Pond Boss Forums AERATION Systems questions Temperature probe

I would like get some recommendations for a temperature probe so can take temperatures at different depths

If you don't want to go too deep, a cheap solution is a wired indoor/outdoor thermometer. attach a weight to the end of the wire to get it to sink quickly.

I think I can afford something a little more appropriate. I found a Minn Kota probe that looks pretty good. Do you have any experience with one of those?

How do we know which MinnKota probe you are referring to. Link?

10 foot wire:

https://www.taylorusa.com/products/wired-indoor-and-outdoor-thermometer

A thermometer/probe with anything longer than a 10 foot cord seems impossible to find. I bought a Chinese-made boiler thermometer with 30 ft cord on Amazon. It crapped out after two years and is no longer listed.

Actually good to know. I was thinking of making a wireless thermometer that would have several sensors down the length to try and find the thermocline. It probably wouldn’t be terribly cheap, but it would be cool to be able to plot over time.

I like this one. I wonder if the wire going to the probe is just two wires and if a guy could splice in a longer piece so you could measure temps at deeper depths.

Redneck Rod poor boy solution - tie ten pool thermometers every X feet on a rope with a weight. Drop it in the pond and go do some chores. Come back later and record the date, time, and the temperature at each depth. I think you would learn the rough movement of your thermocline over the seasons with two years of weekly(?) data.

Has anyone tried this product? Drawback is it has to be returned to the surface to get the temperature reading. Says to keep at depth for 30 seconds minimum. I suspect that the water that enters the tube helps to buffer changes of the temperature indication as it is returned to surface.

My O2 meter also reads temp. It has a 10 meter probe on it. That's what I use to gather data.

Can you let me know what brand and model your O2 meter is. Is the O2 reading the same as DO?

Yes, O2 is the same as DO. I use a YSI ODO Pro. I will find the replacement model. https://www.ysi.com/prosolo

That looks like a very nice meter. It is a little spendy for my hobby budget. I have found two models that look good but they only goes to 13’. My pond is 18’ so I don’t think the 5’ difference is worth the extra money. Let me know what you think. Or if there is another meter out there you can recommend.

Extech DO210 - Dissolved Oxygen Meter $334

VEVOR Dissolved Oxygen Meter $483

If you don't want to spend very much money and only will use it once or twice a year than use the thermometer shown above by jpsad. It is the first temp sensor that I purchased very long ago. I still have it. It worked good, however if was slow to use because it had to equiliberate to each depth. The depth scale was not very accurate. Just use an attached marked line - one foot increments.

YSI meters are the Rolls Royce of DO / Temp meters. Fishery pros use them when quick accurate readings are needed.

I think I will take your advice and get that one and save my money. Though, it would be fun to check DO levels. Thanks for your help

Bill is correct. I need the YSI for my business. The ODO reads a lot faster than the membrane units, and when I am hauling fish I can't wait 15 minutes for it to stabilize before I start using it. If I did, it would add at least an hour, maybe more to each daily trip. Yes, they are expensive, but it has paid for itself many times over.