I wished I had learned more about aeration during my first year of the pond. Had I learned that Diffused air did little to improve DO a pond that was 15' or shallower I would have selected a paddlewheel over the diffused air. My pond depths is at 12' but not during the summer months, it's closer to 10 or 11' during that time of year. I would be willing to bet that majority of the lakes in Texas and Louisiana are shallower than the 15' depths. As I stated earlier in this thread prior to adding diffused aeriation my DO on or at the ponds bottom was 1.5ppm and after diffused aeration it was 3ppm both of these numbers were classified as critical in this report in a catfish pond. And most of us know a catfish can live on dry land for quite awhile where other Predator fish will not and that alone tells me they require less O2. I could have saved the money used on the diffused aeration system. But since I already have it then a combination of the paddlewheel with existing system may work when aeration is really needed in a pond larger than one acre.
