Did I just make a huge mistake?

[Magzire]

I remember reading this article before I started my pond to turn off the pump during winter

It states that bio breaks down due to the cold so not a big deal

Also in the pumps manual it also recommend turning it off at a certain temperature.

Article: http://www.bradshawsdirect.ie/blog/ready-for-the-freeze/

This was the first week that it reached freezing so dismantled and cleaned everything. Now I am reading everywhere never to turn off the filter during winter. Well to late now.

Oh boy..

 

[Magzire]

Also I hear to keep the airstones running to stop it from freezing over.
Doesn't defeat the purpose of keeping the warming water on the bottom?

If there is a slim chance of freezing should I keep the aeration off, since cold water holds oxygen better.

 

[addy1]

I shut everything all every winter, it causes no issues in the spring. I leave nothing running since my pump is external.

You will find there is a mix , some leave theirs running others turn everything off. I prefer the off mode.

Currently all I put in my ponds with fish is a pond breather and in the big pond a very small pump, like 200 gph, which is in a bucket and it shoots water to the surface. I have that pump in the shallow end of the pond and the breather in the deep end.

A small open hole helps release gas build up from decaying organic material in the pond. Either a small aerator, suspended below the water surface, but not on the bottom, or a small pump running or the pond breather.

A friend had a large aerator running one winter, lost every fish that year.

 

[cas]

I also turn off my pump in the winter. For 10 years I used a small aerator with the air stone placed about 12" deep to keep a hole open in the ice (my pond is34" deep). Like addy1, I have also started to use a pond breather.

 

[EricV]

I see you are from Ireland and there is this quote in the article you linked: "If we have a particularly cold winter especially in certain areas of the country your pond may be likely to freeze over. If this freezing lasts for a while (several days or more) that can be a major problem."

That's nothing like what we in the northern parts of the US have to contend with, so frankly you should ignore what we do for the most part.

 

[sissy]

I go back and forth with mine because temps. are so weird here .Never lost a fish yet .I leave my pumps in the water and use a pond heater when needed .Last winter I turned my pumps off for only a month total and aerator was on with the heater but I only had 4 air stones turned on .

 

[EricV]

It was 70 here yesterday. The water is still 51. This is my first winter.

My plan is to leave the pump in for another month and only pull it for the two months or so where forming an ice dam and draining the pond is really a worry. I finally pulled the drip irrigation auto-fill last night because this weekend it is supposed to drop to 20 degrees. I have a pond breather and sub-surface pump placed in the pond already ready to go.

 

[Magzire]

That's a bit of a relieve. As Eric said my winter isn't extreme as north america, unlikely the pond will even freeze. I didnt even get snow last year.
You guys still do small water changes weekly? I usually do 20%.

 

[morewater]

There's no point in water changes. There's no point in removing the pump from the pond for the winter, simply ensure that the water lines are clear of water.

I don't understand your statement "don't turn off the filter during the winter". If the filter is fed by the pump, and the pump is off, then naturally the filter will be non-functional.

Any and all filters should be shut down for the winter months (unless you live where it does freeze, of course). They should be drained, cleaned and covered to prevent damage from freezing and expansion.

 

[morewater]

Correction

(unless you live where it doesn't freeze, of course)

 

[Dave 54]

Also I hear to keep the airstones running to stop it from freezing over.
Doesn't defeat the purpose of keeping the warming water on the bottom?

If there is a slim chance of freezing should I keep the aeration off, since cold water holds oxygen better.

We keep ours running all through the winter and only turn down the air in the pond over this period of time , the 12 other airstones working on a seperate airpump continue to pump air into our 4 filters all the wa through , however we had the forethought to clad both the pond and the filters against the cold and place policarbonate roofing sheets across the pond to keep the worst of the cold out [at tip for you] .
Even at -10c it wont go bellow that of 7c pond wise.

Dave

 

[budgenator]

Last Friday it was 21C where I live and Saturday it was -1C. I was hoping it would warm up a bit before I put the pond to sleep for the winter, I'm not going to hold my breath.
I shut down my pumps and stow the filters and pumps under cover, I'll put a small pump on the bottom of the deep end and put in a heater to keep a hole open in the ice and some oxygenaton going.

If I lived in Ireland, I'd probably just bring the filters or the media in them in and use an aerator to keep a hole open in case of a freeze. I think it's unlikely you'd get inches of ice for months on your pond like I do.

 

[Magzire]

It got pretty cold here this week reaching -3C a couple of nights with average 0-4C during the day. I have being measuring the temp of the pond at the bottom at a constant 5.9 - 6.0C. Is this okay? I didnt get any ice, though i do have the pond covered in one large plastic sheet to keep the breeze away.
Funny that my outside tap is pumping out 12C.. Might give it a small water change.

 

[morewater]

Why a "water change"?

What's the point? What's the end-goal?

I don't get it.

I reach minus 30C here. I go to Dominicsn for months.

I, and none of my clients, have ever lost a fish.

Proper prep, benign neglect.

 

[Kenneth]

I live in Malta Europe the water temperature is48 f. how low is a danger point for the fish? And do the fish stop swimming a lot? I'm new to pond s