Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Time To Turn Aerator Off?

I'm in northern Ohio. At what water temp should my aerator be turned off?

there as been some discussion on this at this link hope it helps. winter aeration

Here's another one.

http://www.pondboss.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=20;t=001274#000000

Hey? How do you post the link? Cut and paste? http://www.pondboss.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=12;t=000090 Oh I got it cut in paste then again in next box

I LEAVE MINE ON ALL WINTER. WHERE ABOUTS ARE YOU IN NORTHERN OHIO? YOU HAVE A SISTER RENEE?

If you decide to run your aerator all winter, I think you will find from reading past comments that it is best to move the diffuser to shallow water. If your pond is in the Clevelend snow belt and you do not want to remove snow then shallow water aeration is okay. If you are in southern OH it is doubtful that winter aeration will be beneficial. If you are in northern half of OH and pond is deeper than 14 ft then winter aeration is probably not necessary. I live in NW OH and I turned off my aerator Oct 20 when water temps dropped below 54F. Water temps are now 45-47F. I remove 20%-30% of the snow for excercise on nice winter days. Removing snow increases oxygen production under the ice by stimulating phytoplankton photosynthesis.

When I first aerated I aerated through the winter in the center of the pond and stressed the heck out of my bass. Didn't bother the trout in the same pond, but I believe that is because they can handle colder water. Come spring I had stressed bass and many with fungus. So after hearing that it was not a good idea the following winter I put the diffuser in shallow water and kept a small hole open. Much better result but still some bass stressed. Now I just remove snow periodically and haven't had any problems since.

Cecil aka CB1 is located in northern Indiana.

Cecil what does just clearing snow do? I was under the impression that people wanted to keep a small hole in the ice to allow transfer of gasses.

PaPond Help!

Snow removal allows sunlight penetration through ice so primarily phytoplankton (microscopic suspended algae) can photosynthesize and produce dissolved oxygen into the water. Depending on the water clarity under ice and water depth a lot of oxygen can be produced by bottom living (benthic) attached vegetation which includes: rooted weeds (macrophytes) that are not dead, filamentous algae and periphyton.

Ample dissolved oxygen in the water practically eliminates the production of toxic gasses thus ice holes are not often needed. In most situations, I think the need for ice holes and transfer of gasses to the atmosphere is overrated. This is why. Bad gasses are primarily produced when the dissolved supply is exhausted. However some bentic gasses will be produced during oxygenated conditions under ice cover when thick deposits of organic muck comprise the bottom sediments. But with ample dissolved oxygen in the water column the effects of the most common and prevelant toxic benthic gas, hydrogen sulfide, is minimal.

Actually I don't think hydrogen sulfide (H2S) can exist for long in oxygen saturated conditions. Maybe PaPond or another chemist can help us with this concept. I think it is similar to the effects of carbon monoxide when there is ample fresh air (oxygen).

Thats great information and it makes a pond a lot safer for recreational winter use.