Yup, I�m another Pond Boss Forum newcomer seeking advice on aerating my pond! Hopefully I have something interesting to offer�

It�s a 2.2 ac manmade pond on a property my wife and I bought last winter. I paddled around on it with my fishing sonar and then played around with a graphics package this week to produce this contour map:

http://s829.photobucket.com/user/gbin2/media/Rabid%20Beaver%20Pond_zpsclcdlqkv.jpg.html

Those contour lines are right, it�s nowhere shallower than about 4 ft. Despite its size, it�s completely encircled by a stone/concrete block-walled bank. (Next year I plan to remove a span of the bank and make a beach as indicated on the map.) The folks who created the pond 30 years ago said they originally dug it to a depth of 20 ft, so presumably significant siltation has occurred since then, especially in the deepest part which is now only 14.5 ft.

I reckon the two most unusual things about the pond are that 1) it�s exceptionally clear for this area, with around 10 ft visibility most of the time (that�s why we bought the place! :^] ), and 2) we really want to keep it that way. It does have reproducing populations of bluegill and largemouth bass from these species having been stocked way back when, and I�m happy to have them, but maximizing fish production/fishing potential is not our top priority. What we want most is to maintain the pond for swimming, aesthetic beauty and wildlife, in that order. So we don�t have any fish feeders set up, and we try to minimize the nutrients reaching the pond in general.

Nonetheless more nutrients get in than we would like, as the pond is surrounded by quite a bit of mixed forest and I haven�t found any way to stop the great many leaves and pine needles from getting into the water. (I�ll probably start another thread on that topic in another message board here at Pond Boss shortly, so please don�t bother to address it here.)

At least it�s not farm fields! There are no springs in the pond so far as I�m aware � the former owners said they dug it where they did because there was a perpetual wet spot there, though � but the surrounding landscape drains to it by whatever means for quite a distance around, and that doubtless brings in plenty of nutrients as well.

We did have a free-floating algae bloom this summer that knocked visibility down substantially for a while. That�s partly why I want to add aeration, to shift conditions as much as I reasonably can toward favoring aquatic plants rather than algae and thereby help keep the water clear. (Right now just about the only �plant� growing in the pond is a thick carpet of the lightly rooted algae Chara, which we�re glad to have, but which I intend to augment with a carefully selected variety of aquatic plants that wildlife like and that don�t usually get too badly out of control.) I�d also like to do whatever I reasonably can to get rid of the muck that�s already been laid down in the pond short of dredging it, and presumably making the lower waters more aerobic will help with that. Swimming will be more pleasant without so much thermal stratification, too. Any benefit to the fish will just be a bonus.

So�

- What aerating equipment should I get? I don�t mind paying for high quality, be it in terms of performance, maintenance or durability. I�m not very big on DIY and would prefer a ready-made system, but I could probably put something together myself if that�s the only way to obtain high quality; I plan to do the installation myself, in any event.

- Where should I place the diffuser(s)? On this point, I should say that I�d rather go with only a single diffuser � or if multiple diffusers are truly necessary then only two instead of three � despite the pond�s size if that would do well enough in terms of the goals I stated above, as I and (especially) my wife are concerned that having the water roiling in multiple locations would detract a fair bit from the pond�s aesthetics. (We spend a lot of time just looking out at the water from the house or water�s edge. :^] ) Keep in mind, too, that as indicated on the map I intend to install a water jet under the dock to sweep across the planned beach and thereby help keep it clean; presumably that will help make up for relying on fewer diffusers than would ordinarily be used. Probably whatever system I buy or put together would also allow me to add one or two more diffusers in the future if I deem it absolutely necessary.

- I�m only looking at summer aeration at present, as the pond�s never experienced a winterkill and I�m not aware that winter aeration will really do anything to advance my goals. Do you agree? If not, could the same aeration system be used for both summer and winter purposes, just changing settings so that this diffuser is operating at this time and that one is operating at that time? In that case, where would you place the winter diffuser(s)?

- Last question for now: Does it make much difference where I put the compressor? All other things being equal, I�d much rather put it right by the barn, some ways away from the pond to minimize the clutter and noise down by the water. Again, aesthetics� Minimal noise level is one of those quality aspects I�m quite willing to pay for, by the way.

Thanks very much for any time and effort you put into considering my situation and advising me! I look forward to reading any and all thoughtful replies I receive, and I promise to give them serious thought in turn.

Gerry