My pond runs all winter, zone 2/3

[callingcolleen1]

Guppies and Platty pond still outside and alive!!! Take a peen inside my outdoor tropical pond Freezing Cold Temperatures !

 

[j.w]

All looks nice and warm in the greenhouse and the hoop houses! Beany isn't a baby anymore, grown so much! She is a very nice looking dog.

 

[Learning to Care for Koi]

I am back everybody!!! Going to be more active now that winter is here and I am not so busy taking care of yard, work and everything. My mom is progressing nicely with just the odd flu bug here and there. Will try to get good video with me and my mom this week.

So on to the Greenhouse and Koi ponds, take a look at whats growing on in the greenhouse! Watch to end of video and see I got GREEN Lilly pads growing outside in my bottom pond in Minus 24 Celsius temperatures!!

Colleen, I am so impressed that you still have lilies alive and well in your pond! May I know at what temperature you are heating your water? Thank you for sharing your beautiful pond and fish world!

 

[callingcolleen1]

Colleen, I am so impressed that you still have lilies alive and well in your pond! May I know at what temperature you are heating your water? Thank you for sharing your beautiful pond and fish world!

Well I wasn't heating the pond until a couple days ago so pond water was ice cold for sure. But that lily is the most Hardy lily ever and I bought it a few years ago. The plastic cold frame keeps surface of water warmer and daytime heating keeps it warmer as well. I am sure it won't grow all winter but did well before big freeze came a few days ago. Seems to still somehow be alive.

 

[callingcolleen1]

All looks nice and warm in the greenhouse and the hoop houses! Beany isn't a baby anymore, grown so much! She is a very nice looking dog.

she is still my big baby at only 5 months and needs me to snuggle her at night....

 

[Learning to Care for Koi]

Colleen, I am so impressed that you still have lilies alive and well in your pond! May I know at what temperature you are heating your water? Thank you for sharing your beautiful pond and fish world!

 

[callingcolleen1]

It's cold, ice cold. Not sure exactly the temperature cause I must find thermometer but I can tell you that it will be close to freezing. It's always close to freezing as one heater barely keeps ice away for all four connecting ponds. I will find thermometer hopefully tomorrow. That Lilly probably managed to stay warm as weather was about a average of -10 Celsius overnight last month and cold plastic frames can create warm surface water from day time heating from sun alone.. Never had heater in my pond until three days ago when temperatures went down to minus 24 Celsius

 

[sissy]

glad your mom is OK and hoping the bad flu goes away .See you got a new puppy but looking at the size of her I think she will be keeping you warm this winter instead of you keeping her warm

 

[Learning to Care for Koi]

I am so happy to see your fish doing so beautifully in cold temperatures. Somehow I had the impression that koi were not suited for our northern weather. I guess it’s largely about aeration.

 

[callingcolleen1]

I am so happy to see your fish doing so beautifully in cold temperatures. Somehow I had the impression that koi were not suited for our northern weather. I guess it’s largely about aeration. ❤

Lots of people think koi are tropical fish but they are wrong. Koi are best suited in cooler climates and then they will live long and be free of sicknesses, provided they are kept in cold running water and not a lake frozen solid. When most people turn off pumps for winter they expect big fast moving koi to live crowded, under ice with no fresh water or flow or oxygen. That is when koi die, and often the biggest and apparently healthiest suddenly die off.... That's because the biggest koi need the most amount of oxygen and can die quickly under stagnant water below thick ice.
I used to never cover the ponds and had lots of ice, but the water always flows under ice all winter. That flowing water creates little opening's in ice naturally. Will post a video of that later tonight.

 

[Mindy]

Hi Colleen
I’ll go through 99 pages to see if there is something I can copy but I’ll ask you here anyway.
I’m in Ottawa area, my koi pond is around 3ft deep, 10x6. Last year my water heater/ de icer totally melted the whole pond in Jan/Feb and my power bill was skyrocket. What water heater/de-icer is reliable and relative cheap to operate? This unit only de-iced a small circle in the previous two years. We never put anything over the pond to insulate it but this year I am thinking of dropping a couple of rigid insulating foam over the pond. Do these foam cause any harm?
Thank you.

 

[sissy]

koi get big ,no make that huge .They can get over 3 feet long and the bigger they are the more oxygen they use .I agree koi like cooler water and that is the reason I shade my pond in the summer to try and keep it cooler

 

[Phaewryn]

Hi Colleen
I’ll go through 99 pages to see if there is something I can copy but I’ll ask you here anyway.
I’m in Ottawa area, my koi pond is around 3ft deep, 10x6. Last year my water heater/ de icer totally melted the whole pond in Jan/Feb and my power bill was skyrocket. What water heater/de-icer is reliable and relative cheap to operate? This unit only de-iced a small circle in the previous two years. We never put anything over the pond to insulate it but this year I am thinking of dropping a couple of rigid insulating foam over the pond. Do these foam cause any harm?
Thank you.

I'm just using a 300 watt titanium aquarium heater and my 18" deep 60 gallon is still 100% unfrozen at 19F degrees today and colder at night. I've only seen about a $10 increase in my electric bill since adding the heater which is on all the time. My pond isn't as fully covered as Colleen's is, just has an old storm window thrown over it with a pane pulled out over the fountain. I also asked about pinkboard foam insulation and was advised against it as the pond needs light, thus the storm window instead.

 

[Learning to Care for Koi]

Lots of people think koi are tropical fish but they are wrong. Koi are best suited in cooler climates and then they will live long and be free of sicknesses, provided they are kept in cold running water and not a lake frozen solid. When most people turn off pumps for winter they expect big fast moving koi to live crowded, under ice with no fresh water or flow or oxygen. That is when koi die, and often the biggest and apparently healthiest suddenly die off.... That's because the biggest koi need the most amount of oxygen and can die quickly under stagnant water below thick ice.
I used to never cover the ponds and had lots of ice, but the water always flows under ice all winter. That flowing water creates little opening's in ice naturally. Will post a video of that later tonight.

I cannot believe that I was not told all of this when I purchased my first fish. It makes so much sense, and I might’ve saved my first big fish. Convention is to say we only need a hole in the ice but apparently that is not enough. More circulation and aeration are needed as I now understand. Maybe you could make your experience into a book that every new koi owner of the north should read!

 

[callingcolleen1]

Hi Colleen
I’ll go through 99 pages to see if there is something I can copy but I’ll ask you here anyway.
I’m in Ottawa area, my koi pond is around 3ft deep, 10x6. Last year my water heater/ de icer totally melted the whole pond in Jan/Feb and my power bill was skyrocket. What water heater/de-icer is reliable and relative cheap to operate? This unit only de-iced a small circle in the previous two years. We never put anything over the pond to insulate it but this year I am thinking of dropping a couple of rigid insulating foam over the pond. Do these foam cause any harm?
Thank you.

Foam might smother

I cannot believe that I was not told all of this when I purchased my first fish. It makes so much sense, and I might’ve saved my first big fish. Convention is to say we only need a hole in the ice but apparently that is not enough. More circulation and aeration are needed as I now understand. Maybe you could make your experience into a book that every new koi owner of the north should read!

Ya not to many successful winter Koi ponds up north. Even the top koi guy here in town failed wintering his fish. I always recommend a good underwater pre pump filter that can run all winter and pump to push the water around to keep ponds fresh. Heaters should be put in a area where water flows well. Also you can save money on heating ponds with a simple pond cover like what I have really works good. I unplug the heater and use only as needed. Not necessary unless you start getting ice. Someday I will document my pond world, but right now I have hard time keeping up with work, my mom and my house. Life is always a rush, no time for myself these days.