Hello from New Jersey

[Olenka]

On the subject of pond deicers...the goal is to just to keep a small hole open in the ice for gas exchange. My first deicer was 750 watts. It was way too powerful. It kept a pretty big open water area around it. I switched to a 250 watt model and that is perfect. I also have two air stones that help keep the ice open, but only down to a certain temperature, then even they can freeze over. I have a small fountain shooting up and when it gets real cold an ice dome forms over that. It's pretty cool seeing the water shooting up within the ice dome. Oh, I'm in the northeastern part of PA (zone 6a), so I'm guessing our weather is similar.

I am in 6a as well I have a compressor ready. I was going to see if it did the job. If you are saying that an air stone is not enough, then I will definitely get a deicer as well.

 

[poconojoe]

I am in 6a as well I have a compressor ready. I was going to see if it did the job. If you are saying that an air stone is not enough, then I will definitely get a deicer as well.

Yep, the air stones help to a certain point, but when it gets real cold they'll freezes over. It's best to raise the air stone up to about 12" below the water surface for the winter. You don't want the freezing cold air bubbling all the way at the bottom where the fish hang out. I tie a string to mine to keep them up for the winter. I drop them to the bottom for the warmer seasons.

 

[Catch&Release]

I've been eavesdropping a bit. I've always just suspended a sump pump a foot or so below the surface and the pond always has a nice open area and I assumed the bubbling water would add all the oxygen the pond required over a cold Massachusetts winter. (Z6). Is the sump pump not a reasonable way for the pond to expel gases as well as stay oxygenated?

 

[addy1]

I had a pond sort of friend, lose all of their fish over one of our cold winters. Had too much water movement with a aerator running. He was pulling the water from the bottom of the pond. The only thing we could think of was the water was super chilled. As the ice melted in the deep area all we saw were floating bodies. My pond had a pond breather running, no fish loss.

We tested his water all was fine, put new fish in they did fine, so it was not the water.

 

[poconojoe]

I've been eavesdropping a bit. I've always just suspended a sump pump a foot or so below the surface and the pond always has a nice open area and I assumed the bubbling water would add all the oxygen the pond required over a cold Massachusetts winter. (Z6). Is the sump pump not a reasonable way for the pond to expel gases as well as stay oxygenated?

I would say, any way you can keep a small opening in the ice for gas exchange would be fine. But maybe disturbance at the bottom where the fish are hibernating may not be a good idea. And forcing cold air or cold surface water down to the fish might be bad as well.

 

[Catch&Release]

I've been using the submerged sump pump for years in a 1500 gallon pond with no problems but maybe it's just been dumb luck. It's a deep pond at 35" and the sump pump doesn't sit on the bottom. I suspend it so I'm drawing from the top third of the water column and I don't think I'm disturbing the bottom. This year I increased the volume from 1500 to 2500 gallons and installed a skimmer and Filtering waterfall with the understanding I could run them right thru winter. I guess time will tell but I am nervous after having a complete die-off of fish last spring so maybe a deicer and air pump/stones is the way to go.
Sorry about jumping on your thread.