Very good chart for temperature profile of the pond. Yes the pond had a cool water refuge until aeration was initiated.
How long each day are you running the aerator in your 0.5ac pond????.
With water clarity of 6ft all summer,,, the DO on the bottom should have stayed high enough for trout all summer. It would have been very interesting to test it to see if I know what I am talking about. It would have been very helpful and informative to see DO readings at 10 to 11 ft deep in July, Aug and Sept. The thermocline as at 7-8ft in July.
Bill, aeration is running 24/7 right now. Is that overkill? The winter plan is to use only one air station in about 3 ft of water near shore to maintain some open ice and air exchange.
DO meters are pretty pricey. Do you have a recommendation for an economical model for amateurs?
It would seem to me that if the goal is to have cool water for trout to live in as long as possible that you would want to aerate one small area (maybe a shallow 1/3 of the pond) to promote healthy bacteria, avoid anoxic zone in the shallows knowing that this area will no longer have a thermocline or cool water refuge. It seems like you would want to have a more clearly defined warm and cool water area in spring/summer/fall for cool water fish. Maybe at this depth aeration is not needed?
cc, good point. I considered the approach you mentioned. In fact, EasyPro recommends not putting an air diffuser in the deepest hole in order to maintain a deep water refuge. However, I figured my trout would only be temporary and not make it through next summer anyway, so I am favoring more oxygen/air lift over cool temperatures. However, Bill now has me thinking that the trout can survive the summer temps and use the thermocline. I am confused.
I have no game fish at the moment and can adjust the aeration any time. My pond is new, clear, and without a lot of decaying matter. Maybe I have a unique situation here where I can maintain trout for a few years? I am not planning to stock trout until October, and the pond would be naturally turning over to a constant temperature at that time anyway without aeration. Correct?
I guess I now have two scenarios with questions:
1. For a year round trout pond, should I maintain a thermocline/cold water refuge (assuming DO is adequate), or aerate the entire pond in spring/summer/fall?
2. Is it possible to have a fishery of RBT, SMB, YP, RES (maybe), and FHM? What aeration strategy should be used in this case? Can bass and trout coexist as apex predators?
