Calendar of a Pond is an article written by Steve Fender, Fender’s Fish Hatchery, since 1956, Baltic OH, one of the oldest and largest Fish Hatcheries in the Midwest.

Steve is an expert in fish, fish pond management, and fish pond construction. He is an award winning author of the book now sold in paperback – Farm Pond Management – A Common Sense Guide.
Steve is a refreshing person to deal with in this industry because he is an expert in his field from hands on experience, a man who lives and breathes the business that he writes and consults about.

With over 200 acres of Fish Ponds spread over 3 Counties do OH Steve has the experience to help many fish pond owners keep healthy fish and a clean pond.

January

Do you know where your fish are?

They are sleeping on the bottom of the pond or lake.

Unless you have trout in your pond, your fish are in a dormant stage. Come winter when the pond gets cold your fish will become slow to the point of almost no movement. A pond owner’s biggest concern in winter should be if there is enough oxygen in the water. Some ponds will winter kill very easily, while others never do.

The difference between the two types of ponds lies in the source of oxygen. Is oxygen provided by aeration, pumped fresh water, or natural spring? Any amount of water coming in will be full of oxygen. The best way to tell if there is water coming in is by determining if water is going out of the overflow. Many times I have had customers tell me they have spring fed ponds but no water going out the overflow. If no water is leaving, unless your pond leaks, that means no water is entering the pond.

This is important because if we have a severe winter, the pond will freeze over creating an airtight seal and over time (a month or more) your fish will use up the oxygen reserve in the pond.

The least that can be done is to push off the snow. A heavy blanket of snow will cut out the light stopping all plant growth.

The best way to prevent loosing fish is to install a fountain or aerator, which will provide water movement in your pond.

Aeration year round is highly recommended to keep oxygen levels at the highest possible level, and to improve water purity.
(It is also very important not to ice skate near your fountain because the ice could be uneven making it unsafe to be on a frozen pond.)

During this cold winter month many pond owners will take advantage of the ice and build brush piles on the ice in areas that they know the water is four to six feet deep. When the ice melts, the brush piles sink; thus providing cover for little fish that will be hatching out in a few months.

February

This month is similar to last month. The only difference is that we are closer to spring.

By now, the adult bluegill, bass, black crappie, shell cracker, and perch will be full of eggs waiting for warmer days. Ponds in central and southern Ohio begin to open toward the end of the month. Same goes for ponds in the same weather zone such as WI, MI, PA, NY, MN, SD, ND, MT, WY, NE, ILL, IN, MA, ME, OR, WA, ID, UT, MO, NE, VT, NJ and other states and Canadian Provinces in similar weather patterns.

March

This month most ponds will open. We will start to see some algae and weed growth. This is usually a signal to many pond owners that they is not enough oxygen in the water. We suggest this be a signal to you to invest in an aeration system. Pond water still isn’t warm enough for the Amurs or for Pond Conditioners such as Natures Pond Conditioner (non chemical based) products to be of value. This is a good time to plan on adding more fish to your pond if you want to boost any one species or to add additional species.

Also in March, perch begin to breed by dropping eggs. As the ice melts and the ponds open up, begin watching for sick fish. I will provide more details about this in the next section.

April

Here at the fish hatchery, we start to receive calls from pond owners asking why they don’t see their fish. Until the water gets to about 60° to 65°, the fish will not feed on pellets and won’t be around the sides of your pond.

At this time of year, pond owners need to watch for sick fish. After a long winter, bass and mostly bluegill of six inches or more get sick from Bacterial Gill Disease.

This is noted by bluegill swimming weakly in shallow water and showing signs of fungus patches over their sides. This is both a deadly disease and very curable. One pound of copper sulfate per acre dissolved in water and broadcasted around the perimeter of the pond will generally stop the bacteria. Once a bluegill is in the fungus stage, it will probably die. I would suggest to try to net the fish that is covered with fungus and destroy it. The fish that are not infected too badly will likely heal and be all right. Some ponds will experience this problem every few years. However some may never show signs of it. Again, an excellent preventative method to avoid this from happening is by keeping your pond aerated and healthy so that it does not give a chance for this bacteria to grow in the pond. Adding a pond conditioner in the summer and fall while the water is still warm is also an effective prevention technique. We recommend Natures Pond Conditioner learn more by visiting www.naturespondconditioner.com

April is the time to begin feeding depending on the weather. The water may still be too cold for the fish to start feeding.

May

The growing season begins. This month your pond will go from hardly any action to fully active.

By mid-May depending on the weather, there should be signs of spawning beds. Bass, bluegill, shell cracker, crappie will all be on beds ready to reproduce. The White Amurs should start to clean up on submerged weeds and algae.

June

By now most of the breeding activity is finished. You should see small bass schooled up and bluegill will begin to leave their spawning beds. The bluegill fry (newly hatched fish) will be very tiny at this stage. They are about as big as gnats.

June is usually when the fishing gets great and lasts until the end of the month. Fishing then becomes a real challenge, because of all the newly hatched fish. They are a large food source for respectable sized fish as we enter July.

Again using aeration and pond conditioner opposed to treating a pond with chemicals is suggested. Treating ponds with toxic chemicals at this time of year can kill off many of the small Fry. It will also ensure that you do not get an algae bloom that depletes all the oxygen in the water and results in a Fish Kill.

July

The water is now hot and the fish head for cooler water. Fishing is more difficult now because there is plenty of food. The catfish have now spawned. If your pond is experiencing vegetation problems, add more Amurs. If your Amurs are in their first year they may need a little more time to get big enough to be effective.

This is not a good time to try to use chemicals because

• Hot water = low oxygen
• Fast dying weeds and algae = oxygen depletion = dead fish.

I want to explain what I mean.

As water warms up, less oxygen is retained so oxygen levels will naturally be lower in hotter months. Next, not only does vegetation grow fast in warm water, but it also dies much faster making it difficult to control weed kills. After the vegetation dies, it decays. The decay process uses oxygen and can take all the oxygen out of your pond which can kill all the fish.

The only recommendation we have for your pond during this time is Aeration. Electric Aeration or windmill aeration system – for deeper ponds greater than 8 ft in depth we suggest bottom up aeration being the most effective method to aerate the pond eg. Windmill or electric. We have used Koenders Windmills products for over 15 years and would recommend this brand for it is what we have sold and what we and our customers have had success with. It’s a proven brand that has been in business for over 24 years. It has over 50,000 windmill aeration systems installed and over 15,000 Electric Aeration systems running. Not a bad track record! (photo – Steve Fender beside one of his fish ponds and Koenders Windmill (Fenders Fish Hatchery has over 200 acres of fish ponds)

August

This is the month to be paying close attention to your pond.

Oxygen depletion can be a problem this time of year. Normally, this is the hottest time of the year, so oxygen levels are at their lowest. Vegetation can come and go very quickly. Plankton blooms grow and die rapidly this time of year. When this happens, the oxygen is depleted. If this is not prevented, it can cause complete fish kill. Year round aeration is very helpful to prevent fish kills from happening. Also, try to divert as much high fertility run off from your pond as possible. That would be the best way to prevent plankton bloom from beginning.

September

Small bluegill have been spawning all summer. This is about to end with the arrival of colder temperatures.

You will notice the fish will begin to feed less. Vegetation growth should slow down by the end of the month. If you catch any fish you will see some change. Much of this depends on weather. September can have an early frost or be very warm all month. If we have a warm month, your fish will feed and grow. Fishing will be good.

October

With the exception of Indian summer, fish growth is over for the year (unless you have trout in your pond).

Put the fish food away until next spring. Now is a good time to introduce any new species of fish or boost the population of what is already in your pond.

With water temperatures dropping, fish feeding activity will slow dramatically. Now it is safe to stock just about anything you would want without worries of the bigger fish.

By now, black crappie will become firm. The flesh will not be mushy. It is a good time to catch some crappie for fillets.

November

This is a good month to stock for the same reasons as last month.
If you have a pond that can winter kill easily, now would be a good time to get your electric aerator or fountain running. If you do not already have an aeration system then we suggest you consider one.

Also, muskrat trapping season comes in around the first week of November. This is a good time to get rid of muskrats and make a little money from their hides. At the same time you stop them from tearing up your pond.

December

An Amish saying I heard a few years ago is, “If you can put a horse on the ice of a pond before the first of the year, you won’t be able to walk a dog on it after the first of the year.” After I heard this, I have been watching to see if it holds true. So far it has. What the saying means is if your pond freezes over hard and thick before the first of the year, chances are the ice will open at least a little after the first of the year.

Like most rules of winter, some years this will not hold true.

It is likely your pond is frozen over by now. All you can do is make sure there is either water coming in to make oxygen or that you have an aerator of some kind to ensure the pond and everything in it stays healthy.

To order Steve’s book on line goto www.koenderswindmills.com and download it. Steve Fender has partnered with Koenders Windmills to offer his book FREE with every windmill or electric aerator purchase from Koenders Windmills.

Steve is a huge advocate for the environment, clean water, healthy fish and ponds. Fish is part of a nutritious diet and a fish pond can provide an economical source of health protein for the whole family. You can learn more about Steve and his family’s Fish Hatchery located in Baltic, OH by visiting www.fendersfishhatchery.com. With over 200 acres of fish ponds under management, Fender’s is one of the oldest and largest Fish Hatcheries in the Midwest.

Pond Owner magazine is devoted to educating owners of fish ponds, farm ponds, municipal ponds, golf ponds and all other fresh bodies of water on how to best keep their pond water healthy and clean. With this in mind over the last 7 years Pond Owner Magazine has been publishing articles so that readers can learn and get ideas on how they can keep their water healthy and clean.

Pond Owner Magazine is continually looking for stories and studies that can inform its readers on environmentally friendly ways to maintain a clean pond and a healthy eco system for its water and all its inhabitants.

Years of studies and scientific research has proven that the most effective and environmentally friendly way to keep water clean is to aerate it. Aeration is the process of dissolving oxygen into water. Having sufficient oxygen in a pond makes it stronger, more able to fight off unwanted bacteria and stagnation.
There are different ways to aerate ponds – electric aeration, solar aeration, windmill aeration and some would even say fountains are aeration systems too.

100% for Certain – Windmill Aeration is the most cost effective, reliable, long lasting and efficient way to aerate a pond. As a result, because aeration is so important and Windmill aeration is the best way to accomplish this goal – Pond Owner Magazine conducts an Annual Survey of pond owners, dealers and readers to determine which windmill aeration system is the best.

photo courtesy of Montana State Government – Fish and Wildlife Dept

This year Pond Owner Magazine asked Pond Owners to evaluate windmill aeration systems based on the following criteria:

• Windmill Aeration Performance in both Low winds and High winds
• Reliability and Years of Proven Quality
• Stability of Structure and Engineering Depth of Company
• Compressor Technology and Efficiency

The Winner for 2012 and for the 5th Year running Pond Owners have voted Koenders Windmill as the best windmill aeration system based on the criteria listed above.
Windmill Aeration Performance in both Low and High Winds

After a detailed design analysis of the various Windmill aeration systems one can see how Koenders Windmills have been designed by engineers to solve a problem rather than by salesmen trying to fit a marketing campaign. Koenders Windmills invented windmill aeration systems over 24 years ago. Now, in their 5th generation release of a truly unique patented design made of light weight galvanized steel the company has clearly separated themselves from all other imitated products that are found on the market today.

Koenders Windmills light weight structure has been designed to work in winds as low as 3-5 mph winds and up to 30 Mph or more before self regulating itself. We liken the engineering of Koenders Windmills to the technology being used in the aerospace industry. For example, the more advanced the design in airplanes the more aerodynamic the design is – and the lighter the weight. Koenders uses structural engineers in their design – the sum of its parts makes for an extremely strong, reliable and efficient windmill aeration system. Be careful of the companies that promote a heavy windmill structure. That should tell you that very little engineering went into the design but a lot of marketing might have. The Koenders Windmill system design has some key features that point out their engineering focus –

• Ability to compress air in low wind speeds – via their diaphragm based compressor that has been proven over 24 years – not much has changed with the size of the diaphragms being used on the Koenders Windmills. They use a standard 7.5 inch diaphragm – some companies who use diaphragms in their compressors use larger diameter diaphragms. This is extremely important to note. The larger the diaphragm – the more wind you will need to compress the air. It’s like the wheels on a car or truck – the larger the wheels the more gas or energy is required to turn the wheels. This is precisely why Koenders has always stayed with its proven 7.5 inch diaphragm and why when it innovated the dual diaphragm it kept two diaphragms the same size instead of increasing the diameter of one Diaphragm.
• The publishing and advertising of CFM cubic feet per minute of air. Koenders is the only company that shows how they calculate their CFM at the various pond levels. Koenders does not try to mislead customers into publishing unrealistic CFM numbers that can’t possibly be reached at certain pond depths. Koenders Windmills make every attempt to set proper expectations in the market for their product’s performance. Example, for every 2.3 Ft of water an air diffuser is placed into the pond there is 1 PSI of back pressure that the compressor needs to overcome, to push the air down into the water. With more back pressure, you require more wind to increase PSI, as a result you lose CFM depending on the depth of the air diffuser in the water. Many compressors are not tested to the PSI levels that are advertised and use over inflated CFM numbers to mislead customers. Koenders Windmills engineering show real proven numbers when publishing CFM at various pond depths.

Without a doubt Koenders has the most CFM being produced in the lowest wind regimes. CFM volumes that are measured at the compressor head rather than in the water are misleading customer’s expectations. The aeration systems need to install diffusers at depths as low as possible in shallow ponds and between 12-20 Ft in the deeper ponds.

Many windmill aeration systems will publish high CFM output but when the air diffusers are placed in the water the CFM dramatically drops. Example – a windmill aeration system that promotes 3 CFM or more needs to indicated a what pond depth. If it is 3 CFM out of the water and 0 CFM at 12 FT then the windmill aeration system is of little value unless you have a very shallow pond. This is why PSI is so important – at what PSI does the CFM compress? Again Koenders Windmills pump air at proven PSI levels of upto 30 PSI.

Reliability and Proven Quality

• Koenders Windmills were first invented in 1988 and for the last 24 years they have consistently worked at perfecting their models of windmill aeration systems. Now into their 5th generation model shows to consumers their commitment to quality and reliability.
• Koenders Windmills has more than 60,000 windmill aeration systems sold and installed throughout the world. The next nearest competitor has less than 10,000 Windmill aeration systems installed – that competitor is Superior Windmill. A company that has been in business for 10 years and is the next closest competitor to Koenders Windmill.
• Koenders has a warranty rate of less than ½ % which when you are producing and selling thousands of windmills per/yr is quite impressive. We hear from numerous Koenders customers who have owned and operated their Koenders Windmills for over 15 and 20 years. There was one customer that we heard from this year who had their windmill aerating for over 23 years and just recently explained that they ordered another Koenders Windmill for their neighbour. They had no need for a new one for their own use because it was still operating in fine condition. Just think of the amount of energy costs they would have incurred over all those years if they had installed an electric aerator.

24 years in business and over 60,000 windmill aeration systems installed all over the world counts for a whole lot when we look at the Best Windmill Aeration Systems. The fact that most of these units from 24 years ago are still working and pumping air into water tells us a lot about a company and its products. There are companies in the market that are offering warranties that exceed the number of years they have been making windmill aeration systems. How can that be – they have not even proven that the product can last that long. At least with Koenders Windmills the pond owner knows that the windmill is designed to last decades because it already has.

Stability of Structure and Engineering Depth of Company

Ability to swivel 360 degrees to catch the wind in all directions – they use a standard 3 legged lattice tower to ensure no matter what direction the wind is coming the structure is strong and secure. The 3 legged tower is a key indicator that Koenders Windmills understands engineering. Look at the wind power or the telecommunication industries, you will see that the lattice towers are 3 legged for they have proven to be more stable and reliable than any 4 legged tower. That alone is a good indicator to the consumer that engineering is involved in the design of Koenders Windmill Aeration Systems and its structures. A clear difference that Koenders Windmills seem to have in the market place and is noticed by Pond Owners.

Compressor Technology and Efficiency

Koenders Windmills has only 3 moving parts in its compressor technology – resulting in an extremely reliable and efficient model. It’s designed for the simple function of pumping air into aerate water and lasting through millions of compression. All Koenders parts have been designed for the sole purpose of windmill aeration, unlike other windmills which use vehicle suspension parts. Koenders Engineers designed and tested a solution over 24 years ago and continually improve upon the same inherent design for one function only – to pump air into water. Pond Owners seem to appreciate the focus of Koenders’ design and the proven parts they have continued to use in order to accomplish this important function for pond maintenance.