Whoa, this thread is smokin!
Okay, to answer your questions on the Gast 1532 and the Aquatic-Ecosystems diffuser...
Lee: "Can you see the bubbles from the surface pretty good?"
Yes, but Ted just got finished telling us that a good surface boil is not indicative of a good system. Let me tell you what I know for sure. Since I installed my $60 system (thanks to wonderful suggestions here), and some bacteria. My pond has cleared substantially and looks a lot healthier. The water used to smell like rotten leaves, now it smells sweet. The pond just looks better overall.
cire9: Did you use any muffler or anything other than what you listed here? What did you use to anchor the system into the pond? How did you weigh down the hose?
Actually, I'm not even using the muffler that this pump came with, it restricted a lot of airflow and made virtually no difference in the noise. It's really quiet. I keep it in my garage and I can barely hear it through the wall (with my ear pressed against it).
I'll take some pictures tonight and put them up on this, and my origianl thread. It will be easier to show you pictures than to explain. Stay tuned, maybe I'll make a new thread as well, for the folks like us that don't have a lot of cash and want to get something going.
Honestly, I couldn't afford (or justify the expense for) anything more than $100 for this system. I have a pretty small pond compared to most of you, so I just wanted something that would start the de-stratification process. I figured it's better to spend what I can afford today and get SOMETHING working, rather than wait 10 years until I can afford something. I'm only 25 and I should be spending my money on things like new windows for my house.
