install aeration are clarity of the water and fertility of the water. Clear water of 4-5ft allows light penetration and oxygenation by phytoplankton to most of the bottom (10'-12'). Fertile green water contains lots of microscopic algae cells and when extremely abundant at above 500Kcells/ml will cause dissolved oxygen sags in mid summer. Several days of cloudy weather can result in not enough DO being produced during daylight so an accumulated DO shortage occurs during the night and fish kills can occur in relatively new ponds. However this is very rare in new ponds.

Last edited by Bill Cody; 11/26/19 08:14 PM.

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So, here's my summary of what you're suggesting (please correct me if I'm wrong): Once the bottom of my food chain is built up sufficiently to start phytoplankton blooms, that's when I'll likely need to get aeration in, especially during warm summer months.


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Originally Posted By: Kris B
From what many people seem to say, there's no need for me to install aeration before the pond is filled up, but instead to wait a year or two for the pond to stabilize. Others seem to advise getting straight to it. Once I get fish in the pond, oxygen depletion below the thermocline will happen quickly, correct?


Once you get past the calculations and theory of how aeration works...I drop off to only a couple years of experience with it in my pond, so take my comments as jumping off points for further discussions...just things to think about and hopefully the forums will correct me or add to it where needed.

I started air the first year that I stocked game fish (a month after stocking). The pond had FHM's in it for the year prior and was full of biomass (many many FHM's, new game fish now, and tons of tadpoles). I don't think adding aeration without fish does much at all for a new pond, but it will get you some experience with the system and how it operates and how it affects the BOW (water temp, clarity). For someone with the gumption and the time...it could be cool to set the system up and experiment without worrying about killing fish.

I think the lower waters will be void of DO as soon as the pond fills up enough to have "lower waters", but that's not a big deal if you don't have higher biomass loads. It could help with leaves and such that get to the bottom, but the benefit of air without fish would be minimal compared to the cost of running it.

Originally Posted By: Kris B
I was thinking, given that the pond should be done by middle of December and filled by Jan-Feb if I supplement with the well pump, that I would stock FHM in Feb perhaps while filling is ongoing, and then stock BG in mid-late Spring, followed by LMB later in the year or the following year.


I am a big supporter of adding FHM's ONE FULL YEAR before adding the game fish. I know it goes against today's attitudes of wanting it now and not having the patience to wait, but it was worth it to me. I struggled with waiting, but took the year to develop my plans for aeration and a dock. My game fish grew like gang busters with all the forage. Now, with all that said, higher volumes of pellet feeding should be able to take the place of the massive numbers of FHM's, but it would not be as beneficial to the development of the biological system of the pond as giving the pond a year with minnows in it to establish a natural bio cycle. Either way you go will work, so it's not a killer to jump right in with game fish. I wonder if adding the minnows would even be advised or all that helpful...I would think that using the extra months to get the stocked fish use to the pond and pellet feed them would out way the installation of minnows. I doubt the FHM's would even get a spawn off by april...maybe in LA. Just imagine how many the have in a full season! Now, I stocked 3-6"gamefish that were big enough to eat the smaller FHM's. If one stocked very small gamefish, the breeding stock of FHM's would last the year, but few of the FHM offspring would make it to adulthood to spawn themselves. You can see how a full year makes a BIG difference.

You should also consider HSB and HBG rather than the LMB and BG for your small pond. I've just finished my second season with the hybrids and am happy so far.

Originally Posted By: Kris B
I'm not sure I understand the relationship between aeration and stocking schedules - will stocking drive the need for aeration or should I wait to aerate regardless?


My thoughts are that aeration comes into play as the pond's capacity starts to be pushed by the pounds of fish in the pond. If you stock moderate numbers of fingerlings...it could take a few years before aeration would become good insurance. The more you stock and the more you feed, the more helpful aeration is. I put it in my pond just so that I was doing the most I could to be successful as I figured I'd stock more fish than the pond would support and I'd feed them up to size quickly.


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Yes if you are going to be feeding fish, stocking higher densities, and boosting productivity then all these things increase oxygen demand and then aeration should be installed especially in or before year two. Watershed water quality can increase the need for aeration. Again water clarity less than 3ft plays a big role in need for aeration. In my region of NW Ohio, I suggest fill the pond and wait until the water clears to 3ft-4ft. Most pond owners in my area wan as clear of water as possible. Clear water to them indicates good water quality as in a swimming pool. If you add aeration while the pond is still turbid 12"-2ft of clarity adding aeration will tend to keep the suspended particulates in suspension and not let the pond clear up beyond 3ft. Phytoplankton green hue blooms in new water can occur to keep water less clear. Some ponds due to local conditions are perpetually turbid with and without aeration.

Last edited by Bill Cody; 11/26/19 08:22 PM.

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Thanks to you both (QuarterAcre & Bill Cody) for your input on this. I think I will have early struggles with turbidity but I'm hoping they will self-resolve based on the good water clarity I had in the pond before renovation. Then again, the pond was 60+ years old, so it had plenty of time to settle out smile I'll hold off on the expense of aeration until sometime within the 1-2 years, I think, depending on how quickly I can get turbidity down and how much microorganic growth I get going.

I would be all for waiting a full year for stocking, except... EVERY time we talk about the pond my 3.5yo boy talks with great excitement about catching fish, which he loved before we drained it about 14 months ago. I'm not going to be able to resist putting some BG in there at least.

I'll certainly look into the hybrids. I haven't quite reached the "stocking plan" part of this process yet and don't know anything about the pros and cons of the hybrid species but it looks like those decisions will be coming up soon!


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There are some very good temporary options to stock some fish for some quick fishing and fun for your son. 1. Tilapia are a good fish that will not generally live through the LA winter. Tilapia will grow fast for some fishing or you can buy some larger food size individuals for stocking. Choose your tilapia variety of dying death temperature wisely with maybe some advice if you are not familiar with tilapia varieties. 2. Some trout are a very good winter - early spring fish for quick fishing. Feeding them and tilapia will be fun for your son. Both of these species are good angler fish and will not persist to allow you a clean pond in a year.

Last edited by Bill Cody; 11/27/19 09:58 AM.

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Unfortunately, the only Tilapia I can legally get in Louisiana is in the freezer aisle at the grocery store!

I'll look into Trout, though I have a feeling it may be best to wait to stock anything until spring anyway.

I have to ask, what does "will not persist" mean? Low fecundity, or short lifespans, or something else? I don't meant to get too far off the topic of the thread, but I was surprised by the phrasing.


Kris


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Bob Lusk, GaryK, GrizzFan, PhotographerDave
Recent Posts
Fungus infection on fish
by BillyE - 03/28/24 04:35 PM
Yellow Perch Spawn 2024
by H20fwler - 03/28/24 04:29 PM
Alum vs Bentonite/Lathanum for Phosphorus Removal?
by FishinRod - 03/28/24 04:23 PM
Working on a .5acre disaster, I mean pond.
by PRCS - 03/28/24 04:13 PM
New 2 acre pond stocking plan
by LANGSTER - 03/28/24 03:49 PM
Happy Birthday Bob Lusk!!
by ewest - 03/28/24 03:37 PM
1 year after stocking question
by Dave Davidson1 - 03/28/24 02:44 PM
Paper-shell crayfish and Japanese snails
by esshup - 03/28/24 10:39 AM
Brooder Shiners and Fry, What to do??
by Freg - 03/28/24 09:42 AM
Relative weight charts in Excel ? Calculations?
by esshup - 03/28/24 08:36 AM
Dewatering bags seeded to form berms?
by Justin W - 03/28/24 08:19 AM
Reducing fish biomass
by FishinRod - 03/28/24 08:18 AM
Newly Uploaded Images
Eagles Over The Pond Yesterday
Eagles Over The Pond Yesterday
by Tbar, December 10
Deer at Theo's 2023
Deer at Theo's 2023
by Theo Gallus, November 13
Minnow identification
Minnow identification
by Mike Troyer, October 6
Sharing the Food
Sharing the Food
by FishinRod, September 9
Nice BGxRES
Nice BGxRES
by Theo Gallus, July 28
Snake Identification
Snake Identification
by Rangersedge, July 12

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