Pond Boss Forums AERATION Should I aerate? winter aeration (another dumb question)

The more I think about aeration the more I get myself confused so I'll fire off another dumb question. I'm in Iowa so we have significant ice in the winter. I'm thinking about a bottom difuser system (either electric or windmill). I am a little concerned about having an open patch in the ice in the winter. #1 I have little kids, so I'm worried about the safety issue. #2 I like to ice fish so I'm worried about having the fish congregate around the difuser area which will be unfishable due to the unsafe in the ice near the difuser. Is there an option I'm overlooking that might add oxygen without as much surface disturbance, or perhaps is it possible to shut the aeration off while ice is forming and then turn it back on after the ice has formed? In doing that will the pressure from the difuser re-open or weaken the ice?

hersh:

You are correcetly quite conscientious about safety on aerated ice.


That approach, I believe I can nix.

I have a windmill aerator. Naturally, sometimes ice forms when there is no wind blowing and hence no air being injected into the pond.

The result once the wind starts blowing again is a huge bubble of air under the ice, which eventually collapses and then melts. Depending on the ice thickness/strength, I have seen the bubble as big as a hundred feet in diameter.

Hi Hersh -
Maybe you don't need winter aeration - how deep is your pond? Do you have a lot of bottom vegetation? Shallow weedy ponds are most in danger of winter fish kill. If you have deep enough water with little vegetation you should be ok...

Thanks for the info Theo, I hadn't even thought of the giant bubble scenario. Sue, I am anxiously waiting for my excavator to start my pond, so I'm gathering info in advance. I don't think it will have much for vegetation based on other nearby similar ponds, but I guess I'll see. It will be about 1 acre and slope gradually from 18-20' at the dam to shallow on the other side. I'm only stocking LM, BG, and FH minnows, so maybe I'm overthinking the need for aeration since these are shallow, warm water fish to begin with. I like the idea of having clearer water though, and think the fish might grow better with aeration, however the dangerous ice in the winter is giving me serious pause.

I would use an aeration system in the summer months to avoid stratification and to maintain good water quality, but then turn it off during the winter. Cold water temperatures cause the metabolism of fish to slow WAY down decreasing the demand for oxygen and the colder water will be able to hold more dissolved oxygen. Sounds to me like you have nothing to fear. It would help to keep snow off the shallow areas of your pond to allow sunlight to penetrate for photosynthesis and when you drill through the ice for icefishing, oxygen will diffuse into your water. Good luck with the construction of your pond!

If I shut off during the winter then do I need to do a gradual start up process in the spring (assuming I turn it on right after ice out) or is it OK just to turn it on 24/7 immediately since there would have been no thermocline over the winter?

Spring Aeration Startup

and other faves from the Aeration Simplified archive thread.

Looks like one should start aeration back up when water temps are about 50 deg F. No worries about a slow start up being needed if the pond was aerated the last year. If starting up aeration for the first time ever in the Spring maybe a gradual start would be warranted (?).