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4 acre lake aeration

Posted on 8/22/17 at 8:21 pm
Posted by achapp3
Baton Rouge
Member since Aug 2012
69 posts
Posted on 8/22/17 at 8:21 pm
I have a private 4 acre lake in Prairieville that is at least 15 feet deep. I was wondering if anyone had experience with aeration systems and if it is worth the cost. For a 4 acre aeration system would cost me $2500-3000. I have bass, brim (few different species) and mud cats. The pond is 30+ years old.
Posted by Pueblo Battle
E Tx
Member since Jun 2017
241 posts
Posted on 8/22/17 at 8:23 pm to
Good size fountain. Maybe 2
Posted by achapp3
Baton Rouge
Member since Aug 2012
69 posts
Posted on 8/22/17 at 8:29 pm to
I was thinking more about the underwater aeration with diffusers because it is much cheaper on electricity.
Posted by Pueblo Battle
E Tx
Member since Jun 2017
241 posts
Posted on 8/22/17 at 8:37 pm to
You could probably go solar powered fairly cheap
Posted by achapp3
Baton Rouge
Member since Aug 2012
69 posts
Posted on 8/22/17 at 8:46 pm to
I would like solar but the options I have seen are crazy expensive $10k+
Posted by Pueblo Battle
E Tx
Member since Jun 2017
241 posts
Posted on 8/22/17 at 8:51 pm to
I wouldn't know costs, but you could probably piece it all together for cheap with fountain being the main cost. I lived in a neighborhood years ago that had a community pond. Kept having grass and crap growing in it. We hired a biologist and he said if we put a fountain and blue dye it wuould keep the grass from growing due to lack of sunlight reaching bottom of pond.
Posted by TheDrunkenTigah
Baton Rouge
Member since Aug 2011
18148 posts
Posted on 8/22/17 at 8:53 pm to
Pond boss has a section devoted to this, I'd start there. With a pond that size you may be able to get away with a windmill, but I'm far from an expert. From what I understand you're really only looking to turn the water over a bit to prevent stratification in the hottest months of the summer. Be careful on there through, they'll have you ready to renovate the whole pond after reading a little bit.
Posted by Buster180
Member since Jun 2017
1455 posts
Posted on 8/22/17 at 9:07 pm to
quote:

Good size fountain. Maybe 2



This is not going to add enough oxygen to the pond to:

quote:

prevent stratification in the hottest months of the summer.


Your initial thoughts are right OP. You need to add something to add oxygen to the entire pond, not just the very surface:





This post was edited on 8/22/17 at 9:16 pm
Posted by TheDrunkenTigah
Baton Rouge
Member since Aug 2011
18148 posts
Posted on 8/22/17 at 9:15 pm to
The windmills for this power a compressor that runs to a diffuser at the deepest part of the pond. It supplies oxygen and breaks up the thermocline. It's the same as running electrical aeration, it just obviously has a more intermittent power source as the tradeoff for not raising the power bill, and is only feasible for ponds up to about the size of the OPs.
Posted by White Bear
AT WORK
Member since Jul 2014
17238 posts
Posted on 8/22/17 at 9:25 pm to
I operate a 5hp single phase 240v AquaMaster fountain. Costs $260/ month to run, 14 hrs/day, 7.d/wk Not for pond but aesthetics. Maintenance is an issue due to weeds and shite this time of yr. needs periodic cleaning regardless.

Upfront cost is pretty stiff as well.

I've seen wind powered aerators but don't know shite about them.
This post was edited on 8/22/17 at 9:29 pm
Posted by achapp3
Baton Rouge
Member since Aug 2012
69 posts
Posted on 8/22/17 at 9:42 pm to
Oh dang. The ones I have seen say they cost around $30 per month. 1 hp is about 746 watts per hour, a lot of the ones I have seen use a 3/4 hp motor.
Posted by achapp3
Baton Rouge
Member since Aug 2012
69 posts
Posted on 8/22/17 at 9:44 pm to
Is the wind in Prairieville strong enough to be effective?
Posted by White Bear
AT WORK
Member since Jul 2014
17238 posts
Posted on 8/22/17 at 9:55 pm to
Yeah, this thing shoots water about 25' +/- high at the peak. Has lights as well but they only run a few hrs morning and evening.
This post was edited on 8/22/17 at 9:57 pm
Posted by TheDrunkenTigah
Baton Rouge
Member since Aug 2011
18148 posts
Posted on 8/22/17 at 9:59 pm to
I honestly have no idea, and that's the biggest drawback to them. I'd imagine it depends on if you have an open area without much windbreak, and how much you're willing to spend on the windmill for extra height/power.

Like I said pondboss is gonna be your friend on this one. Not only will they have info on different systems, they'll be able to help you decide if you really need it in the first place. Aeration is obviously good for a pond but depending on your goals for it, there may be better ways to spend your money.
Posted by Martini
Near Athens
Member since Mar 2005
49619 posts
Posted on 8/22/17 at 10:41 pm to
Call Mark McElroy at 225-236-2674

He is a retired fish biologist and takes care of ponds all over the Feliciana's, Ascension and Livingston. He will come look at it and tell you exactly what you need and how to do it. He looked at mine and gave me a complete laundry list of things to improve it and charged me a hundred bucks. Worth every penny.

He's gonna tell you to get rid of the catfish.
Posted by Dawg_Fan
Lafayette
Member since Jul 2017
20 posts
Posted on 8/23/17 at 7:21 am to
I doesn't sound like you're leaning towards a fountain, but if that's what you decide on, DO NOT buy an Aquamaster fountain. They require constant maintenance and they're easily clogged. Go with a Kasco. I used to sell both. I never had a single complaint about a Kasco. Every Aquamaster I sold came back at some point for some type of work
Posted by Boat Motor Bandit
Member since Jun 2016
1891 posts
Posted on 8/23/17 at 7:55 am to
Down the road neighbor has a solar powered bubbler in his pond. Seems to work good and he is cheap AF so I know he didn't spend much on it. Tractor Supply is where he got most of it.
Posted by White Bear
AT WORK
Member since Jul 2014
17238 posts
Posted on 8/23/17 at 10:51 am to
quote:

I doesn't sound like you're leaning towards a fountain, but if that's what you decide on, DO NOT buy an Aquamaster fountain. They require constant maintenance and they're easily clogged. Go with a Kasco. I used to sell both. I never had a single complaint about a Kasco. Every Aquamaster I sold came back at some point for some type of work


Interesting, as stated above I maintain an Aquamaster. What's the difference in the Kasco that makes it less prone to clogging? My issue coon tail, duck weed, and the occasional grocery sack, plus buildup of silt and other funk on the intake screen.
Posted by RatLTrap
Member since May 2017
290 posts
Posted on 8/23/17 at 12:00 pm to
How deep of water do you have it in?
Posted by RatLTrap
Member since May 2017
290 posts
Posted on 8/23/17 at 12:05 pm to
You’re gonna need probably 3 diffusers running off of one pump for a 4 acre pond. Kasco has one, the RA3, for less than $2k, plus installation. How far is electrical from the pond? Good thing about aerators is you can run the air hoses a long distance for cheap. They are much less expensive to run 24/7 as well
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