Here we go -- FINALLY! A pond for wildlife...

[GBBUDD]

I believe most minnows survive 3 to 5 years . A WORM A HOOK AND A BOBBER AND ANY 6 year old can catch a blue gill in a small pond. don't even need a fishing pole.

if it would nip at my other fish

i doubt it but it would be a pig at feeding time. that's why i said return it after the population was under control
That's why blue gill or sun fish they can't eat anything larger than a year old fry

 

[Jhn]

Can also go with a species of Pygmy sunfish like the black banded or blue spotted sunfish. I added about 6 of each to my pond this past spring and didn’t see any new fry this year for the first time in awhile, now is it these guys doing or something else….. who knows.

 

[bagsmom]

Interesting update: It is 26 and I see no ice, even along the edges. I think the combination of the water moving and where the pond is sited makes a difference. It is sort of cut into the side of a gently inclined slope, which gives some protection from cold winds and whatnot. I am sure there will be some freezing when the temps plummet later this week. It's going to be very interesting to watch.

 

[Tula]

We turned our filter off. This morning I'm seeing ice on the outlet pipes to waterfall, so may turn them off later this week when we get the arctic blast !

 

[bagsmom]

It is currently 16 degrees out. I would say a third of the pond is frozen - at the edges and pushing towards the center. The end with the jet is still moving and fine. The intake bay and areas in front of the waterfalls and the bog are all good.
What will happen when we go down to 8 degrees? It will be interesting to find out. All the fish are in the caves, hiding out for the next day or two!

 

[bagsmom]

Oh boy! 7 degrees this morning! Most of the pond is frozen but the waterfall is flowing freely and the far end with the jet is not frozen - moving freely.
I didn't have a chance to get out and get an aerator. When things get above freezing tomorrow, I guess I will see if any harm was done.
Funnily enough, we are down to 7 today and NEXT weekend we will be at 66. Crazy.

 

[addy1]

Watching the birds sip at the edge of the hot tub pond, also bottom of the pond breather. A tiny bit of water for them.

A warm 3 this am now 11

 

[bagsmom]

The little birds have been all over my ponds, too. There is a new access point in the front yard pond -- I think a deer stood on a rock and dislodged it, so now there is a gentle slope with pebbles. The birds have been enjoying their new micro-beach!

 

[GBBUDD]

it's a balmy 6 degrees here this morning and yes I'm talking fairnheight.... I'm not going out there i know there's plenty of ice......

 

[bagsmom]

I thought I would answer your question here @GBBUDD. (How did my pond do with the freeze?). I think it did really well, considering we were down to 6 degrees! I think that level of cold is highly unlikely to happen again anytime soon. Even so, it never fully froze. The waterfalls continued to run just fine and kept two good sized holes open below them. The jet down at the end of the pond kept that end from freezing -- which was nice, since that is the intended "drinking zone" for my unruly wildlife! Everything else did freeze over.
Yesterday, we were at 70 and even turned the AC back on, due to family visiting and cooking in the oven and such. Such crazy temperature swings!
The minnows are doing their minnow thing, cruising around in a big group and picking at stuff. I didn't look closely enough to count and make sure everyone is accounted for -- but I think the goldfish did fine. I saw 4 of the 8. The other four are shubunkins and they are better camouflaged. The fish in front seem good, too!
Today is supposed to get into the upper 60s. I plan to get out there and scoop and hand-pull some more leaves. I will probably cut back some of the perennials that died back. Gardeners, I was shocked at how long my dill plants lived! It was surviving temps in the 20s - but the 6 degree low finally did it in. If I have any leftover energy, I will work on some of the surrounding landscaping. I am thinking I will add more pea gravel to the bog, at least around the edges. I think some of the plants would prefer more rock and less standing water to grow in.
Happy New Year, everyone!!!!!

 

[GBBUDD]

Glad to hear there were no back ups.
As far as removing dead plants , its often best to leave the old as they will act as insulation through the winter possibly giving plants a chance to survive

 

[bagsmom]

Glad to hear there were no back ups.
As far as removing dead plants , its often best to leave the old as they will act as insulation through the winter possibly giving plants a chance to survive

I am so torn about that. You are totally right.
But it is so squirrelly down here in GA. With the periods of real warmth that we have, the old stuff starts to rot. New stuff will end up growing through it, which makes it harder to cut back the old stuff -- you have to do it very carefully and slowly at that point.
I think I will do some of it piecemeal. Maybe a selective tidying up.
I always keep the stems of some of the plants as a little barrier to keep random leaves from blowing in, too.

 

[GBBUDD]

I am so torn about that. You are totally right.
But it is so squirrelly down here in GA. With the periods of real warmth that we have, the old stuff starts to rot. New stuff will end up growing through it, which makes it harder to cut back the old stuff -- you have to do it very carefully and slowly at that point.
I think I will do some of it piecemeal. Maybe a selective tidying up.
I always keep the stems of some

maybe the answer is to cut them back but leave it sitting on the base of the plant

 

[bagsmom]

maybe the answer is to cut them back but leave it sitting on the base of the plant

That is exactly what I ended up doing!

 

[Lisak1]

I leave anything that won't dip into the pond alone until spring. They help catch leaves that might otherwise blow into the pond and the dead foliage does help insulate the plant by holding any snow that falls around the base. Spring clean up is so much more fun than fall anyway!