Airstone/Airline

[GregBickal]

Well I bought a Medo 45 air pump at the MPKS Trade show from Kevin (http://www.aquaticpondsupplies.com/air_pumps.htm). Great price by the way. I got two airstones (http://www.koipondjapan.com/products/blowers/airstones.html) from Koi Pond Supply of Japan. I think they are the (1.5"x1.5"x3") with the 3/8" barb. Also got a 6 outlet manifold

This Air pump is Awsome !!! WOW, hooked up the 2 stones and put them in the water and turned it on and just about passed a kidney stone. !wow! I even opened the other 4 valves wide open and the pump is still delivering sufficient air to the 2' depth.

Ok, so I obviously need more airstones and tubing. Im guessing the clear plastic tubing for the 1/4" barbs is too small, and will grow alge inside it.

So anybody got any recommendations on tubing and stones ? Are the stones I bought good ones ? I think they were $7 each.

[Dave in Innisfil]

I had a hell of a time with air lines and air stones in my attempts to keep my pond vented during the winter. This year I'll have build one of your handy-dandy de-icing units, modified with a hinged lid/top for periodic inspections.
I had to run my air lines inside 1/2" PVC conduit from my air pump to the 3' depth of our pond because the lines kept freezing. I'm trying to do the same again, except I'll run the conduit thru the liner well below the water line, using the same concept as your pipe boot. I was also having problems with un-conduited air lines floating to the surface, not now with the lines inside the conduit.

One thing I learned quite by accident is not to judge a new airstone by its initial output. Evidentally, they get better with use. I returned two to the aquarium shop that seemed to have low output, before being told to give it a few days before passing judgement. This I did, and damn if they weren't right.

The air pump we inherited with our pond has only one functioning outlet of the two, but still produces quite the volume of air. I've now got 2 medium sized air stones and one large one, designed for ponds versus aquariums. The tricky part is keeping them all at the same depth or only the shallowest one expells air. Our lower pond has 2 "dead zones" and the air stones help circulate the still water in those areas. In comparing the less expensive aquarium air stones with the one's built for ponds, judging from the output air volume, I think they were worth the extra money.

The question I am pondering right now is whether or not to locate the de-icer unit directly above the largest air stone or not ? The still water will be easier to surface heat than the bubbling water, but I want to oxygenate the pond over the winter too. I've got a few months before it becomes an issue fortunately.

[GregBickal]

The little bubbles that the air produces will splatter against the light and could cause the bulb to cool quickly and explode. Its better to have the air elsewhere. It will find a way to make it to the hole, it always does.

For airstones, I have heard they clog easily, but can be cleaned. Ive also read people not using a stone at all and just the open tube. That created more surface distruption which created more O2ppm than the airstone ?

Inquiring minds want to know.

[Dave in Innisfil]

In preparation for my pond-lining party this weekend, I have all my airstones and air lines running in a vinigar and water bath to clean and sanitize them. I'll run and rinse them in fresh water before I install them. Our ponds had a proliferation of leaches, and someone recommended this as a safe way to clean them.

As far as an open end on an air line, I found the previous owner did that on some of his lines (the whole pond was criss-crossed with air lines and stones), and he used a small Tetra air filter on the actual end. I like Ian's idea about tubing and a hot pin to make a hole. I tried it to make an air ring and it works well as long as you can keep the entire ring horizontal.

The heaviness of the 3 commercial pond stones is a bonus, though.

And as far as water splashing on the bulb, I don't think the water turbulance sprays as high as the deep black tub I'm using, but I'll considering positioning it so that the bubbles surface elsewhere. That will give me some level of redundancy in case Plan A/your de-icer/my modified version craps out on me. Our ice can get as much as 36" thick, and was over 24" this past winter. During the coldest periods, the bubbling didn't suffice to keep the main vent hole open. Thus the idea for a hinged lid for casual observation, water sampling or bulb replacement without removing the entire unit.