Pond Boss Forums AERATION Systems questions System advice

Hello all

I have a 2/3 acre ground fed pond max depth 13' in southern Maine zone 5a. Its about 4 years old now but 2 years ago I rushed it and put in 100 brookies and 100 rainbows. Did fine until the next spring when they disappeared (but fatheads, goldens, and bullfrog tadpoles were fine). Pretty sure it was a lack of DO as the pond was iced over for approx 3+ months . Now the pond is maturing with plenty of vegetation but I want to put in a solar powered aeration system as power is 200 or so feet away. Any advice on brands or systems to use? Amount of time per day to run it?
Aside from other life mentioned I recently added 100 6-8" rainbows 2 weeks ago so I don't believe it has a high bio load.

All advice is appreciated.

Ernie

I think 200' of electrical power line is still much cheaper than a solar panel system. It would also be much more reliable in winter when the sun angle in Maine is very low and the panels may have some snow cover.

(Those are completely non-expert opinions. We do have lots of aeration and solar experts in the forum. Hopefully, they will drop into your thread.)

I agree with FishinRod. Check some prices. A solar aeration system is probably 2X the cost of a top-of-the-line grid power system, and you are at the whim of Mother Nature. I have 250 ft of 110V line from my barn to the ponds edge to power a 1/4 HP aerator compressor and a fountain. Plus, it is nice to have a 110 outlet at the pond for other uses, too.

My Mid-Michigan pond is nearly the same as yours: 0.65 acre, 14 ft deep, groundwater/runoff. No springs. I stocked Rainbows and Brooks last October for put-and-take action until the water gets too warm. As of Memorial Day, water temps were 70 deg F, and the trout action was nearly kaput. Any chance that your trout didn't survive due to warm temps rather than lack of DO? Keep in mind that an aeration system will create a uniform water temperature throughout the entire water column, and there will be no cold-water haven for the trout in the deepest hole during summer.

Dang it, I just remembered some common advice from the aeration experts - it is usually much cheaper to run extra air pipeline than it is to run electrical line.

Don't know your situation, but the most common "general" advice is that your compressor needs a cabinet. If you have a shop/garage with AC power, set your compressor and gauges there and then run a larger diameter air line to your pond.

The compressor WILL MAKE NOISE. If that is going to bother people, then you need a dedicated enclosure far enough from people such that the noise is acceptable. That means run a little electrical line, then enclosure, then air line.

If you want power at the dock (like Knobber mentions), then maybe the enclosure is best placed near the edge of pond above flood elevation.

Knobber also mentions that your aeration will affect your temperature profile. However, it is possible to place your diffusers a little off of the bottom and preserve a little bit of your cold water havens.

I believe if the trout are given the option of warmer water with DO, versus cooler water with very little DO, they would still prefer the former. (I am not a trout expert, since I only get to fish for them when I am out of state. Knobber actually manages trout at his pond!)

FishingRod & Knobber have good info. Depending on brand and model of air compressor the dual head rocking piston and or 1/4hp rotary vane can easily without much back pressure push air through 5/8" ID airline 400ft with almost 0 back pressure. Air compressor long term will do much better in shed or garage with power compared to in a small cabinet exposed to weather. As noted bottom aeration run just several hours a day has the ability to warm the bottom zone to 3-4deg F of the surface temp. Trout may then die in warmth of Jul-Aug.

'Rod is correct. Warmer water with DO is probably preferred by trout. In fact, that is the approach I took. I opted for aeration over stratification in both winter and summer. Here is some good analysis and reasoning in this thread starting here:

https://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=559581#Post559581

I only have one trout stocking season under my belt, so there's that!

Thanks for the advice and experiences. It does make much more sense to run a line down to the pond. Any concern about the 5/8 airline collapsing or being permanently deformed from being stepped on or runover in the winter? I don't know how they are constructed.

My only concern with DO is in the winter months when the pond is iced over. Other months shouldn't be a problem with the relatively low bio load.

Bill, isn't one of the mods or regular contributors an aeration pro who sells the equipment for a living? I'd be interested in contacting him.

Knobber, that whole season I only saw one floaty out of 200 fish so I don't think they died from lack of DO during the summer.


Thanks again for your inputs.

Run 1" black poly tube to the pond, then step it down to the weighted airline size.

Check your PM's I will send you my phone number.

Thank you!

Underground airline that can also work very well for lengths of 500 - 800 ft is also be 3/4" black poly tube to the pond from the air compressor.