A few yr's ago I lost a couple of lmb and a few cnbg during the startup procedure. For me it happened during the double the time each day as recommended. When I went from 8 hrs doubled to 16 hrs is when I lost the fish. So I no longer double the start up times and I go a lot slower. After all, what is the big hurry, now I do like 8 hrs then 10 and then 12 hrs and etc till I get to where I want to be or 24 hrs run time.


Here is a couple of other changes made with my aeration. My first two yrs I ran it 24/7 and watched my water temps rise to 87 top to bottom during the month of August. Bob Lusk suggested not to do that. The water was too hot! And to run the aeration only at night during the heat of the summer. It dropped the water temps to 80. Bob Lusk also suggested to get the diffusers off the bottom of the pond to where there would be a thermocline, a place where the fish could cool off. I did that by building a table out of rebar set @ 21" off the bottom of the pond. And with the diffuser being about 10" tall it set the bubbles about 30" of bottom. Now I have a cooler sanctuary for the fish. And my diffusers used to stir up the bottom around the diffuser. There would be a cloudy 10 foot circle of dirty water around each diffusers. Mr Lusk also said that was not good. And I have read where several people experience that same cloudy water when running the diffusers. So when I raised them off the bottom, that also stopped the diffusers from stirring up the bottom.


I hope my experience helps others here when it comes to aeration.

Do not judge me by the politicians in my City, State or Federal Government.


Tracy