My weekly hundred dollars and a question

[mouseams]

Well... last night took a ride to the you know...

Came home with three baby channel cats and a Hardy Lotus. Now I need help.

I am told that in our zone 5 (northern NJ) if I can get this to a depth of 3' it should survive. I got the lotus as the surface area it will cover is much larger than that of any three plants I could purchase.

It came in a big tub. Do I submerse the entire tub? My pond bottom is just liner, no gravel, dirt or stones. Also, we will be running a heater for the fish for the winter (I think??) or a deicer- we're not quite at that bridge yet as what we need to do for the winter :goldfish:

Thanks for all your help!

 

[DrCase]

Just set the pot on the bottom of the pond and let it grow.

 

[mouseams]

Thanks!

I guess I could have asked "Is there a doctor in the house"?

(yuk yuk):goldfish:
My humor stinks!

 

[DrDave]

As a matter of fact, yes. I agree with DrCase.
Have you given any thought to tenting your pond in the winter? That might be a good way to help keep the deep freeze from happening.

 

[mouseams]

Thanks Dr. Dave! Not sure what tenting is, have not heard this yet, I am still new. Can you give me any idea on what it entails?

Can I bring a flashlight into the tent? Just kidding :icon_smile:

 

[DrDave]

Pitch a tent directly over your pond during the winter months. Make a greenhouse out of your pond. It may not keep it from freezing, but it may lessen the degree of freeze and help you keep the top open.
Hey, I am the "Innovator", I have to come up with something new once in a while.

 

[karenskoipond]

This will be our first year wintering our fish outside, last winter was the most miserable I've ever seen here in Chicago. We're already preparing for our wintering season by buying up pvc and we've bought a swimming pool cover which was a better deal then buying an outdoor tarp at menards. It'll look like a shanty town out there come November since the pond is 16' x 24'

 

[mouseams]

What about the snow (I hate winter)? Won't it collapse the tent?

I don't think my husband would go for the Ewok Village look outside- I think we are probably goign to go with a heater. Our pond is in full sun a good part of the day, the bad part is it is raised on 2 sides.

 

[karenskoipond]

Ewok village lololol.... I have a feeling my hubby won't mind, I've been trying to talk him out of the heater because just in a month our electric bill went up almost $100 just in pumps and with the airator (sp?). I'll keep you posted on how we fair.. we may just end up with a de-icer or a heater in mid winter.

 

[BBK]

I just throw a 300w aquarium heater in my pond during the winter. It still freezes over a little (1/4" last year). But on warm days it will open up giving your fish some sunlight and releasing some co2.

Just make sure the heater never touches the liner.

 

[DrDave]

I'm thinking teepee, the snow shouldn't collect on that.

 

[DrDave]

Hmmmm, I wonder how a waterbed heater would do? They cover a large surface area, the cost could be easily calculated based on the wattage. It would run continuously unless you put it on a timer. There are probably a ton of them on Craigs List cheap.

 

[oldmarine]

I used a 150 watt pond heater this last winter, and it worked. This year I have up graded to a 300 watt pond heater. The 150 watt heater kept the pond temp just above freezing. The only problem heating my pond was it created evaporation. In my 365 gallon pond I was adding as much as 5 gallons of water each day.

Every day after I added the 5 gallons of water to my pond as needed. I would refill the bucket with 100 degree water right from the kitchen sink, add a little declorinater, and let it cool to room temperature over night.

Bit of a hasstle, but it worked.

 

[BBK]

There isnt any need to let the water cool.

The 5g is only 1.4% of the water in your pond. 5g of 100 degree water wouldn't move the temp up 1 degree by the time it dilutes into the water.

 

[DrDave]

Liquid dechlor is immediate, I use it all the time and never had a loss. I can do a 75% water change in a tank withing minutes of using the liquid DC.