Pond Boss Forums AERATION Should I aerate? Should I aerate 1/3 acre Missouri pond?

Hello! We moved to 5 acres last October and have a small approximate 1/3 acre dirt bottom pond. Until recently, things have been pretty low maintenance with it, but that past owners did warn there would be a learning curve once the weather warms up. They left some instructions to use copper sulfate crystals when we notice algae accumulating. To be exact, they said when we notice the algae to throw in about FIFTEEN handfuls walking around the perimeter and throwing it as far into the middle that we can. Well, about 3 weeks ago I started noticing a filmy algae was spreading across the pond and threw in ONE handful of the copper sulfate crystals. About 24-48hrs later, dead fish starting surfacing and six days later we had 115 dead fish removed from the pond. I can only imagine the crystals were the cause, however the amount I used was so conservative. I now understand timing/weather can be vital and it was super hot out when I did it (hence the algae bloom), but I'm still confused as to how this could have happened. The crystals did successfully clear up the algae so is it possible even though it was just one handful, this caused the suffocation of the fish? Needless to say, we are so bummed as this pond is used for family fun and fishing. Now are goal is to get it back in good shape to support a flourishing fish habitat. I have some direct questions below, but also if anyone has any general advise, I'll take that too! I have no experience with ponds and would really like to get this to a point we can manage it on our own.

1.) For starters, it is odd to me that since this event occurred and I've spoken to many pond and fish companies/experts, no one can confirm with certainty that the crystals were the cause of the fish kill. What do you all think? We obviously want to understand what killed the fish so we can prevent it from happening again.

A couple other key things to note:
- The past owners maintained this pond for about 40 years without an aeration system. And apparently by using heavy doses of copper sulfate crystals.
- They had a wide variety of fish: Catfish, bass, bluegill, perch, and bottom feeders.
- In April I added one gallon of AquaShade (recommended by a neighbor to prevent algae growth)

2.) The longterm goal is to stock the pond and get it in great fishing fun shape! But I need to get the water safe first. Since we are in a hot Missouri summer, I am reading that chemical treatment is not advised at this time. Is that correct? Is there a way to safely utilize chemicals in this climate?

3.) I have read that an at home water test is expensive and not reliable. What's the most affordable and reliable way to test water? Can I bring a sample somewhere?

4.) Aeration...I'm hearing a lot about this, but again the past owners maintained it for 40 years without. Is this necessary? If so, I have a lot of questions.
- The pond is about 215ft from the house. Do we need to have an electrician come out and install power by the pond? Running a line from the house which is 215ft away would be pretty expensive I think.
- Can we run an air hose from the house to the pond instead? Looking for longterm, low maintenance, affordable solutions. And I realize those three things don't always mesh
- What type of aerator would you recommend for a 1/3 acre dirt bottom pond?
- Can we install ourselves to save some money?

This is a very long, multi-part question, so thank you for reading and I appreciate any and all advise!

~Gabbi

Hello and welcome, Gabbi!

Some answers to some of your questions, and an observation.

1. You may not want to follow the management practices used in the past. You likely have different goals, and the pond has changed as it has aged.

2. Aeration would be a plus. You DO NOT have to run electric to the pond to aerate! I run air from my first pond, where the air compressor is located, to my second pond through over 650 feet of 1" black plastic water line. esshup (one of our most knowledgeable and responsive members) knows of air run for a half mile to reach a pond (IIRC - if I recall correctly). Having the compressor remote from the pond has the benefit of removing it's noise from the pond vicinity (of course, now that noise is somewhere else).

3. Were the fish that died on the large size? The biggest fish are the hardest hit by low oxygen fish kills (perhaps the most common variety). It may be impossible to determine the cause. However, killing unwanted plants and algae makes dead vegetation that decays consuming dissolved oxygen. So one does not want to kill all unwanted plants in a pond at once, rather treating them in a small (10-15% IIRC) of the pond at a time. (It does not sound like that is what 1 handful of copper sulfate did to me.)

4. Two rule of fish kills - there are more dead fish than what you see, and there are more fish left alive than what you think.

4.a. Condello's Rule: You're not a real aquaculturist until you've killed your first million fish. I probably qualify using that caveat.

5. I would study the pond for the rest of the hot season - fish in it to get an idea of what you have in it, take pictures of any plants and algae you are concerned or interested in for identification (you can post them here and get our thoughts, and use the website that Texas A&M has for aquatic plant ID), and decide exactly what your goals (and budget) for the pond are. Corrective stocking, if needed, is best done in cooler weather such as Fall and Spring.

Lastly, you've come to the right place to figure out what you want your course of action to be. Listen to lots of different advice, read lots of info on older posts (check out the archives and follow recommendations from experts including BIll Cody and ewest), and decide what will work best for your situation and goals.

There are lots of pond topics to study and learn about. Use information in the threads of our Archives section.
https://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=22&page=1

I will provide opinions on a few of your items.
1. IMO the use of the copper sulfate (CuSO4) in one of several possible ways IMO contributed to the dead fish. Copper (Cu) is a heavy metal and as with all heavy metals they are stable in the environment. Once in the pond Cu based compounds do not go away nor decompose. Every handful that has been applied in the past is still present in the bottom sediments. Then the bound copper can and does accumulate in the pond bottom to eventually cause unhealthy sediments. In agricultural fields, 1-2 lbs of Cu per acre(ppm) is considered a high amount. I have measured Cu in ponds having 1000+ lbs/acre resulting in very very unhealthy harmful sediments. What does one do with Cu contaminated pond sediments? Probably the hazardous waste landfill. IMO use Cu products as a very last result. There are much better ways to deal with algae than using Cu based products.
https://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=92633#Post92633

2. “The longterm goal is to stock the pond and get it in great fishing fun shape! But I need to get the water safe first.
You are not going to do that with always using more copper sulfate.

Use information in the Archives for all about the topics of fish management.
https://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=22&page=1

3. “ I have read that an at home water test is expensive and not reliable. What's the most affordable and reliable way to test water? Can I bring a sample somewhere?”
What items do you want to be tested for?

4. Aeration. In addition to what Theo posted above.
Properly sized aeration helps keep dissolved oxygen on the bottom and throughout the water column. You probably know what happens to about all living things except anerobic bacteria when there is no oxygen. Aeration is very beneficial to better health of all living things in the pond and it helps quickly and cleanly decompose the organic slop aka muck in the pond bottom.
There are several ways to DYI pond aeration. You need a good air compressor that makes 3-5 cfm of air volume. Pond depth determines the needed pressure produced by the compressor. You need an air delivery hose from compressor to the bubbler(aka underwater air diffuser) and an air diffuser; most popular is a rubber membrane diffuser although there are all sorts of other forms of diffusers and even homemade air diffusers that can be placed on the pond bottom.
Again learn from our Archives Section.
https://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=92494#Post92494

The only thing that I can add to Bill's and Theo's great posts is that the 3-5 CFM of air volume has to be at the deepest part of the pond. The air compressor specifications will have a chart that shows how many CFM it produces at "X" psi. YOu will have to figure out that psi according to your pond depth. Figure 0.5 psi for every foot of water depth. i.e. a 10' deep pond will need that volume of air at 5 psi.

You can dig a trench from where the electric is to the pond and run 1" dia low pressure poly tube to the pond. You can also call a landscaping company that installs underground irrigation systems and have them use a vibratory slitter to install that poly tube. They can install it as fast as a person can walk. You do not want to have any splices underground, i.e. using two 100' pieces of tubing plus another 15' isn't recommended because of the shrink/expansion of the underground tubing tends to pull connections apart. So, it's best not to have them underground where they are hard to get to.

1" Black plastic poly can be obtained in 300' lengths, which would be ideal for you. I ordered mine from Home Depot, but any home improvement store or plumbing supply house should be able to get it for you.

NOTE: I have an underground splice at the 300' mark - at 600', I have an above ground manifold assembly to allow switching between deep water (Summer) and shallow water (Winter ice breakup) aeration. Fortunately, that underground splice, consisting of a plastic coupler, 4 stainless steel cable clamps, and lots of electrical tape (which IME is pretty darn water proof) covering all of it, has lasted for 19 years. OTOH I had to replace a brass 1" ball valve at the manifold this Spring after it split due to being struck by a falling tree (Thank you, Emerald Ash Borer!).