Hole in the Ice

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I know the rule is to NEVER let the ice freeze over. This will be my first winter (-20 C) with a pond and I plan to take every precaution to keep a hole open in the ice, but, what if (god forbid) we are away for the weekend in mid winter and the power goes out. Would my fish be doomed? How long can koi realistically survive once the hole freezes over in a 2,500 gallon pond? Couple minutes, hours, days?
 

sissy

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I have seen people put a ball in there pond to help keep an opening in the ice .Not sure how long it lasts but saw it on you tube
 

Mmathis

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I have no idea but would think they'd be OK for a couple of days. I've also heard about putting a ball in the water [or a few, depending on how much surface area you have], or a ring made from a pool noodle. Then, if you needed to open a hole, pour some hot water on the ice. We have a lot of Canadians on GPF who I'm sure would have good "emergency" advice.

What are you planning to do to keep a hole open? There is something called a "Pond Breather" [I think] that a lot of folks were using and experimenting with this past winter, and it sounds like the opinions were pretty good.

@callingcolleen1 Can you comment on the original question?
 

morewater

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I know the rule is to NEVER let the ice freeze over. This will be my first winter (-20 C) with a pond and I plan to take every precaution to keep a hole open in the ice, but, what if (god forbid) we are away for the weekend in mid winter and the power goes out. Would my fish be doomed? How long can koi realistically survive once the hole freezes over in a 2,500 gallon pond? Couple minutes, hours, days?

Solution. Windmill-driven aerator............ Problem. $$$

Such is chance.
 
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I know the rule is to NEVER let the ice freeze over. This will be my first winter (-20 C) with a pond and I plan to take every precaution to keep a hole open in the ice, but, what if (god forbid) we are away for the weekend in mid winter and the power goes out. Would my fish be doomed? How long can koi realistically survive once the hole freezes over in a 2,500 gallon pond? Couple minutes, hours, days?

It's hard to say without knowing how much organic matter you have that is going to decay, how many and what size fish you have, ect.
A simple open hole may not be enough either.
I use a pond breather to keep my pond well aerated during the winter. I have 2 breathers running in case one fails because my ice gets about 2 feet thick and I have 6 months of ice cover.
Pond beathers are low power and very efficient.

http://www.amazon.ca/Watt-Pond-Breather-Heated-Aerator/dp/B000HHM9U0


.
 
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Holy smokes, I just saw the price listed for that breather this year!:woot:

Shop around! I got one of mine a couple of years ago for $79.

.
 

HARO

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What Mitch said...! Each pond is different, and there is no simple answer. I let my pond ice over for four days to a week before plugging the de-icer in again, with no problems. The pond is reasonably clean, but some residue from waterlillies, etc, remains in the pond over winter. Just get as much organic matter out before freeze-up as you can.
John
P,s. May I ask WHERE in Canada?
Never mind, just read your other post. Toronto!
 
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We don't worry about an actual hole in the pond, as our waterfall runs all winter. The constant flow of water keeps the pond healthy. If you looked at our pond in the winter, you would think it was just one solid sheet of ice, generally covered by a lot of snow!
 
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I know the rule is to NEVER let the ice freeze over. This will be my first winter (-20 C) with a pond and I plan to take every precaution to keep a hole open in the ice, but, what if (god forbid) we are away for the weekend in mid winter and the power goes out. Would my fish be doomed? How long can koi realistically survive once the hole freezes over in a 2,500 gallon pond? Couple minutes, hours, days?
Kaniff might be an idea to talk to @callingcolleen1, I know she lives in Canada and manages to keep her water from freezing by way of a cattl heater I believ.
Its not hard to keep a hole in the ice unless you have constant -20c then unless you are going to commit to a cattle heater or an inline heater you wont be able too.
I have a Canadian frind who gets -24c with a windchill of -54c who at my suggestion now brings her koi into her hubbies workshiop for the duration of winter and brings her filters in also so that the holding tanks are running with good mture pond water .
She maintains a constent temperature of 11c throughout .

Dave
 
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Because of the heavy snow last year my air stone couldn't keep a hole in the ice. I can't say how long the pond was covered in snow but I'm sure it was well over a month. When I got home there was at lest 18" of snow on it and when I shoveled some off I found that the water was mush and still slightly frozen under the snow. The fish survived with out any problem. I only have four fish. When I had two I didn't bother doing anything and they all survived.
 

morewater

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Winter survivability is dependent on many factors, such as fish load, pond size and pond depth.

Think about it, for example you've got a pond that's 2.5' deep, the water freezes 1.5' thick, leaving approximately 1' of liquid water under the ice. What is the BOD (biological oxygen demand) when there's rotting vegetation, leaves, etc. on the bottom of the pond?

When there's a problem with any of the above (ie, too many fish, too small a volume, to shallow a depth), the first to succumb are the larger fish. The larger fish are generally the most expensive fish.

I've seen too many times the results of poor planning and construction. It's what keeps us in business. Rebuilds are more expensive than initial installs.
 

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