Shutting Down System For Winter Season

[bobsox]

Hi: I should know by now the process of shutting everything down for the season. I remember last year being out there in November (I think) shutting everything down and taking filter apart and blowing out the lines etc. It was COLD, I do remember that. Being in Upstate NY, it is starting to get to be that time although they are forcasting 70Deg tomorrow and never getting above mid 40's next week. I would like to take care of the shut down while it is still relatively warm. My question is, when is it safe to shut the system down knowing the fish won;'t be hibernating down below for awhile yet. Just concerned about the lack of oxygen being stopped that early with the shut down of the waterfall.. In the past I have always waited until the last minute type of thing and the water is probably around 40 or 45 deg or so. Thanks..

 

[Waterbug]

My way of looking at it is if you have a fish load so high that turning off a pump could drive O2 low enough to kill fish, then they'd probably have a poor chance of getting thru winter anyways. So the question is do you have a fish load that high?

 

[bobsox]

Hi Waterbug: I have about 60 fish mostly goldfish (some large and some small) and a couple Shubunkins. The pond is about 10' by 15' and about 3 1/2 ' deep - about 2500 gal. I have not lost any fish for the past few years but I have always waited until middle of November before shutting the system down (I think) I also put in a small pond heater to keep a small circle open thru out the winter with the rest of the pond frozen. They all make it thru the winter season.

 

[Waterbug]

My guess is O2 level would be fine without the pump running.

 

[Dave 54]

I take the opposite stance on this but strangely both of us a right. In reality it depends where you come from in the world and how the official bodies in the koi and goldfish world have set things out.,
For instance we koi keepers in the UK leave our pumps running and still pipe air to our koi in a reduced way in the US I think you do things differently ..
Yes our waterfalls and Bakki showers are turned off but our UV-C are left on with our ponds covered in sheets of Polycarbonate .
If you can heat the pond here you do carrying on as normal even feeding your koi feeding your koi.
Many of us however prefare to let the koi over winter with nothing more than what weve stated above .
Koi are more hardy than people think going without food whilst the winter is in full sway but this is only unheated ponds not heated , if your pond is heated its virtually carry on as normal .
The Japanese Breeders bring their koi undercover in the winter not sure about the goldfish bred there......

rgrds

Dave

 

[bobsox]

Thanks Watebug for your reply. I'll wait another week or until the temp drops to about 40deg or so and then shut everything down. Thanks also to Dave from the UK for your reply. The pond heater that I use only keeps a small 2' by 2' circle open in the ice and does not heat the pond. It has done the job for the past 4 or 5 yrs without any casualties. The only concern I had was whether I could shut down the pump and filter a little earlier then when it was really cold. Thanks again....

 

[Dave 54]

Had our first taste of winter last night with a temperature of 2c outside due to winds blowing down from the Arctic brrrr
The weather station we have recorded as low as 2c a drop of 14c from yesterdays temperature of 16c her in the South West of the UK.
Thanx to the preping of the pond and filter housing prior to this we have a pond temperature of 14c this morning a drop of only 1c .
So it seems the insulation we put in place is so far doing its Job properly which is pardon the Pun cool lol
Just goes to prove that the system we have in place works a treat....
Different ideas from Differing countries my lot are snug perhaps we can all learn from each other our ways of tackliing winter however we must remember how severe differing weather paterns can get

rgrds

Dave

 

[Johnnie]

I too have shut down and covered up my pond...not yet for the oldman-Winter, but now for the young-lady-Sandy!

Hurricane Sandy will torture my hometown within a few days. See the link for Sandy's destructive path:
http://www.nhc.noaa....332W5_NL_sm.gif

 

[Dave 54]

Best of luck got caught out in a Hurricane whilst serving aboard HMS Ark Royal way back in the 70's even though she was the largest British Aircraft carrier it trashed us mauled us threw us about ll over the place and saw is having to go into Norfolk Vaginia for three whole weeks of repairs replacements etc .
Mother Nature when she wishes to be is awsome in her might , we wish your home town the best of luck with Sandy in her destructive path may she yet miss you though the UK news said this morning she is now being fueled by the Arctic winds and may well turn into a super cell storm .

rgrds

Dave

 

[addy1]

Yep it might, we might get snow, bad rains winds no clue until it finally hits.

 

[sissy]

Well it is sunny and warm here for now but winds prove sandy is out there but it is sure nice out and wind is blowing the leaves off to leaf heaven . :razz: