"JGOverbeck" wrote:

We bought a house with a pond in central Texas. The pond is about13 feet by
7 feet and about 18 inches deep. We have a bunch of shubunkins - about 30 of
various sizes. My question is how to keep enough oxygen in the water during
the summer where temperatures can be in the 100s for many days. Do I use a
pump, plants or ...? If a pump, what is the best inexpensive solar pump and
how big a pump do I need? Our pond is a good distance from an electrical
outlet and although, using an electric cord is not out of the question, I
think we would prefer a solar pump. Any and all advice is welcomed. We just
want the fish to be happy!

You are right in your concerns. Warm water dosn't hold as much oxygen as
cold water. Some fish can't live in warm water for that reason. The
most efficient ways to add oxygen are underwater green oxygenator plants
and an oxygenation system with an air pump. I have a huge air pump and
it only draws 40 watts. You will be able to find a smaller pump that
could be fun from solar power. Fortunately the more sun there is the
more oxygen you need and the more power you will have. The aerator
heads should be of a shower head design and placed in the deepest part
of the pond. Air stones tend to clog up when used too long. They are
OK if you can monitor them. I like my aeration heads because they are
trouble free. I bubble the air through barley straw to keep algae down.
Since you apparently don't have a water pump, you will need lots of
marginal plants as well as the submerged oxygenator plants.
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18,000 gallon (17'x 47'x 2-4') lily pond garden in Zone 6
Cheers, Steve Henning in Reading, PA USA