I've recently discovered that horizontal aeration, plus surface agitation can still leave a little to be desired.....................Surface temperatures last week reached 88.5 degrees...........I don't know what to do really, but I'm seriously considering adding a traditional airlift system so the the nutrients don't end up all near the bottom of the pond.
bruce, i realize our pond environments are very different, but i have become a huge fan of the traditional airlift system based on the incredibly good water quality it has given me. recall i have no supplemental water. the rainy season input just sits there all summer, stagnating and slowly vanishing. last year w/ virtually no aeration i had excessive weed growth in clear water, and silage like build up on the bottom (as the water receded i could dig into newly exposed dirt and get the same silage smell you describe).
i am down over 5 feet right now, but still have about 10 feet in the deep end. the bottom aeration has definitely provided a refuge for fish throughout the entire water column, helped to promote and hold a beautiful olive green plankton bloom all summer, reduced the visibility and excessive weed growth, and (as water recedes this year) the newly exposed dirt does not smell at all.
i run aeration from 1030 pm to 0730 am when air temps are the coolest. during the day, i let the phytoplankton take over. this has kept the overall pond water temps down from last year as well. despite several 100 degree days, the surface temps are still in the low 80's.
