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Jan 10th, 2023
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Joined: May 2010
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OP
Joined: May 2010
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I'm working on a project that has a 1/2 acre pond with a 200 ft. shallow stream/pond section feeding into it via a waterfall. The stream is seasonally spring fed. In order to keep water flowing year round, a variable speed pump feeds approximately 5,000 to 10,000 GPH from the pond up to the top of the stream. The stream has four sections with wide spots that make up shallow pond areas. The stream depth is only 12" to 18" at is deepest. The plan is to have Koi and large pond whales (gold fish) in the stream sections. The 1/2 acre pond has LMB and CC. The thought for providing aeration for the stream section is to reduce FA and provide a better environment for the Koi and pond whales.
The existing aeration system is a Vertex 3/4 hp three (twin) air station system. The system was designed for four air stations, so there is reserve capacity. I was thinking that I might use bubble tubing for the stream sections. Does anyone know what length of bubble tubing is the equivalent to one Vertex disk? How long can bubble tubing be to equal a Vertex disk air station? What limitations on CFM must I keep in mind before overtaxing the compressor or system? I'm wondering how easy it will be to balance the system with the combination of vertex air stations with the bubble tubing.
On a different note, I need to find a source for Blue Gill for northern Nevada. Anyone know who is certified to bring BG into Nevada?
Thanks, Dennis
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Joined: Jan 2004
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Lunker
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Lunker
Joined: Jan 2004
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Dennis, typically CanadianPond type Bubble tubing takes .045 cfm per ft of tubing. A typical 1/2 hp compressor with 4.5 cfm can supply air to 100 ft of BT.Your system if it is a HF Brookwood has open flow of 5.6 cfm . You would have to know how much of that is specified to your needed lifting rate from your 3 Vertex stations to see if you had any to spare.If you take too much from the stations to satisfy the BT it may be counter productive.Hope this helps.
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Field Correspondent Lunker
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I would not plan on aeration in the stream to reduce FA algae growth in the stream. I am not sure of what philosophy or rationale indicates that aeration will deter FA growth?
aka Pond Doctor & Dr. Perca Read Pond Boss Magazine -
America's Journal of Pond Management
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Joined: May 2010
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OP
Joined: May 2010
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I think I read that each Vertex disk is rated at 1 cfm each. Or is that per "station" which has two disks each? So the tubing would use about .5 cfm per 10 feet of tubing? The Vertex system was their 3/4 hp system, designed for four air stations. With just the use of three stations, there should be a one station (two disk) reserve capacity. That would mean up to 2 cfm in reserve? If reading correctly about 40 to 50 feet of bubble tubing. Does that seem correct?
How has the bubble tubing worked for folks? Anyone care to relate their experience with the tubing? If performance wasn't great, my next option would be looking at tubular membrane diffusers or alumina air stones. But I think the tubular membrane diffusers may have more surface area than the disk diffusers and may use too much air from the system. As you mentioned, that could be counter productive. I don't want to do that.
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Joined: May 2010
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OP
Joined: May 2010
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You are right about the FA control and aeration. I was thinking further ahead in that some algaecides reduce DO and that some sort of aeration was or would be desired if you use chemicals to combat algae. With very shallow waters, I'd be concerned about wiping out the fish in the stream with the use of chemicals that covers both the 1/2 acre pond and the stream/ponds. But if there is a better way, I'm all ears.
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Joined: Jan 2004
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Lunker
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Lunker
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DL , yes the stations with 2 discs can be sized to operate at 1 cfm each but depends on if your pond was sized for additional air. It may have been sized for the current output,This would depend on your lifting requirement. You should have a spec sheet for your pond when the system was sized that will tell you Complete turnovers per day,Air delivery to each station at your given operating pressure, gallons pumped per day and gallons pumped per air station.This information will tell you if you have "air to spare" I find bubble tubing high maintenance as it seems to foul easily after a year of use and should be flushed internally. Also it should lay very flat as if not more air tends to expel via the high spots.I think the cost is also a factor as I find it costly compared to a properly designed conventional system especially with the latest technology in Shallow Water Airstations. If a herbicide is lowering the DO level it is doubtful that any conventional aeration will counter that rapid decline.This is where a product like GreenClean may be worth researching.
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Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 227
Lunker
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Lunker
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DL, I think that the cascading action of the creek is probably enough to keep oxygen levels high enough to sustain your fish. This is coming from a guy who represents a company that's been selling aeration tubing since 1992...We would never specify it for your application.
I can't speak on behalf of Canadian Pond aeration tubing but ours does not foul within a year. Even if it did, cleaning it is as simple as pouring a cup of muriatic acid in the tubing from shore. We have linear aeration systems that have been in operation for over 30 years. Also, it takes about 2 PSI to open the slits in the tubing which gives us wiggle room of about 2.5 - 3 feet of depth difference over a single length of tubing and we'll still get a consistent bubble pattern. This is one of the big differences between aeration tubing and irrigation drip tubing that people use for aeration.
This is not a shameless plug. I just want the pondmeisters to know that there are differences between different types of aeration tubing. We've got ten different types of aeration tubing in our product line alone, each with different specifications (air flow, internal diameter, bubble size, etc...). If you're thinking about linear aeration, contact some vendors, express your questions, comments, and concerns, and ask for recommendations and the specifications of their particular tubing. Make sure the product fits the application....I guess the same could be said for any product.
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Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 76
Lunker
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Lunker
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DL, I think that the cascading action of the creek is probably enough to keep oxygen levels high enough to sustain your fish. This is coming from a guy who represents a company that's been selling aeration tubing since 1992...We would never specify it for your application.
I can't speak on behalf of Canadian Pond aeration tubing but ours does not foul within a year. Even if it did, cleaning it is as simple as pouring a cup of muriatic acid in the tubing from shore. We have linear aeration systems that have been in operation for over 30 years. Also, it takes about 2 PSI to open the slits in the tubing which gives us wiggle room of about 2.5 - 3 feet of depth difference over a single length of tubing and we'll still get a consistent bubble pattern. This is one of the big differences between aeration tubing and irrigation drip tubing that people use for aeration.
This is not a shameless plug. I just want the pondmeisters to know that there are differences between different types of aeration tubing. We've got ten different types of aeration tubing in our product line alone, each with different specifications (air flow, internal diameter, bubble size, etc...). If you're thinking about linear aeration, contact some vendors, express your questions, comments, and concerns, and ask for recommendations and the specifications of their particular tubing. Make sure the product fits the application....I guess the same could be said for any product. I would like to second Richard's statement! I would not have put on the market our products if I had discovered they foul easily, in fact the fouling issue is likely a soaker hose (IMO it was not developped for aeration to start with...). With proper pressure and the right compressor, we have had sucess at creating aeration that did not stir sediments did not clog and all of our first tubing we sold in 2002 is still going strong and they are bubbling just like day one. The wrong pressure, or air flow, or installation and of course troubles can happened. We stand by our products and our warranty of efficiency. Our SOTR and SAE testing have proved us we were on the right track when we developped our product. Now, we like Vertex and Robust-Aire diffusers too, we combine both when the ponds bathymetrics call for it. We would never put aeration in a brook or a cascade, this would be simply misleading!
Mario Paris,
Fish & Wildlife Management Technician, CEO of Canadianponds.ca Products
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