First year I am using an in-line heater in one of my ponds

[koikeeper123]

It is that time of year in the Chicagoland area that all of the pond addicts are preparing for the winter and most ponds are between 45-50 degrees already. My older pond that I only have some Shubunkins in I will be putting the poly cover over this weekend and have already stopped feeding them. I already started putting up the structure for my poly cover... it is cheap and easy... I use rebar for stakes and put PVC over it and bend it into shape (picture of the early part of the process below).

My new pond that I will still be finishing up the final touches on in the spring is for my Koi... I have 12 good size ones and a lot of the offspring from this past season (over 60)... this pond will be covered with a poly cover as well within a week or so but it also has an in-line heater that I installed a couple of weeks ago (Elecro 3KW in-line heater). I am looking forward to seeing how this will work this winter. The early results have been exciting. It was 28 degrees F the other night and the temperature in my pond was almost 67 degrees (as you can see in the picture below). It was just under 40 degrees most of the day today and I actually went in to take a dip to clean out the bottom and make sure the pumps were clean (what we do for our Koi...lol). When it gets really cold I hope to keep it around 55 degrees and do a light feeding once a day... I am looking forward to enjoying my little friends all winter and I hope things work out the way I am expecting them to.

Has anyone else on here kept their pond heated all winter that lives in a similar Zone (Zone 5 for me)... just curious about your success (I hope the key word is success)... Thanks.

 

[Pondmaster]

Keeping your pond water at 55 degrees may not be the best idea. It favors the undesirable bacteria instead of the fish. This will be more of a problem in the spring since your Koi's immunity is strong right now but may be weaker in the spring. When the pond temperature is between 62 and 40 degrees there is a condition called "aeromonas alley" The link below is a must read:
http://www.usakoi.com/Over-Coming-Aeromonas-Alley-a-1.html

In Tennessee, where I live, keeping pond water out of the 62-40 degree range is going to be hard since it's a mild temperature zone. In some ways the colder climates have an advantage in that their pond temperatures get below 40 and stay there all winter. Using a pond heater only to shorten the "aeromonas alley" window might be a better plan,

 

[koisRus]

Kiokeeper123, where did you buy your heater? Was it very expensive?

 

[koikeeper123]

Pondmaster... I hear what you are saying about the dangerous temperature zone in the spring and I appreciate the input and you might be absolutely correct... but a lot of the problem comes from the fact the Koi are week because they have been fasting and their immune systems are down... keeping them active and the immune system being active and the fish being stronger actually helps them be able to fight off parasites and not be an easy target like fish that are coming out of a hibernation state and are very weak and stressed. I hope that is the case anyway... I guess we will see how this winter goes. (Last night was 18 degrees here and at 7:00AM the temperature in the pond was 65 degrees and I still haven't covered it yet.

KoisRus... the pump was around $600 with shipping... I got it from www.koienterprise.com... it is just a small place that has quality fish but I found the heater I wanted there too.

 

[koikeeper123]

KoisRus... sorry... I said pump... meant heater.

 

[Pondmaster]

Pondmaster... I hear what you are saying about the dangerous temperature zone in the spring and I appreciate the input and you might be absolutely correct... but a lot of the problem comes from the fact the Koi are week because they have been fasting and their immune systems are down... keeping them active and the immune system being active and the fish being stronger actually helps them be able to fight off parasites and not be an easy target like fish that are coming out of a hibernation state and are very weak and stressed. I hope that is the case anyway... I guess we will see how this winter goes. (Last night was 18 degrees here and at 7:00AM the temperature in the pond was 65 degrees and I still haven't covered it yet.

KoisRus... the pump was around $600 with shipping... I got it from www.koienterprise.com... it is just a small place that has quality fish but I found the heater I wanted there too.

I have been debating with myself on heating for a month now, however a DIY natural gas water heater & SS or titanum heat exchanger. Best of luck on your endeavor, it will be interesting to follow.

 

[koikeeper123]

Pondmaster... thanks... I will try and figure out all the problems so you can have greater success next year...lol.

 

[koiguy1969]

now its not outside but, my fish are in 59*- 63*f water 6 months a year..every year, and i have yet to experience a problem because of it. not bacterial or parasitic. and i do fill the basement wintering pond from the outdoor one.

 

[Pondmaster]

now its not outside but, my fish are in 59*- 63*f water 6 months a year..every year, and i have yet to experience a problem because of it. not bacterial or parasitic. and i do fill the basement wintering pond from the outdoor one.

Great! You are able to keep your temps at the very upper end of the koi immunity decline.

 

[koiguy1969]

yeah...my outdoor water was 52*f when i pumped it into the basement pond, it was 60* in a week or less. it stays in that 60* range because of the contact with the concrete floor. and when i do water changes i refill at not much more than a trickle

 

[Pondmaster]

Koikeeper, Have you been able to determine what your monthly electrical costs might be to operate this unit? Also what size & type of pump are you using with it?

 

[koikeeper123]

The electrical cost will be high... don't know what it is yet but I will try to document the changes as the winter goes on. Natural gas heaters would be the cheapest method to run but the ease of the in-line electric heater and the fact it takes up less space was what made my decision. I use a pump that does 2000 gph with no head and it is entering the heater at about 1700 gph.

 

[Pondmaster]

Your right natural gas would be a whole lot tougher. Here is link of a ponder that used his existing hot water heater.

http://www.usakoi.com/Efficient-Koi-Pond-Heating-a-14.html

 

[koikeeper123]

pondmaster... very cool link... thanks

 

[jethro13]

How about a wood burning water heater to supplement the gas or electric heater to keep the cost down? just a thought.