I Think I Killed all the Fish in Our Pond when I Installed a Pond Aeration System - 100% My Fault

We bought an EasyPro Pond Aerator system for our pond about 2 years ago, and we are finally installing it. But I didn't follow the directions and I may have killed all my fish.

Buy T-Shirts and Hoodies on Our Website:

Our Amazon Shop full of great Homesteading items:

Send Letters to:
Country View Acres
P.O. Box 469
Robinson, IL 62454

We live in southeastern Illinois on a 41 acre homestead. We just finished building our log cabin in 2018. Now we are focused on trying to grow our own food and raise livestock. Follow us on our journey we continue to develop our homestead and farm, while becoming more self sufficient.

[timothybantz]

Evan, I wish I had sent a message last week before this happened to you, because I have experience with pond aeration and I believe I know what happened. I live on a 1 acre pond which had a die off ten years ago after a very cold winter. Since then I have been aerating and have had no more dieoffs. The reason fish die like that is because you put your aerators in the deepest part of your lake. Normally there is a thermocline between the surface and the bottom of a pond or lake and in the summer or winter the fish can swim up or down to find a temperature they like. The water at the bottom is where the fish can go when the temperature is high, like the 100 degrees you said you had. The same is true in reverse in the winter where the bottom is warmer than the surface, and again the fish can find a temperature they like. By putting the aerators in the deepest part of the lake you disrupted the thermocline and the fish had nowhere to go to avoid the hot water. I have found it is best to place the aerators no deeper than 1/3rd of the maximum depth, and they should all be at about the same depth so they will be pumping against the same pressure, which is why some of your aerators were not producing bubbles. Also bluegills are more sensitive to temperature than bass, so they die first.
On the plus side trust me when I say that not all of the fish are dead, and they will rebound quickly when conditions are right.
My wife and I love your channel and look forward to the next installment

[joeenna]

It took balls to record this and if you had not, nobody would have ever known. Don't beat yourself up because you are only human. I can only speak for myself, but after watching all your video's, I know you are sincere and honest person. You can make the pond better than it was before. Hello from Texas!

[michaeloberg]

It takes a honest man to admit a mistake That’s why we watch your channel I know you’ll make the pond better

[OhReallyo_O]

Trust and believe that those fish didn’t die in vane. I just had my aerator installed TODAY and watching your video just saved the lives of my fish! Thank you for posting this because this takes courage to allow others to learn from your experience.

[johnsetlock]

I have a degree in pond management. Get about 30 (up to 50) grass carp (white Tripoid Amur). They will eat your vegetation and you will keep it under control year after year. Yes they will also eat filamentous algea (although liturature may say otherwise),
Aerator is good, you just mixed the “dead zone” aberobic bacteria into the upper areas where fish live (oxygen is abundant enough to carry fish). To start an old pond on aeration you need to do it in the spring when water is 39 degrees. This is called spring overturn. Water is heaviest at 4 deg C. So when surface water is also 4deg C, it doesn’t stratify and aerator can be turned on

[baumsquad]

Thanks for not being too proud to show your mistakes. Happen all the time, live and learn.

[shaneone]

We had a problem like this years ago. You need to get with a pond management company. We worked with our local farm bureau who helped us get in contact with pond management company. They were great they tested everything and gave us a five step plan. It took two years but ever since our five pond is great and looks wonderful. Good luck and do not give up.

[jackmargason]

Sorry for your troubles. The thing that makes your videos so genuine is your willingness to show the failures as prominently as the successes. As hard as you two work I have no doubt your pond will come back better than ever. Pulling for you.

[Easypropondproductsplus]

Hello! We at EasyPro Pond Products wanted to reach out and say how sorry we are about your fish dying. We also wanted to say thank you for purchasing our products and addressing the unfortunate issue you experienced so openly and honestly. You are not the first pond owner to have experienced this, and as several other commenters have mentioned, your video will help prevent others from going through what quite honestly is often a heartbreaking experience. You have a beautiful pond and we hope that the aeration system will continue to improve the health of the pond and your fish for your family to enjoy for years to come.

[ephraker]

I commend you for publishing this to help others. Many of us have fallen victim to not following the directions. It never would have occurred to me that this would happen. I have a pond, so this is important to me. Thank you!

[tonyhargrove]

So sorry Evan. I know how hard y’all have worked to make a beautiful, healthy pond. Hang in there. We all learn by our mistakes, and all make them as well.

[oleasheim]

Mistakes can happen at anytime😢 but thats life, and life goes on! U guys are doing a fantastic job no matter what🤩🤩 amazing videos as allways🤩

[gary_glover]

The number of fish you can potentially save by sharing this mistake is inumerable! Thank you so much.

[autumncunningham]

This had to be a tough video to make. But I'm sure that everyone watching this agrees that your honesty and humility have you standing about 10 feet tall and larger than life in our eyes.

[getzvalerevich]

Absolute respect for filming this, I doubt anyone would film an accidental genocide. Keep your head up, you will bounce back. Sorry for your loss and thank you for sharing your experience with us.

[theodorewilson]

Hey, Ev, the fact that you feel so bad about what you did (and it was an accident, you didn't mean for this to happen), says volumes about your character. My guess is that many more fish survived than you think, but your plan to re-stock and re-store them will re-vitalized your pond, and all will be made right again. You have succeeded in educating the rest of us, and you will still leave a positive legacy (pond-wise :). God is all good, all the time, and He reads the heart. I wish I lived closer to you, because you are someone I'm sure I'd love being a neighbor of / to. : )

[jabbabbabba]

My wife had me start watching you years ago because I'd beat myself up so much for making a mistake during a project. You have always showed your mistakes, and then carried on to completion. Now I do the same, in huge part thanks to you! Thank you.

[randysagar]

Sorry about your setback. Our pond is in 40 plus years old too. I’ve run 4 double Vertex pods on our 2.5 acre pond for 15 years. We started slow and upon startup the stink was pretty bad. We followed the startup procedure to a “T” and we still lost a couple of fish, not on your level of loss. I start our air stations once the water temp reaches 50 degrees F in the Spring and run them 24/7 until November when water temps fall. Stuff happens. You’ll be surprised how your existing fish will rebound. Be patient, you’ll have bigger fish since the fish competition is reduced. You still have live fish. Don’t give up. I noticed your pump station doesn’t have a cooling fan. Our Vertex system has a fan integrated into the cabinet. You might want to install a cooling fan in your cabinet. Starting a new air system in this heat reduces the cooling thermaclime for the fish to cool off. Don’t be so hard on yourself, it’s going to be okay. Pondboss Forum helped me through the years. We love your channel, keep your head facing the wind and carry on!

[grantbuxton]

You're a great man for showing this situation, good for you! This is what is all about, helping, rather than hiding and covering up you chose to bring it to light and help your fellows!

[KedeshFarm]

Thanks for posting this gut-wrenching video. In the long run, this video will save millions of fish. I hope and pray for you guys to have a speedy recovery of lively fish.