Hi I am Lepomis macrochirus most of you would know me as Mr. Blue gill yes I'm a fish and I need your help. How can I aerate my 3/4 acre pond over the winter? It has no springs just field run off and is about 9 feet deep.

I don't have any electricity ( Water and electricity don't mix shocking I know but true) What can I build or put together to keep my family from going belly up this winter.

We are near minneapolis so the ice gets thick in the winter. I have been to school so I was thinking maybe solar or wind and pump air or water to add oxygen to the water. I don't have much money but pretty handy with my fins. Please get me some ideas

-- Lepomis macrochirus (Bluegill@no.net), September 14, 2000

Answers

Countryside carries ads for a solar pump system that might work.

-- Jay Blair (jayblair678@yahoo.com), September 14, 2000.

Dear Lepo, How are you running your computer? Are you really that handy with your fins, or did your pet octopus type this message? Something smells mighty fishy.

-- Cindy (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), September 14, 2000.

Dear Blue:

Unless your pond was to freeze into a solid block of ice, I don't think you have anything to worry about. There will still be enough water between the ice and bottom to sustain you, since you will likely be in a semi-hibernating state. Consider coming down to my pond in WC TN for the winter. You will have plenty of company.

And, oh, by the way. Inform whoever owns the pond that frozen over ponds are an excellent time to create gravel bedding areas for you by simply having a truck load of gravel spread in a shallow area between 6" & 12" deep.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), September 14, 2000.

OK Mr. Lepo--I'll take the bait. I wouldn't do anything. Have a very good friend that keeps goldfish (carp) in a pond much smaller than yours in Plymouth,MN and they seem to survive the winter. Sure, some of them don't make it and thats why we call it "fish kill". Happens every year. Sure hope you make it and Good Luck!!

-- Bill (sticky@2side.tape), September 14, 2000.

We have a pond which is stocked with fish, the ducks, which require no shelter even during the winter, swim on it all winter long. They keep a swimming hole open in the ice, except in the very coldest weather (-20 below or more), and even then they soon have the hole thawed out in a short time.

-- Rebekah (daniel1@itss.net), September 14, 2000.

Thanks for the information and the invitation I guess the family could jump in the Mississippi and swim down to you Ken could you meet us at the pier?

Last year I lost some friends to the freeze and thought it was lack of oxygen I have heard about building a sanovius windmill out of three barrels but I'm not sure of how to build the propeller or stirrer thing that goes in the water or could I put it on land and use some kind of air pump and hose to get the air in the water.

If I use a water pump how small can I use and still keep the ice open?

Sorry most of my old text books are all wet and hard to read.

I'm glad you people don't have any phobias about talking to other species who share this great place you call earth it just goes to show most of you humans are good at heart

-- Lepomis macrochirus (Bluegill@no.net), September 14, 2000.

One of the problems of dead fish is that the vegetable matter (plants, leaves, dead frogs, etc) in the pond starts to rot. The gases caused by this rotting have no way to escape. You could keep a hole in the ice by using a hot pot to melt an airhole. Never, never try to break a hole in the ice with a hammer. It will hurt your family. Another thing, if you supplement feed, stop when the water temperature reaches 50 degrees.

I have my pump bubble water on the surface to keep an opening. Squirrels know it's there but the deer were too stupid to find it. Sorry, I have electricity there. Can't help you with that.

-- Dee (gdgtur@goes.com), September 14, 2000.

A guy not too far from here has one of those small (8') decorative windmills that has an air pump hooked up to it, with a hose going out into his pond. Wind blows, turns the pump, and airates his water.

I've seen a commercial one in a catalog somewhere. I think it may have been in one of the Harbor Freight catalogs. Check out their web site @ http://www.harborfreight.com/

-- Eric in TN (ems@nac.net), September 15, 2000.

I have seen those small decorative windmills at walmart and kmart for under fifty dollars, sounds workable.

-- Jay Blair (jayblair678@yahoo.com), September 16, 2000.

FWIW, our pond is about 1/3 acre. Deepest hole is 6 1/2'. Large and Small mouth bass and Bluegills. Sometimes it gets down to -40F here and I've had very little winter kill without aeration. Good Luck.

-- john leake (natlivent@pcpros.net), September 18, 2000.

Here is a link for a solar powered, attractive, aerating spout of water: www.mayasolar.co.uk

A little pricey, but think of the savings in not having to use electricity. And all that aeration at no cost to you after initial purchase.

-- Anne (HT@HM.com), September 18, 2000.

Well! How about an old fashioned hillbilly FISH FRY? Somebody asked about "buffalo" fish a few days ago on the forum-don't know what kind we're talkin about on here but if'n it's fish-its edible, rekon. Ceptin maybe grinnel, and gar. Grinnel is too slik and slimy whilst gar is too snak'y. Oh I guess we're talkin bout BLUEGILL! Well, those are rite smart etin to. I got the kettle and farwood. All we need is fish. Matt. 24:44

-- hoot (hoot@pcinetwork.com), September 18, 2000.

Thanks for the information. I was thinking about one of those small windmills and hooking up some kind of air pump to it. Can I use a compressor or vacuum pump out of an old car. Please give me all your ideas on how to rig something up for under $100.I think I only need around 1-2 cfm

Hoot you don't eat my kin and I won't eat yours. I took the spawn peopling this weekend caught a few small ones and an old scrawny one with a funny hat we threw them all back but boy do they run when they hit dry ground.

Keep your fins wet.

-- Lepomis macrochirus (Bluegill@no.net), September 19, 2000.