pond water

[coolasafan]

any of you guys have links to any good reads on pond water? ive searched ALOT and havent really found anything concrete on the micro-organisms, bacteria, algae, and bugs. Really, the only thing that worries me is bugs, should I be worried about anything else? ive been using rain water with excellent results, but no rain for a few weeks!

oh yea, what do u think about aerating the water overnight to replenish o2 used by plants and fish? necessary or overkill?

[Lungus]

Underwater plants use CO2 and give off oxygen just like land plants do and if the water already has enough oxygen in it to support fish, you should be good to go. However, depending on where you live the water in a pond may have high amounts of natural minerals and/or quite possibly a high commercial fertilizer content as well. Aerating the water wouldn't hurt but it would be overkill in my estimation.

[coolasafan]

i was wondering about the com. fert as there is a cornfield ~15' from our pond. is it "safe" to say that because all the plant life in and around our pond is thriving, that the water should be "ok" to use? there is another pond ~15' from ours too as well and the plant life around that looks great too if that helps to advise.

i have test strips (no meter) to get a horribly accurate but ok proximatey of ppm, is there a baseline like, IF OVER 200ppm, dont use?