Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Yikes my D.O. level is dropping fast!

Cecil,

I too use a Kasco 1/2hp. Great minds!!

But yours is in a horizontal position for circulations?

I have a 3/4 hp. (Insert gorilla sounds here)

Well excuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuse me!

Actually the 1/2 hp is too big for my small ponds which is what I got it for originally. It stirs up the bottom a little. I'm glad I got it now for this emergency situation. I'm gong to get one of those 1/8 hp deals in the future for possible emergencies in the smaller ponds.

What surprises me is D.O. is only 7.5 ppm in the open water that is 35.2 F. I would think it would be close to saturation with it being open and moved by the aerator. But I'll take what I can get and 7.5 is excellent compared to 3.5!

I have an 80 watt air pump (insert hummingbird sounds here)
That's only about 1/10 hp Right?

If you're lucky.

Mine is adjustable for varied circumstances.

Adjustable Circulator

No one will ever accuse you of under engineering anything Dwight.

Impressive.

Dwight, that's a real neat setup you built.
I'm the lazy type, so I would just strap a trolling motor to the dock and connect it to a power supply. (which I did try last summer).

Here's a pic of the surface aerator on the biggest yellow perch and bluegill pond running on the left. Cages are attached to the right side of the pier. The aerator created all this open water simply by running it and pulling to the left as it melted the ice. Once air temps are above 32 F. the ice gets eaten up fast. In the single digits and teens not very fast.

D.0. levels have risen from 3.5 ppm to 7.5 ppm at last check in open water down to at least 8 feet. Water temp only varies 1/10th of one degree from the surface at 35.3 to 35.2 at 8 feet. I am surprised that D.O. levels aren't higher and temps near the surface aren't lower. Snow was completely blown off with a snow blower except for the small section in the foregound where it was taken off in strips. I was running out of daylight and had three more ponds to go!

Thanks for posting the picture, Cecil. Very nice opening.

It's a very, very, very, beautiful sight compared to the feeling that I had killed all my fish and lost a few years of growth and all the money I invested!

Conversely my trout pond has oxygen levels near or at saturation at 13.0 ppm. I remove as much aquatic vegetation from this pond as possible twice a year and drain the pond every two years. The pond is also quite deep for the size with consequently a large volume for the small surface area. Shows you what a difference that makes.

Glad to hear your ponds are doing well Cecil, I know what a bummer it is to lose alot of fish.
I'm heading up to the pond in a little while, and planning on starting up the pump to get some fresh water in the pond.
I'm still not real optimistic about the outcome, even with the aeration this winter.
Talk to you all Later.

The thought police come after me all the time.
They never find anything.

My biggest pond is now at 10 ppm.

You might be surprised what the aeration did for you. Keep us posted!

Cecil and All;

I hope my warm weather heads EAST in a hurry to help you all out. Good luck.

One question - I was looking online at DO meters and man do they range all over in price from $150 - $800. Any recommendations for a pondmeister on brands and models that work well for you? Any idea the amount of $$ I should be prepared to part with?

Thanks in advance...I'm hoping for a quick thaw for you all.

TJ

I would recommend YSI products. Thats what I use at work. We have two 85's and one 55. I don't know how much they cost but I are easy to use.

Thanks Chris - the 85's are 1200 and the 55's around 800. I'm not typically one to cut corners and sacrafice quality - but I think I need to look at more economical models!

YSI has a model DO2000 for approx $250.00 with a 30 ft cable or $225 w/ 12 cable.This meter is considered their Economy meter. It measures DO and temp. I have not used this model as our model 55 has been very reliable but as you state they are expensive.

I'm with Ted on that. If I had to do it all over again I would not spend $800.00 on a meter. Many times I trust a good ol' Hach kit or LaMotte test kit over my meter anyway. Even with calibration, membrane change etc. my YSI is reading about a half a part ppm too high compared to the Hach or LaMotte test kit. I may have bought a lemon. Of course you can't test the water column all the way down with a Hack or LaMotte test kit.

Not sure what others think but I would seem a Hach or LaMotte test kit would be all you need to test for D.O. drops in an ice hole. If D.O. is less than 6 ppm in your hole it may be time to crank up the diffuser.

Here's what I use in conjunction with my meter:

http://www.aquaticeco.com/subcategories/2805/LaMotte-Test-Kits-Dissolved-Oxygen

I agree with Cecil. If you only need to test water DO at surface a few times a year then strongly consider the inexpensive chemical kits. Deeper waters can be tested for DO with the chemical kits but ideally the water should be collected at the depth desired and without bubbling. Bubbling the water as a jar or collecting bottle fills adds oxygen to it. Collecting deeper water without bubbling the water has to be done with some sort of unique sampler, although it can be relatively simple and inexpensive or more complex and cost $100+.

The meter DO samplers are convienient for depth DO samples and usually pretty accurate, but you pay for that convenience.

I am using a YSI EcoSense DO200 to monitor temp and DO throughout the winter.

Thanks all, this sounds like good stuff - I've never seen anyone comment on DO meters for the average pondmeister like myself [although threads excape my search efforts regularly] and it sounds as if one can get away with a $200 investment. We should have a "recommended prodcuts" page for the average pondmeister...sounds like th YSI is everyone's choice for quality.

Now, will anyone think of a plausible version of the truth to provide the wife to explain the $225 charge on my CC? I will provide a free DO test at your body of water for the most convincing story.

TJ