Galvanised Trough Pond - Insulation?

[timg147]

Hi All,
I am a newbie here. We have had a pond for a while made from a galvanised water trough (the type you get on farms etc) about 6ft x 18" x 18" ish. We have had fish before but they have suffered in winter even with a pond heater.

My question is what are peoples thoughts about insulating the trough in someway. Would insulation increase the temp too much in summer or would it help keep the temperature down? The trough is alongside a picket fence so gets partial / full sun in the summer. Not quite sure of how I would insulate it at the moment just looking for thoughts on the idea.

 

[Lisak1]

When you say the fish suffered what do you mean?

I would definitely consider insulating the pond in the winter - you can do something as simple as stacking bales of hay around the perimeter.

 

[sburtchin]

Are you sure it is the cold hurting the fish. You didn't say, but I will assume you mean goldfish. They can take constant 32F temps for many weeks at a time. At least 8 weeks. If you put the heater in that small metal tank it will likely have temperature gradients, or if insulated, the whole tank much higher than freezing. The fish will be more active and burn more energy but still can't eat to replenish fat reserves. Try running the heater only once in a while to melt a hole in the ice.

Zink is a highly reactive metal. It is called a 'sacrificial' coating because it sacrifices itself to save the steel. Anything galvanized left in the elements will eventually become bare steel, and then rust. I don't know about fish, but a lot of zink is not good for people. You won't find anything zink plated for food preparation. I once tried some hardware cloth to keep birds out of my plants. No fish died, but I lost some pond plants and the rest were all sick. You may need to line the tank.

Definitely use closed cell foamboard insulation from Lowes/etc. all year round. That tank has to get blistering hot in the summer. The foamboard will need to be in a box or something to protect it from birds and rodents that love it for nesting material.

The straw bales would be excellent too all year round, easy, and provide housing for rabbits and other animals. I was thinking of a more permanent solution with the foamboard.

 

[MitchM]

My concern with straw around the pond is that it could provide a home for mice.
Perhaps some plantings that would be tall enough to provide shade instead.
I would also look at replacing the metal container with a rubber one.

 

[Lisak1]

My concern with straw around the pond is that it could provide a home for mice

Little mice need to stay warm, too!

Lots of people here stack hay bales around the raised foundations of their homes - I've often wondered if the mice take advantage of that.

And good point about keeping the tank cool in summer as well - didn't consider that.

 

[sburtchin]

If mice can find food they will find a home, yours if they can chew or squeeze their way in, hay bales or not. They can fit through a 3/8" diameter hole. Most birds love the hay bales for nesting material.

It could be more the environment of these fish in the summer, or the zinck, that leads to the die off in winter.

 

[MitchM]

Mice and voles will stay and feed anywhere they feel protected, bales of hay, snow cover, thick grass. under the liner of a pond.
Their population will also depend on what there is for predators around the area - cats, owls, coyotes, fox, weasels, hawks, etc.
Cats don't last long outdoors around here.
That's why I prefer sparse planting with plants that have larger leaves instead.

.

 

[pecan]

Little mice need to stay warm, too!

Lots of people here stack hay bales around the raised foundations of their homes - I've often wondered if the mice take advantage of that.

And good point about keeping the tank cool in summer as well - didn't consider that.

We had bales of hay for Halloween decorations in the front yard, we moved to the back yard after the holiday one year. A couple weeks later we went to get rid of them and they were FULL of mice who had made a winter home! My husband the trained killer, retired Gunny USMC felt so bad, he made me leave them there until spring so the mice wouldn't freeze to death LOL

 

[pecan]

Just talking insulation here, You could wrap the outside with pink foam insulation boards then a wood face of some sort hiding the sheets and adding a little more insulation.

Insulation wont raise the temp in the summer, just make the pond temp fluctuate less in the cold and heat.

 

[sburtchin]

The key to getting rid of mice is to eliminate their sources of food. Do your neighbors store cat or dog food in their garage? Predators can only keep populations low. If they can't find food, they will move on.