Pond Boss Forums AERATION Should I aerate? trout/winter/aeration

i learned on these forums that living here in michigan i should aerate at night only in the hot summer months. i got to thinking... that's saving money on my bill and saving wear and tear on my aerator is there any reason i can't do this year round? my trout are doing great, i've had them since april and here in the middle of october i can happily say, they've survived the summer! (i also have bass perch and bg) pond dug in aug. of 06. my aerator is 12ft deep in a 1/8 acre pond that has a 17 ft deep trench in the middle....

another question is if i want to aerate part time in the winter, when would be the best time? thanks. matt.

Sadworld, I'm not an expert, but I plan on aerating in 4FT. of water to keep an opening in the pond for the trout. I have a soaker hose coiled in a 10 FT. circle. When it gets really cold I figure on running aeration full time if needed.
Right now I have my aerator set on a thermostat to turn on when the air temps. reach above 55 degrees,this helps to keep the pond a little warmer. I do the opposite in the summer. Just my 2 cents.

My advice is to start your aerator at least before the winter is over so your fish don't run out of oxygen late in winter!

Winter kills are typically late march up North, before ice break-up when snow accumulation is heavy.

im a big thinker cause i was actually thinking of letting it freeze over and then augering out a hole above the aerator and running it for a few days straight then lettting it freeze again and just keep opening the hole before i aerate every week or few weeks... this way i would feel more confident driving my quad on the ice to remove the snow when it gets thick... is this crazy thinking or could this be a beneficial practice over the winter?

a bit dangerous!!! the aerator will melt the ice at a rate of 1 inche per hour.. so no aeration if you ever plan to go on the ice with quad.

Start aerator only when you are done using the ice!

Be careful! or you might have a real sad world to deal with!