I've been away from the PB site for awhile- it is great to see the blog about trout! I have learned more about BG and bass than I ever care to- while accidentally reading through the blogs.
Fabulous to see there are a few more TROUT MEN out there! Real men catch and eat trout (in their own pond!)
Speaking of thermostatically controlled aeration, I actually started a thread on this topic couple of years ago on PB. I installed a Ranco adjustable 220v thermostat back in 2006. I bought it from ACF Greenhouse we-site -
http://www.littlegreenhouse.com/accessory/controls.shtmlQuick background
1/3 acre pond (62 x 225 rectangle)
location: Northern, Lower Peninsula of Michigan
artesian well - 15 gpm
2nd supplemental well / pumped (12 gpm)
pond depth- 9 ft. max, 3 ft. at edges
1/4 h.p. air compressor running two large diffuser membranes
Stocked 200 2 yrs. ago with 10-11" rainbows
Pond is 130 miles from my house (have a cabin up there though!)
Use an automated feeder to deliver Silver Cup 5.5mm floating trout pellets.
Have gone through quite a learning curve in past 5 years with two stockings (one failed- over-cooked them using the aerator (no thermostat!) then got it right this time. . . I have a few dozen 5-6 lb. rainbows left in there at 24 inches. Will be fishing them all out in the next 2 months.
My approach
Ranco Thermostat for aerator set to turn on when air temps drop to 62, turn off when air temp hits 67.
Lots of thick filamentious algae in shallower sections. Oxygen is added via photosynthesis and wind during the day as well as the splashing of the two well input pipes. Most nights it drops below 62 (in fact just 2 weeks back (late July it dipped as low as 43!)
So the aerator runs most nights, all night long when O2 levels are likely at their lowest. Bottom of pond temp was a high of 67 during heat of day and dropped as low as 62 with the cold snap- fyi.
It seems like this approach has been very successful overall,
I am sure I have lost a bunch of fish from a collection of things from sickness to hawks to snapping turtles- life as a pond boss.
My biggest beef is how much feed they go through - 75 lbs in 5-6 weeks.
It's been alot of fun, but now with gas prices ridiculous, it costs me $40 or more to just make a run up north to feed the fish on those in-between times in the calendar etc. I will fish them out soon, and then look to stocking the typical Bass / BG combo in 2009
Oh- my practice was to aerate all year via the thermostat. In the late Fall when pond temp have dropped to 58 or lower, I would change it for start when it drops below 35 and off at 38-fyi.
