Dear Mr. Trout.

As far as what to add from what Cecil said that would be awful tough. The reason that i use a surface aerator is because i add non aerated well water to my pond during the hottest period of the summer. Typically July and the first two weeks August. This keeps my temps down arround 60 degrees in the lower 1/3 of my 30,000 square foot pond. The reason Cecil mentioned that i would respond is because i used a diffuser system in the deepest part of my pond last year and had a total Rainbow die off. What happened was i added non aerated well water to my pond to cool it and at the same time running the diffuser. The diffuser did not come close to providing the huge amount of oxygen that i needed. Once i restocked last fall and put in a Kasco 2 horse aerator it solved all my problems. Not one fish lost due to lack of oxygen. As i see it you have two options. Do exactly as Cecil has instructed you. Run aerated well water in your pond 24/7 and put in a bottom diffuser, or due as i have done. Run well water in and use a top water splasher. Otherwise you will be going to the trash with lots of dead fish. Cecil got me info and some supplies on how to aerate my well water and i will do this next year. If you choose not to aerate well water run your water as long as it takes to keep temps low. Run your surface aerator only at night to keep from heating water during the day. I have had zero problems doing this all summer and it has been 90+ for 6 weeks straight. During the Fall and winter i turn my bottom diffuser on at night to keep and open hole in the ice and also helps to break down the nutrients. As far as expense in electricity the 2 horse surface aereator costs me $34.56/ month. The well running in the summer will run me about $26.00 this is a 3/4 horse submersible. The bottom diffuser will cost $17.75/month. Obviously most of the year all i have on is the diffuser other than about 3 months of the year when i run the splasher and well. Not that expensive. My cost is 6 cents per kw/hour. Here is how you figure the cost. Take your volts x amps=watts. watts x 1000 =Kilowatts/kilowatts x running hours = kilowatt hours x your local rate. Other than that listen to guys on the forum and esp. Cecil as he is incredibly knowledgeable on the subject.

Best Regards-Jeff Markel