Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Disolved oxygen meter

We are looking into purchasing a disolved oxygen meter and have aquired a cataloge which has many different types and prices. Would anyone have a
suggestion as to the type/brand which my fit the needs of a 2 acre pond for not alot of $$? The price range in the catalog seems to be from $250 to thousands.

Like anything else you get what you pay for, and typically you need to spend about 600 to 800 dollars for a really good one. I have a $750 one from YSI that works well but I use mine for fish hauling to moniter oxygen while I'm hauling large quantites of fish.

You need to ask yourself if you really need one. What are you going to use it for? Typically for recreational ponders that have fish in low densities if you do everything right such as mixing the water column in summer with aeration there is no need to check D.O. If you have a problem and you have a D.O. meter what are you going to do? Usually once you have a fish kill there is nothing you can do and it's too late.

I don't even use mine under the ice anymore. If I keep snow off the ice when it gets over 1 inch and I am catching fish near the bottom there is no need to moniter oxygen. Additionally if you have green weeds and algae on the bottom you sill have sufficient oxygen.

Thank you. Thought if we checked the D.O. in the winter & it was down we could put the windmill aerator back in the water. We have tried very hard to keep the snow off the ice. We haven'nt had the chance to go fishing, so don't know about the fish. This is the 1st winter with fish of any real size.

As far as brands go, you can't do any better than YSI. I would recommend a YSI 55 as a good general purpose meter that is durable. That's what most professionals use, myself included, and they work well. You don't want to let the probe dry out, though, and the membrane will need replaced occasionally.

You might check out this website here and see what Randy Rushin can get you a new meter for. You might mention that you got his name off of Pondboss. I've been trying to get him to sponsor the site for some time.

Alternatively, I have an extra YSI 55 with a 12' cord that I no longer need. I would be willing to part with it for $225 shipped. You can check the price of a new one as well as its features here at one of this site's sponsors.

Fishman,

Being the knowledgeable pond boss contributor that you are... I'm sure you read the fine print in the privacy statment that states, "any commercial revenue derived from postings on Pond Boss forums are subject to a 10% brokerage fee, to be remitted to Pond Boss World Headquarters in Whitesboro, TX". So you if you haven't, you might want to requote that O2 meter to cover unforseen taxes.

Gumboot! You disappeared after your last post on the Crappie thread! Where'd you go? Thought you were trying to build up some numbers.

noble, If your pond is 2 acres in size and you have a 1.5 CFM output windmill consider putting the airstone (Im assuming it is a 7 inch Koender stone)inapprx 4 ft of water off to the side approx 20 ft from shore and let it fly. If thin ice in a small area is not a problem this is a better idea then investing in a DO meter. With your current aeration system you may have more of a DO problem in the summer than in the winter.Ted

Jumping into the midst of this foray...why are you wanting to measure oxygen? My experience has been oxygen is usually the last symptom before a problem. I don't consider oxygen a problem. If water gets to the point where oxygen plummets, it's too late anyway. What is your goal of this question?

Doc Bruce. You shamed me from additional postings with your implication that I was posting only to retrieve my lunker status. Hence the last couple of days I've sequestered myself at the Aquanic website reading up on "Pond Culture of Hybrid Striped Bass Culture in North Central Region" Think I've regained sufficient dignity to come home.

I don't know when Cecil finds time to work, because he's over on that site helping folks out as well.

By the way Doc, if 9 posts make you a Lunker, I just hit 5lbs, again!

I was inspired to ask the D.O. question by the previous discussion on it's importance. It appeared to me that this was something I needed to monitor and know about. If your telling me now that it isn't something I should monitor and know about then never mind. I intend to updgrade my difuser on the Koender windmill and will continue to try and keep the snow off the ice.

Oxygen is an indicator, or a symptom, of other issues. Too much aquatic plant life or intense plankton bloom, oxygen spikes high and low through a normal day. But, plants are the problem. Heavy organic load, decomposing plants, etc., oxygen drops. But, the decomposing organic matter is the problem. An oxygen meter or test kit allows you to measure oxygen at any given time. But, if something is wrong, and the oxygen meter says oxygen is too low...it's too late, unless you have specialized aeration equipment. Since you have a Koeneder's windmill and are keeping snow off the ice, you should be in good shape. Here's another important fact to remember. As water temperatures drop, its affinity for oxygen increases. Colder water holds more oxygen. So, unless you have an intense plankton bloom, or lots of underwater salad, I wouldn't worry too much about oxygen.