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Should I run rhem 24-7 during the winter or should I cut them back some?
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Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
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Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
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It depends on what the winter snow and ice cover is and how long the water water temperature is below 48F.
aka Pond Doctor & Dr. Perca Read Pond Boss Magazine - America's Journal of Pond Management
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Someone familiar with the Winters near Lampasas could give a more definitive answer, but Bill has laid out the ground rules. If I may attempt to expand, below 48deg dissolved O2 is high and fish metabolism is low, therefore aeration is not (nearly as) warranted. But if you get dirty ice/snow cover that blocks sunlight from penetrating into the pond, plants produce no O2 and the plants and fish are both consuming it. Under these conditions you want to do SOME aeration (enough to blow a hole through the ice, not so much that you cause supercooling).
"Live like you'll die tomorrow, but manage your grass like you'll live forever." -S. M. Stirling
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My bad - I am in Texas - very little snow or ice - typically an overall mild winter
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Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
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Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
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timK Whenever the water is at or below 50F and the pond does not have lots of dead muck bottom layer I would not run the aeration. At 50F the wind can pretty well mix the pond. If you want to be on the safe side you could run the aerator in winter 1 hr per day. Plus as Theo said the water at 50F holds a lot more DO. At 50F DO consumption by bacteria, phytoplankton (nite) and other life forms is a lot slower and less per day compared to water above 65F-70F.
Last edited by Bill Cody; 09/24/24 06:41 PM.
aka Pond Doctor & Dr. Perca Read Pond Boss Magazine - America's Journal of Pond Management
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timK Whenever the water is at or below 50F and the pond does not have lots of dead muck bottom layer I would not run the aeration. At 50F the wind can pretty well mix the pond. If you want to be on the safe side you could run the aerator in winter 1 hr per day. Plus as Theo said the water at 50F holds a lot more DO. At 50F DO consumption by bacteria, phytoplankton (nite) and other life forms is a lot slower and less per day compared to water above 65F-70F. Thank you - good information
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anyone know of a good thermostat to be able to record the temperature in my pond - I assume the temp near the bank in shallow water is way different from the temp in deeper water??
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Lunker
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Lunker
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I just use an inexpensive swimming pool thermometer on a marked string so I can also get measurements at depth.
I doubt it is perfectly accurate, but for my purposes, I just need it to be "repeatable" to provide useful data.
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thank you Sir for the info - I will try the pool thermometer
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Joined: Jan 2023
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Amazon has a great "Boiler Thermometer" with a probe on a 33 ft wire for $16. I really like mine. It's amazing how much temperature difference there is in 2 ft of water compared to 16 ft.
Use search words on Amazon Digital Thermometer High-Temperature Industrial Boiler Electronic Thermometers 10M Wire with Probe Temperature Sensor
Last edited by Bill Cody; 10/10/24 06:56 PM. Reason: added search words
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Koi
by PAfarmPondPGH69, October 22
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