any of you people have ponds that you aerate?? I have two ponds and never have aerated either, but thinking about getting a windmill to do it, what do you guys have, ??

I keep rosey reds in a pond in the springtime for crappie fishing. I do know that it's better to pump water up and let it fall into the water, breaking the surface and splashing. The bubble aerators that are anchored to the bottom don't do as good a job.

Ran Powerhouse aerators, 3/4 hp, dual prop.
Made a 1" mesh cover for top, otherwise turtles would climb up float and dive in center, breaking the blades.

I have a small pond and this is what I use. The HP80. But, you need power.

I generally run it during the winter only. If I don't all the fish will be dead in the spring.

So I made a square float out of 3" pvc, mounted a cheap basement sump pump in the middle, used an anchor and rope to hold it in the middle of pond, used waterproof electrical connections to an extension cord. Worked good, however those pumps arnt made for continuous running , so I would shut them off at nite. Cheap. My other pond I have a solar pump that pumps water from a nearby creek, akin to running a garden hose splashing into pond.

We just had a pond put in last fall. I have a aerator on the bottom and plan on pumping water in to a long little creek type thing (abandoned irrigation ditch) to act as a filter and then back in to the pond through a waterfall. Have solar generators for the pumps

Why is it better to have an aerator on top? I have found both opinions online.

I have one pump with two aerators. Mine are on the bottom of the pond. Costs about $10 a month to run.

I buried power from the barn to a weather proof base. Two valve manifold and 2 diffusers fed by sinking airlines on the bottom. My pond is 10 to 12' deep so I needed a bigger pump because of the pressure at that depth. I made a wood base and filled it with P gravel to keep rodents out.