Pond Boss Forums AERATION Systems questions Winter aeration of new pond

I agree with Theo. For a new Ohio pond I would stop aerating around Oct 31 to Nov 10. New ponds with fairly clear winter water normally have low dissolved oxygen demand during winter. This means the high amount of dissolved oxygen in your pond water will last a long time after ice forms. Plus everything especially bacteria in the pond uses less oxygen in the colder water so oxygen lasts longer in winter compared to summer.

Ponds with lots of fall leaf input or those with dense weed growth or very green water will have higher oxygen demand during winter snow cover on the ice. Adequate light for phytoplankton photosynthesis will pass through even thick ice but not ice with 3+" of snow. Normally in Ohio we get a January snow melt and this again allows light through ice and into the water for oxygen production. Also if wind can blow snow off the ice this lets light through ice for plant oxygen production. I doubt you will ever need aeration in winter unless the pond has lots of leaf input, dense weeds or green water going into winter.

With 50 CC per acre, especially when CC are 16+", you should not get lots of summer submerged weed growth nor filamentous algae growth due to fairly turbid 'catfish' water that limits light penetration needed to grow weeds deeper than 3-4ft.