Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Selecting a site Surface Aerator

Building a new pond. I was told that I should have a surface aerator in it. It will need to be solar powered. What’s the best brand aerator for a 3 acre pond? Definitely appreciate any help I can get with this. I’m open to any and all suggestions.

May we ask who suggested that you use a surface aerator in a 3 acre pond? Did they give you a reason to use a surface aerator compared to a bottom air bubbler aerator. For using a bottom bubbler you can pump air 1000 feet if it is done correctly. Do your due diligence of homework before buying aeration for this pond.

A surface aerator to me means something like this:



But I don't know of any of those that are solar.

Those are typically used for shallow ponds, less than 6 feet deep or so.

If you are talking about a solar bottom diffusion aeration system, you will need to find one with batteries that will also run at night. Night time aeration is more important than daytime aeration.

If there is grid based electric available anywhere within 1/2 mile or so, you could trench in a plastic poly line that was 1"-1 1/4" dia from the compressor to the pond, then split off to different areas of the pond from there.

Southeast Pond recommended the surface aerator.

How deep is the pond?

Otterbine makes quality stuff, but if the pond is going to be deeper than 6-7 feet then the surface aerator needs to have a tube that pulls water from deep in the pond. Surface aerators put more O2 into the water than bottom diffusion aeration systems in shallow ponds but at a cost due to the electricity and motor horsepower that is required to operate them. In a pond that was 10' deep a customer had a surface aerator without a draft tube, so we installed a Vertex bottom diffusion aeration system. He ran both systems and the O2 levels in the pond were running 120-150 percent saturation level in the hottest part of the summer.

Pond will be 15’ at deepest.

Do you install aerators (all types)? I apologize for the elementary question. I’m new to this forum.

I see on the website of Southeast Pond that all aerators they sell are surface aeration products. Surface aeration has benefits especially is shallower ponds or 7-8ft deep as noted by esshup. Just surface aeration in ponds deeper than 6-7 ft allows buildup of anoxic (bad quality water) in the deep basin and associated sediments. Do your diligent homework. For good decomposition of bottom organic materials you want some bottom uplifting water aeration to mix the deep low quality water to the SURFACE where it naturally gets diluted and reoxygenated. With just fountain aeration the fish in sumner stay in the upper warm oxygenated water zone of 6-7ft deep where there is usually good beneficial oxygen. For best pond management and deep water oxygenation and organics decomposition you want full pond water curculation bottom to top. Well educated pond managers should know these basic facts of pond ecology.

Surface aerator electric motors have relatively short life spans due to their very heavy work load of lifting and throwing heavy water (8lbs/gal) into the air. The frequently need expensive repairs and motor replacements. Bottom aerators pump and mix light weight air so the motors require less horsepower and fewer repairs and longer motor life spans. Ideally it is good to have both types of aerators so when there is an oxygen shortage the fountain can create a higher oxygenated area for more fish to survive the fish kill.

I appreciate this information and your response. I’m simply wanting the best aeration system available for my pond. This will be a female only, low population, trophy bass pond. I do have electric onsite if that makes things easier.

Yes. Surface agitators, fountains and bottom diffusion systems. Most common are the bottom diffusion systems.

Grid based aeration systems are a LOT cheaper to purchase than a solar system with batteries to allow it to run at night. (comparing apples to apples)

The cost difference of the equipment will pay for electricity for many, many, many years. Like Bill said, bottom diffusion systems are cheaper to operate too. A surface aeration system typically has a 1-5 horespower motor where a bottom diffusion system uses a 1/4-3/4 hp motor. For a 3 acre pond, you probably will need at least 2 surface aerators.

If I don’t do surface, and do bottom instead, how many would I need?

That depends. If you can send me a sketch of the pond with the depths roughly outlined and where the electric is, I can then figure it out for you. How many all depends on the shape and depth of the pond. For instance two rectangular ponds that are the same depth and same size, but one has an island in it? The one with the island will need more airstations than the one without.

Will your pond freeze for more than a few weeks at a time? If yes, then we need to plan on winter aeration.

A 3 ac pond 15ft deep in KY should rarely ever need to be winter aerated. I do not winter aerate my 15ft deep pond in Northern Ohio. I am prepared to aerate it but the need very rarely happens.
esshup has this concept correct. Also the shape of the pond with all having the same area makes a difference for the number of aerators. A round pond is easiest to aerate. Round ponds have the least amount of shoreline and tend to need less mechanical mixing. . Aerator influence is circular or bowl shaped. for both fountain and the most common bottom based disk or tube aerators. The further you deviate from the basic bowl shape the more mixing that is needed for the out lying areas of the main bowl basin.

Depending on exposure to wind and height of the wind created waves,,, most smaller ponds usually do not wind-wave mix much deeper than 7 feet. Fountains as normally sold 'out of the box', mix just that upper warmer 6-7ft layer. Deeper colder water is more dense and has less tendency or more resistance to mix with the warmer upper layer. This is all due to density or weight of water. Large ponds with good wind exposure that create white caps and deeper wind / water mixing can periodially mix as deep as 9 to 10 or maybe 12 ft; exceptions can be deeper. Depth profile temperature testing determines the depth of the natural water column mixing of EACH different pond.

I definitely appreciate your willingness to help. I’m currently working on the layout. Once finished, I’ll definitely send it to you.

Thanks Bill for the input. That information is great!