Pond Boss Forums AERATION Systems questions Pond Aerator Advice

Okay, I have a pond in Oklahoma approximately the size of a football field. I would say just over an acre. This pond in the last five years has been over taken with moss on top and has a lot of grass growing in it as well. When it gets hot in the summer (July/August) we have had some fish kill. Not a huge amount, but some.

As a result of all of this I decided to attempt to aerate the pond. I have purchased a 120 HP Hi-Blow air pump and ran a 1/2" pvc line into the pond about 50'. It's in about 6' of water. I hooked this up about three weeks ago.

As of right now I just have the line blowing straight into the pond with no diffuser, etc. I am about to add another 1/2" line to this and run about 100 feet 1/2" weighted air line to another spot in the pond so I can get action in two different places.

If you see any issues so far please let me know as I'm learning.

Anyway, on this second line I would like to add a diffuser. I have read about buidling one out of a 5 gallon bucket that you fill with rocks, etc. I am wondering if anyone can point me to any directions in building one. Also I have been running my pump 24/7 since I installed it.

I'm open to advice and knowledge that anyone cares to share. This pond is stocked with carp, catfish and bass.

a 120 Hp air pump? WOW! I use two 1/2 Hp air pumps for a 3 acre pond. I'm no aeration expert so i am guessing you meant a 1/2Hp pump?

And Welcome to the forum, there is alot of info here if you want to click on the forum list or ask away.

A football field is 1.3+ acres, so your close in saying about an acre. You should get on G.maps and find how how big the pond is (surface acres), then you will want to know some depths so that you can guesstimate an average depth which will lead to the number of gallons in the pond. The depths of the diffusers and the number of gallons are very important to know so that we can determine if the aeration system suites your needs.

Here is a pump curve for the HP 120LL...



This shows that the pump will put out approximately 2-4 CFM depending on how deep the diffusers are...2 CFM at 5psi (10 foot deep diffusers) and 4 CFM at 3psi (6 foot deep diffuser). A quick glance says that this pump is good for 2 to 4 diffusers depending on the hose size, run lengths, plumbing design (potential restrictions), diffuser design, and diffuser depths.

With you being in Texas, I am going to say that a HP120 will be too small for a football field pond. Two of these pumps, or the equivalent, would be better. Most Texans find that they can only run the aeration system at night due to the hot summer days. I run mine from 7pm to 10am in Mid-Missouri to avoid overheating the pond.

As far as diffusers go...homemade can save money, but I am going to bet that they do not perform near as well as a manufactured diaphragm diffuser. Look at the Vertex or Matala brand diffusers. The single hose you have now is doing very little for the pond. Large bubbles move very little water...smaller bubbles move alot more. Moving water is the key. You get very little dissolved oxygen from the bubbles themselves. Most all of the DO comes from exposing the water to the air at the surface of the pond...so, you want to move the water all around so that it cycles at the air to water interface (pond surface). Doing this also exposes the water to the hot summer daytime temps and the pond water can get too hot for the fish's comfort, hence running only at night.

Here are a few PB threads that you will find helpful...

https://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=512977

https://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=495076#Post495076

https://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=495244

https://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=520823

There are alot more here...

https://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=cfrm&c=6

Welcome to PB!

Thanks I ordered a couple of the Matala diffusers and a 100' of line so I will now have two diffusers running off this pump.

Is everyone in agreement that in the heat of the summer (August) that running your pump during the day is bad (heats up the pond). I've had it running 24/7 since the start of July but may need to change that if its an issue for sure.