Originally Posted by Dylanfrely
I was going to throw in an aerator, my only thought was that with the shallow overall design it might get too overgrown this summer and then crash the DO. Do you think it'll be fine without it?

I am NOT an expert on pond aeration, but your plants in that shallow pond should be excellent providers of oxygen.

One of the causes of DO crashes is when you get a huge algal bloom, and then the bloom all dies off at the same time and decomposition of the dead algae robs your pond of oxygen. Your rooted plants work to protect against a big algal bloom by taking up some of the nutrients.

One other cause is ice on the pond that is then covered with snow to prevent all sunlight from reaching the plants. I don't know your elevation, but even if you got that condition you could easily sweep the ice of such a small pond.

75 fingerlings plus minnows does not have a very large oxygen requirement in the first season. Only when your perch get large and your minnow populations explode would you be pushing the limits. In that case, if you do observe the fish piping for oxygen you could set up some emergency aeration.