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Joined: Jan 2021
Posts: 39
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I'm new to the pond building game. I have one that is filling that is that's about 1/3 full.

3.5 acre total pond
19' deep
While there are a couple wet weather springs that feed the pond, it's not spring or creek fed. It's run off fed from a big bowl above the pond. I'm confident I can get it full, just wanted to know if, when it's dry and hot, the aeration would help the cause.


I have no electric run to the premises, but it's only about 100 yards off the road, so I'm sure that'd be an option if I really wanted to.

I know nothing about aeration systems and sizing them, but want to do this once and have the bill hurt once.

What would you recommend? I'm partial to a solar setup as I'd have a nice south facing slope to mount things, but am not sure what and how to go about it.

I'm open to hearing what you guys would do.

Last edited by roymunson; 08/31/21 04:05 PM.
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Civilization runs on steady, reliable electricity.

Any aeration system you build and operate WILL be much easier and cheaper using grid electricity. (Cheaper is based on not having to pay the large initial investment for the solar panels and associated hardware.)

However, there is a big "but". The electric company typically will not set a transformer for the tiny amount of power they will sell you to run your aeration system.

Are there any friendly neighbors with power that is near your new pond location? You could easily run 300' of electrical cable for the amperage your system will require. Make an arrangement to pay them for juice and leave the power company out of it.

[It might be even better to set your air pump by their electricity and run the tubing from there to your pond. I am pretty sure that tubing is cheaper than electric cable, but let the aeration experts chime in.]

My advice is to inquire with the power company first and get their terms. If they will set a transformer, but will charge a $50/month minimum regardless of your usage, then you now know your comparison to a solar system. You also know a ballpark figure to offer your neighbor - if that is feasible.

If all of my speculation is worthless, then hopefully our solar and aeration experts will chime in on your post!

Good luck on your project!

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Roy,

I couldn't remember the exact parameters on the trade offs between pushing air versus pushing electrons.

I found an excellent old thread on that very question. It should probably be bumped up to the present from way back in 2006 anyway, since lots of people are in your exact same situation!

https://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=31304#Post31304

1 member likes this: roymunson
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I agree with FishinRod, I would prefer grid power, but in my case it was not a feasible option. And I did not want to run 1/2 mile of airline through rocky, hilly terrain, so I was forced to learn more about solar than I ever wanted to.(not an expert just a reader) One thing that we may overlook, when you only have air and not electricity at the pond, how will you have emergency aeration if the need arises? Read the July/Aug issue of Pond Boss mag. "Early Summer Water Crisis". It made me laugh, I can relate to the grandpeeps practicing their wresting moves on you! But the serious part is about using a sump pump in a "pre fish kill". You may not ever need it, but if you don't have electricity or solar you will need to be ready with a gas pump or something else.
Solar is not as expensive as it used to be, especially if you DIY. Highflyer and others here can help. The way I had to understand it was to start with the pump and work back to the solar panels. Figure what pump you require, then what battery bank it will take to run that pump and then the charge controller and panels to charge the battery. I may be all wrong, but this is how I wrapped my head around it. Also I have a DC sump pump on a timer I run early morning just for insurance.

1 member likes this: FishinRod
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Keep in mind that aeration, under normal pond conditions, boosts the amount of fish you can raise and is not necessary for a good pond. A lot of great ones exist without it, a lot! Small ponds (1/4 to 1 acre) that have some/several of the following conditions...sheltered from the breeze, heavily shaded, shallow, old, low throughput, heavy leaf/litter loading, and overcrowded are candidates for mandatory aeration just to be decent fisheries. I know because I have one as described (mostly).

If you have the hobby budget and are going for greatness, aeration would be a good thing to do.

A quick guess for your aeration requirements (for greatness) would be...

8 to 12 diaphragm diffusers mostly spread out in the pond, driven by a 1 hp pump.

There is a fair amount to sizing a system to get it right, but the above is close to what a 3.5 acre pond could use and I am going to go out on a limb as say it would be a minimum requirement...I tend to overkill designs for good measure and the above would have no overkill. This "overkill" that I speak of allows you to only run the system for part of the day (or night) rather than running it 24/7. A system that is larger than minimally necessary that had multiple smaller pumps instead of one big one would allow for one of the pumps to go out and not take the whole system down and still maintain good O2 exchange. Most people do not go the multiple pump route, but I had to throw it out there.

The problem with wind and/or solar power, as mentioned above, is that it can be unreliable due to the lack of wind or sun. This is not too big of a deal until your pond has all the fish weight it can sustain, through reproduction and growth, (the fish are relying on ALL the added dissolved oxygen) and the aeration system takes a break for a day or two and you have an oxygen crash. A fish kill results. This can be overcome with a solar system by having plenty of battery back-up. I'm no solar expert and will have to leave what that means to you and your research.

When you get to the point of sizing a system, you have two choices...hiring a professional to do it for you (there are a few members here that would be glad to help with the sizing and the components), or running the calculations yourself. A DIY approach requires that you estimate how many gallons it holds at full pool and sketching out it's general shape with some depth points for reference. Post some of that info and we can start the calculations. It might make good sense to dedicate a thread to the sizing just to keep it from getting confusing in this one.


Fish on!,
Noel

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