Building a pond, any tips for aeration, etc.

I'm Building a pond with fish and some water fowl, any tips for aeration. I am tring to find the prevailing wind with flags to help with aeration,but seems to different each day. Dimensions 40-60ft each way, though would narrow if needed, will be a depth 8-10 feet at the deepest. I do intend to start digging soon, and seal with a few pigs. One option I have considered has been looking at making a wind driven pump, but still researching a design. Any thoughts, other methods?

If you really have a prevailing wind, trees will tell you. If trees grow straight, you don't have much of a prevailing wind. Flags only tell you where the wind is blowing from right now.

A windmill will only be useful as long as you are sufficiently interested to keep maintaining it. You may think that will be always, now, but you may find that it gets old after a few years of repairing it. They can take very heavy damage in storms.

If you have a spring somewhere on the property that is at a higher elevation than the pond, the best aeration method, IMHO, is to run a pipe from that spring to the pond, and make a fountain or waterfall (as high as possible) fed by the spring flow. No electricity, fairly low maintenance, works without sun all day and all night.

Second best - keep the stocking levels low enough that supplemental aeration is not needed.

Third best (maintenance and electricity - but could be solar) pumped fountain/waterfall.

Somewhere 4th or worse (no electricity but a lot more maintenance) the windmill pumping air or water.

i know it uses elec, but not much..I have a pump with filter and that drives a waterfall that is on my island in the middle of my pond....I also have a bubbler that I can use but haven't put it in yet..the pump, waterfall thingy and the bubbler were given to me by my sister when she got rid of her pond..mine is a lot larger than yours..also mine is fed by ground and rain water and probably a few seeping springs right now..would like to put in a flowing well...and would like to do the pump solar or wind myself but right now haven't the $

I'm unsure of any springs on the property, though possible in one spot. How best to tell if there is with out disturbing it? thks for the replies!

I used to raise channel catfish in Alabama in a pond not much bigger than your design. I did intensive aquaculture, which means feeding the fish, fertilizing the pond (I used horse manure), and aerating. The most efficient way to aerate a pond is to use an air compressor and bubbler. There's lots on this on the internet. It uses the least amount of electricity for the most amount of oxygen addition to the water, Most of the oxygen is absorbed by the water that comes to the surface from deep down, and grabs oxygen from the atmosphere. The compressor/bubbler just happens to be the most efficient way to move the deep water to the surface. The spray systems cause a lot of evaporation and cooling of the water, which reduces productivity. Good luck! We sure enjoyed the catfish.

The hopes are to not use electricity if possible, however not going to rule out solar means. Or possibly,maybe would have A compressor style with the ablitity to turn off when raining and runoff occurs, this water could be directed to feed a waterfall. We get quite a few showers monthly, and have dug a drain/ swail down the high side of a below a rolling hill above the proposed pond. With clay soil we get big runoff, though the water runs clean, very little sediment when it flows.

Any books or online sites recommended which review natural techniques for pond building without the use of manmade liners, electricity... I do have Sepp small farm, would like further reading on subject.

this is a good book on the subject that im half-way through. http://www.amazon.com/Earth-Ponds-Building-Maintenance-Restoration/dp/0881501557

some good history mixed with a bit of country-style story-tellin'