First winter with my pond. 3000 gallon 38" deep. In Wisconsin near Appleton. I had planned on just rerouting my pump to spray a jet of water into the pond to keep it open and to aerate the pond. My pump just died so I put the deicer in the pond to keep a hole open as I already have a 1/4" of ice on the pond. Will the deicer be enough for the winter or do I have to aerate the pond?
Can I just use a deicer
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sissy
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How big is the deicer meaning wattage and you could purchase a cheap pump or aerator for now .Petco has a good aerator with 4 outlets and I have had mine for about 3 years .Comes with the hoses and air stones also .
I made the deicer out of a thick plastic bin tipped upside down after attaching it to 2" foam for floatation. Then I installed 2 65 watt lightbulbs in it, it is suppose to heat the air nd keep the ice from forming. Seems to be working pretty good so far. I guess my real question is if I keep a hole open in the ice is that enough for the fish to survive or do I have to add aeration?
sissy
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Just be very careful with those bulbs as just the slightest moisture will cause them to explode .You could use just large pieces of styrofoam to keep an opening .I would try to get something else being that you are in a colder area and after last winter you never know.I know I bought a deicer and I live in VA and to heck with the utility rates .I would rather protect my fish.Deicer I bought at pet mountain and was a kh 750 watt .and it was less than 30 dollars
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If you get hit with a heavy snow it will kill your fish if the hole closes up and you don't have aeration. Again like everything it depends on size of the pond and how many and size of your fish but for most people having aeration is a good idea. Spraying a jet of water won't do anything if it gets really cold. The aerator should be below the surface of the water but not all the way at the bottom.
Charley,
I think it all depends upon how many fish you have in the pond. You have to keep a hole in the ice regardless, whether your deicer will manage that is one thing, but an aerator would probably be better in my opinion. The aerator might be overkill, but I can't judge that. The fish won't need all that much O2 during the cold of winter, but I don't think they can tolerate the build up of other gases in the water. That is why you need to keep one spot open (no ice) so that these negative gases can escape to the atmosphere. I personally would opt for the aerator, if it were a good 'un.
Gordy
fishin4cars
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I'll be honest, just the thought of light bulbs, water, ice and snow to keep a hole open for gas exchange scares me. You can get a really good 1250 watt deicer that is going to be more times more effective and will probably use less electricity than the two light bulbs, Even though it's a 1250 watt the way they are designed is to be cost effective to run, they are supper well insulated, just for that purpose. an aerator is probably one of the most effective ways to keep a hole in the ice and with it, NO ELECTRICITY is going in the pond. I would HIGHLY recommend using something that is tried and tested, Cold temps can make many things extremely brittle, cracking on the insulation, electricity, and water just not a good mix. There are times and places to cut cost, I really don't think a first winter ponder should be cutting corners there.
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sissy
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The thing is where he lives it gets really cold and an aerator may not hold up to the extreme cold .The only way I can see is a deicer and mine has a button on you press it and the deicer sinks down in the water and not sure what brand he has .The kh one I bought sinks