Pond Boss Forums AERATION Should I aerate? Raising diffusers off bottom for night aeration

I'm in a slow process of putting my aeration system together for my little mutt pond. With a max depth of 12 foot in this 2y/o bowl shaped BOW, my initial thought is to elevate the diffuser off the bottom by means of a platform built from milk crates. The design will have 4 crates tied together for the base, then two more stacked in the center. This comfiguration of crates weighs less than 20# without the diffuser and should be easily lifted for maintainance with a tether line at each corner of the base. It will elevate the diffuser 33" off the bottom, bringing it up to approx 9 feet. With this setup, I dont need a base for the diffuser, as it will be mounted to the top crate. Here's the question....

Will this setup still allow the entire water column to get stirred, or will I still get a thermocline below the diffuser?

In my thinking, water would be pulled up thru the "tower" as the bubbles create lift (with no plate), thus mixing everything, but without actually disturbing the bottom as much. The plan is to run it 12/7/365. Running at night during the hotter months, and daily during the cooler to try to maintain a relatively constant water temp throughout while expanding the usable water in my small BOW.