Air stones in autumn - do I switch off ??

[Jersey_Marine]

What is the reasoning, though?
Is the air pump not strong enough?

Well I cant speak for anyone else but my pond is generally 3.5ft and even more in other places. A pump wouldnt be strong enough to keep a hole in the ice at that depth because by the time the aeration coming out of the stone reaches the water level the aeration spreads out too far and the water strength just isnt there. Aside from the water strength issue, I wouldnt keep it in on the pond floor because in my own opinion the muck or whatever is on the floor could end up clogging the stone.

 

[bettasngoldfish]

And this is what I have on order now to use at the bottom of the pond

 

[bettasngoldfish]

And this is the pond pump I just bought that sits on the bottom of the pond: http://www.tricker.com/Item/little-giant-air-pump

 

[MitchM]

Well I cant speak for anyone else but my pond is generally 3.5ft and even more in other places. A pump wouldnt be strong enough to keep a hole in the ice at that depth because by the time the aeration coming out of the stone reaches the water level the aeration spreads out too far and the water strength just isnt there. Aside from the water strength issue, I wouldnt keep it in on the pond floor because in my own opinion the muck or whatever is on the floor could end up clogging the stone.

Thanks.
I guess it depends on which pump you're using.
Mike In Vermont has a good sized pump with air supply to the bottom of his 10' deep pond.

Maria, that's interesting, the pump on the bottom. I wonder what the idea is behind that.

.

 

[tbendl]

I'd guess for aesthetics, having the pump in the water versus having it on land and having to camouflage it. I like the idea for sure.

 

[Mmathis]

I know we'll all be following @bettasngoldfish next season to learn about this submersible air pump. So, Maria, be sure to keep us posted. I've seen it advertised, but haven't heard any user feedback.

And, @bettasngoldfish, the one you show in the first pic, the round one, is it an air stone? Where did you find it and who makes it? I like that bubble pattern.

 

[bettasngoldfish]

@Mmathis Yes it is an air stone. I ordered it from amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Yosoo-Aquariu...r=8-1-spell&keywords=yooso+aquarium+air+stone

And yes, I will let you guys know how the little giant air pump works

 

[bettasngoldfish]

Maria, that's interesting, the pump on the bottom. I wonder what the idea is behind that.

.

What @tbendl said is one of the reasons plus I liked the idea of having it on the bottom rather than just dangling in the water like the other stones do (I plan to use both types actually)

 

[Mmathis]

@Mmathis Yes it is an air stone. I ordered it from amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Yosoo-Aquariu...r=8-1-spell&keywords=yooso+aquarium+air+stone

And yes, I will let you guys know how the little giant air pump works

OK, that looks good! [love reading "translated" descriptions]. The ones I use now are the "stick" shaped ones and one that is a "circle," but not a solid disc, so I like that this one is larger. The ones I use give nice, small bubbles, but I have to use several of them. In several of the user reviews they mention that the stone will tend to float up. I wonder if placing it in the water for a little while before turning on the air would help? I have seen some air stones that say to do that, but not all of them do. But even so, it should be an easy solution to weight it.

I don't recall reading it, but did it say [like] what size pump you'd need for it?

 

[bettasngoldfish]

Yes the translations are good None of the air stones I use have ever floated (they are all pretty heavy) Should be interesting to see what happens with the disc. I may order a few more for some of my fish tanks if I like them.

The air pump I am using for the pond is a Hydrofarm AAPA 15L 6-watt 15-LPM air pump with 4 outlets 240gph which I also bought from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-AAP...1441386686&sr=8-2&keywords=hydrofarm+air+pump I ordered it last year and like it so well I ordered another one. I had originally purchased a pondmaster air pump (for ponds) but it was awful and it cost a lot more than the one I ended up with so it went back.

 

[Jersey_Marine]

And this is the pond pump I just bought that sits on the bottom of the pond: http://www.tricker.com/Item/little-giant-air-pump

View attachment 85775

Betta. How deep is your pond? What model Little Giant did you buy? Have you tried it out yet to see how powerful it is from the bottom of the pond to the surface of the water? The price is right and if it is powerful I may buy 2 of them as opposed to the Laguna I was going to buy for more than double the price. Little Giant is a good brand pump but I only used them as sump pumps and pumps to remove water out of a basement of a house I used to live at during heavy rains. I hate to be a trouble but I love to get your review because I was going to purchase the 2 Laguna's soon. If the Little Giant is powerful enough to really disturb the surface water from the bottom I will try that this winter. I will put them on a milk crates since my pond is approx. 3.5ft deep and to keep the muck out of the pump

 

[bettasngoldfish]

My pond is 3 feet deep. I wasn't going to try it out until next season but I guess I could set it up and let you know. I can check the box later for exact model but you can read more about it here http://www.tricker.com/Item/little-giant-air-pump

 

[Jersey_Marine]

My pond is 3 feet deep. I wasn't going to try it out until next season but I guess I could set it up and let you know. I can check the box later for exact model but you can read more about it here http://www.tricker.com/Item/little-giant-air-pump

You dont have to go through that trouble. I was just curious but that is mighty nice of you. My wheels are really turning about getting this pump. The Laguna I had my eye on was an outside the pond pump but I heard external pumps can stop working as the condensation in the hose from the pump to the airstone could freeze. Little Giant is a great company and I had no idea they made pond equipment. Im thinking of buying 2 of them with the 11" airstones they have on the link you posted for the winter. I just was real curious about the power it puts out. If i put the pump on a milk crate it will be approximately 3ft from the surface of the water.

Edit: Maria, after I wrote my last post I started doing some research on the Little Giant. I was a little dissapointed on the Amazon reviews...Im so confused on what air pumps to buy now for the winter

 

[bettasngoldfish]

That's okay, let me set it up and most likely I will be able to tell how it's going to work. I will try and get to it this weekend and let you know. If all else fails the other air pump I linked to is inexpensive and works great. Im have been using it since last year ans no trouble at all. I keep it in a rubbermaid bin that we drilled holes in for ventillation and have it tucked under some plants. Since your pond is bigger than mine you may want to get two.

 

[bettasngoldfish]

Okay so I got the little giant air pump set up and it's not too bad. I took a short video of before and after adding pump so I will let you decide what you think

https://fbcdn-video-b-a.akamaihd.ne..._=1441657624_31df1d2c99266708f0a7a3e2fe880aa1

https://fbcdn-video-i-a.akamaihd.ne..._=1441657740_9e2ae65ea0d6d574af1e993226285955

PS Don't mind my cheesy table that my pump is set on, I have to dig out a larger flat stone to put on top so you can't see the table.