I live in western Iowa and like most of the Midwest we are in a subzero cold wave. I have a bottom aerator on one end of my oval-shaped 1 acre 16t deep pond (the shallower end) that I run all winter long. The whole pond is now frozen over and covered in snow. The aerator is still running but I cannot see any open area above it. I'm guessing the pond will stay frozen and snow covered for quite a long time now. My question is should I turn the aerator off? It's my understanding that if a frozen pond is not snow covered some sunlight will penetrate and that will help generate some oxygen...true? However with it being snow covered that's not going to happen. My obvious concern is over-oxygenating the water and killing fish.

So, should I turn off the aerator and just leave it off, or put it on a timer and only run it for a certain amount of time every day? Or should I leave it on and auger a couple holes in the ice to allow excess oxygen to escape? Augering holes would be easiest at the opposite end of the pond off my dock about 70 yards from the aerator. Thanks for your input.