Hi there, just built a concrete pond and 8ft long, 3 ft wide and 4 ft deep...I put 2 coats of pool grade epoxy on and I am almost ready to fill with water...I live near Toronto Canada so we do get below 0 frequently. Need to buy and aerator and I was wondering if anyone can help me with advice on which 1 to get. Been searching a bit but I would like to get one where the pump is weather resistant. Next question is can the aerator stay at the bottom or does it have to be elevated off the bottom during the winter. I remember reading somewhere to elevate the aerator during the winter. Also I do have a de icer that I will be putting in pond prior to winter.
Aerator and de icer during winter?
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Aerator off the bottom, near the surface of the pond water.
A friend killed every fish he had running a aerator, shallow end of pond, during winter. The ice melted nothing but dead fish.
I use a small pump in a bucket that shoots a bit of water to the surface. I have pond breathers also, use them all of the time. The pump and bucket are only if we are having a rare cold winter.
A friend killed every fish he had running a aerator, shallow end of pond, during winter. The ice melted nothing but dead fish.
I use a small pump in a bucket that shoots a bit of water to the surface. I have pond breathers also, use them all of the time. The pump and bucket are only if we are having a rare cold winter.
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IMO using an aerator depends on what type of fish you have and their size, in addition to climate.
I don't know how cold your winters get, but I leave my aerator pump outside, on the bench, under a flower pot. The air stone is placed about 12" below the surface. There are a couple of weeks in January/February where the aerator doesn't keep a hole open, and that is when the pond breather helps. Below is a picture of my winter set-up.
Addy, I do not see how an aerator in the shallow end was responsible for fish death...................
I put my aerator under the waterfall so the bubbles are kind of disguised by the waterfall flow.
I do not get a harsh winter where I live, so I do not have personal experience with thick lasting ice I would worry that a de icer would raise the water temps and confuse the fish or wake them up from their dormancy. So I would try to keep a hole in the ice with a waterfall and or aerator rather than a de icer.
Those of you talking about pond breathers or rebreathers, how is that different than an aerator? I am not seeing pond rebreather or breather online for sale.
I put my aerator under the waterfall so the bubbles are kind of disguised by the waterfall flow.
I do not get a harsh winter where I live, so I do not have personal experience with thick lasting ice I would worry that a de icer would raise the water temps and confuse the fish or wake them up from their dormancy. So I would try to keep a hole in the ice with a waterfall and or aerator rather than a de icer.
Those of you talking about pond breathers or rebreathers, how is that different than an aerator? I am not seeing pond rebreather or breather online for sale.
A de-icer isn’t going to heat the water enough to encourage fish to come to the top. In fact we find in the coldest parts of winter it doesn’t even keep the ice open. And if you get heavy snow fall like we often do it just gets buried.
We run our water fall year round so even when the pond is completely iced over, we have constant gas exchange.
We run our water fall year round so even when the pond is completely iced over, we have constant gas exchange.
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I use both. Aerator and deicer.
The deicer is only warm enough to keep a hole in the ice. It's not a heater, so it doesn't affect the overall temperature of the water.
My aerator has two air stones. I keep them near the surface for the winter.
My air pump is protected from the weather in a little wooden house I made from scrap wood.
I also have a bucket sitting on the bottom with a small 550 gph pump in it. I have a 1/2" pvc screwed into the outlet of the pump that ends just below the surface for agitation. It's basically a small fountain that shoots water up about 8"-10" above the water. The pump is covered with lava rock for a little extra filtration. I keep the bucket handle tied up to the 1/2" pvc so I can lift the bucket with the pole of my net.
When we get a long, really cold spell, the water will freeze over the air stones and the bucket fountain will form a cool looking ice dome over it. The deicer always keeps an opening.
My bog runs 24/7/365. The water returning from it also keeps an opening in the ice.
The deicer is only warm enough to keep a hole in the ice. It's not a heater, so it doesn't affect the overall temperature of the water.
My aerator has two air stones. I keep them near the surface for the winter.
My air pump is protected from the weather in a little wooden house I made from scrap wood.
I also have a bucket sitting on the bottom with a small 550 gph pump in it. I have a 1/2" pvc screwed into the outlet of the pump that ends just below the surface for agitation. It's basically a small fountain that shoots water up about 8"-10" above the water. The pump is covered with lava rock for a little extra filtration. I keep the bucket handle tied up to the 1/2" pvc so I can lift the bucket with the pole of my net.
When we get a long, really cold spell, the water will freeze over the air stones and the bucket fountain will form a cool looking ice dome over it. The deicer always keeps an opening.
My bog runs 24/7/365. The water returning from it also keeps an opening in the ice.
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Big aerator, running too strong, cold winter thick ice on the pond, except the shallow end. Only guess the pond water was super chilled. All I know is every fish was dead, water tests were just fine. It was heart breaking, buckets of dead fish scooped out. The critters living in the woods had some free food.
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The pond breather has a tube, the water is pumped up that tube past a small heated line, comes in contact with fresh air, falls back down the tube into the water. They have quit making them, which is sad they work great. I put one breather in each pond, one in the big pond, one in the smaller pond, one in the hot tub pond. No fish loss since doing that.
