Getting the pond aerated correctly will help reduce the amount of muck that builds up in the pond, and that is a goal for a swimming pond, right?
... The nutrients are coming into the pond in the form of leaves, so having something to utilize the nutrients before they grow algae is your goal. Ponds with large underwater weed plant colonies typically have clear water.
My thoughts exactly, esshup.
Thanks very much for the detailed response! Do you mind some questions based upon it?
1) Don't you think the water jet I plan to install under the dock, aiming across the beach planned for the pond's northeastern shore, would alleviate the need for a summer diffuser in that lobe of the pond? That would get me down to two roiling water spots instead of three, anyway. (Viewing and swimming aesthetics and my wife's view of them, remember...)
2) Working on that same issue a bit, what would be the downside of using only one instead of two summer diffusers? Is it just that I wouldn't be aerating as much of the pond's area as is ideal, i.e. there would be some spot(s) where the substrate and water remain more or less as they are now (stratified in temperature and oxygen level, laying down muck)? That might be a trade-off I'd consider accepting, say, by putting a single diffuser in the pond's deepest hole as far out from its southern shore as I can while staying at the depth, leaving out a second one for its southeastern lobe (which I suspect is the obvious spot for a second one).
3) While we're at it, what's the reasoning for wanting to turn the water over at least once, preferably twice, every 24 hours? I know that it's a commonly accepted goal, but my education is lacking on why. I am a biologist, though, so don't be afraid to get technical on me if you're so inclined. :^/
4) What do you think of the idea of my placing one of the two winter diffusers close to shore by the pond's northwest "corner" (the sharp little point in the shoreline) and another one close to shore on the south side of the peninsula almost directly across the pond from that first spot, in the pond's southeastern lobe? Those are both spots where aquatic vegetation (a native pondweed in both cases, but I forget at the moment which species) other than
Chara at least has a toehold, and I thought it would be good to encourage its growth.
5) You're obviously a Vertex fan, and I appreciate manufacturer/model recommendations as much as any other kind (so doubly thanks!). Can you tell me what you particularly like about their equipment, or dislike about what you see as their nearest competitors' equipment?
6) How deeply buried do you think the 1" poly should be running from the barn down to the pond's edge? It's very rocky around these parts - I'm told the pond was created using dynamite leftover from blasting out space for the house's foundation - so I may be in trouble if it has to be very deep. Winter temperature-wise I'm in USDA plant zone 5a (-20F to -15F), if that's important to the answer.
That's all I have for now, anyway. (Sorry about it being so much! :^/ ) I want to pick your and other folks' brains about aquatic plants to establish in the pond, too, but I'd rather leave that for another thread at another time.
Thanks again - and a lot!
Gerry
