Pond Breather

[addy1]

thanks for the info, I am seriously considering getting one of these

After last winter when a aerator killed all the fish here in Maryland, a decent size pond, I bought two, one for the 1000 gallon stock tank one for the big pond. The other ponds are on their own, they are usually fish less or a surprise fish or two in them. After the last hard winter, I found one to two fish in each small preform. No water flow, no air, no heat, no cleaning. No floaters either, i.e. dead fish.

They will get turned on once ice starts to form.

 

[snoozer]

I bought 2 of the pond breathers this year and hope that they work out. Last year with the bitter cold winter weather the fish didn't do very well. I had an aerator and a small pump bubbling on the plant shelf. I do have a question for those who have used them in the past. The ball containing the pump is just about touching the bottom of my pond. Should I raise this up off the bottom? if so, what would be the easiest way to do this? I so hope this winter isn't as bad as last year was.

 

[addy1]

The ball containing the pump is just about touching the bottom of my pond

I have not used them yet, but did install two for this winter. In the 1000 gallon stock tank the ball touched the bottom. I just tightened up the electrical cord which pulled the ball up off the bottom. Doing that caused the breather to rest near the side of the stock tank which should not be an issue.

I have a lot of hornwort in that pond, which could potentially be drawn into the pump. So I wanted it to be off the bottom of the tank.

 

[MitchM]

... I do have a question for those who have used them in the past. The ball containing the pump is just about touching the bottom of my pond. Should I raise this up off the bottom? if so, what would be the easiest way to do this?....

As long as the ball containing the pump won't get clogged with leaves or mud, it's ok hitting the bottom. You could maybe shorten the tube that the pump's connected to, but I would call or email the manufacturer before doing that.

So far, our fall has been mild weather here.

 

[MitchM]

I have not used them yet, but did install two for this winter. In the 1000 gallon stock tank the ball touched the bottom. I just tightened up the electrical cord which pulled the ball up off the bottom. Doing that caused the breather to rest near the side of the stock tank which should not be an issue.

I have a lot of hornwort in that pond, which could potentially be drawn into the pump. So I wanted it to be off the bottom of the tank.

addy, be sure that you are not causing a possible kink in the tube coming from the pump.

 

[addy1]

addy, be sure that you are not causing a possible kink in the tube coming from the pump.

It is a very gentle curve and I test ran it a few times, it ran beautifully. It is like taking the ball and curving it out by a few inches which raised it up two inches off the bottom. I did not think of the tube kinking, it is not bent just curved. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[Tula]

Flew home from warm, sunny FL today, to 35 F and gray skies.....Addy, you timed your departure just right!!

I turned off my waterfall this evening. We're to get more moderate temps this week and I'll swap out my aerator for the smaller one and install the pond breather when it arrives. I'll probably leave the filter running a few more weeks, depending on temps. Addy, do you just use the pond breather when ice forms?

 

[addy1]

Addy, do you just use the pond breather when ice forms?

This is my first winter with it. I will only use the breather, the pump off, no water movement. I am watching the via our cameras, once I see ice forming I will call our house sitters and they will plug them in. I have them all set up and ready. I don't see any reason to leave them running until ice starts to form.
We just arrived, everybody complaining about the COLD! 70 degrees. A touch of the cold wave is hitting here.

 

[Tula]

This is my first winter with it. I will only use the breather, the pump off, no water movement. I am watching the via our cameras, once I see ice forming I will call our house sitters and they will plug them in. I have them all set up and ready. I don't see any reason to leave them running until ice starts to form.
We just arrived, everybody complaining about the COLD! 70 degrees. A touch of the cold wave is hitting here.

Yes, a cool front blew in last night, but it'll warm right back up Enjoy the sunshine...nice time of year to get away!

 

[addy1]

All of our houses are rented, so we rented a house maybe 50 yards from one of our houses. Which makes it easy to take care of the bees in our laundry room, small fix ups the renter wants. Other than that we are, for the first time in years, are down here to enjoy ourselves. Nothing to do to the house we are in!

 

[Lisaebetten]

All of our houses are rented, so we rented a house maybe 50 yards from one of our houses. Which makes it easy to take care of the bees in our laundry room, small fix ups the renter wants. Other than that we are, for the first time in years, are down here to enjoy ourselves. Nothing to do to the house we are in!

You took your bees with you??? If so that is an image I'll never forget.

 

[addy1]

You took your bees with you??? If so that is an image I'll never forget.

lol no! We have "wild" bees in the laundry room wall that we need to remove. Someones hive swarmed and the chose our laundry room as the place to live. Either give the hive to someone or take north with us. We checked them out, not the africanized bees, they have filled a part of the laundry room wall with comb and honey. We have all of our gear with us, but need to pick up a few boxes and some frames to move them out of the wall in the next week.

 

[callingcolleen1]

If you plan on using that little pond de icer, be carefull and if you have koi that may not be enough air circulation for them. I personally would not trust a 40 watt de icer if your pond is small and if the temperature falls below minis 20 celsius. The whole pond could freeze solid in really cold weather and freeze the fish!!

Mitch can use one and get away with it cause his pond is really a small lake and he does not have any koi, and he can risk having two feet of solid ice and still have room for fish.

I have seen small pond deicers fail years ago in our harsh winter and freeze the fish into a block of ice.

 

[MitchM]

Colleen, IT'S NOT A DEICER.
There are koi ponds using it during the winter and they turn out fine.
It's too bad we don't live closer. I could bring one over and show you how it works.

 

[callingcolleen1]

Yes I got that, a pond Breather... but for most people in extreme weather it will not work. Most ponds will freeze solid with just that pond breather. You can use it with a heater; but should not be relied on during exteme cold weather. I sold a lady a similar device when I worked at Suntech many years ago, it was supposed to let the pond circulate under the ice, exchange air, and was of similar watts. Her pond froze sold to the ground with that device. 40 watts will not keep the fish safe in extreme weather alone, nor will it provide enough oxygen for very large fish. I would not trust it alone. I have been wintering my pond since 1991 and have seen many people fooled into buying similar new devices, only to lose all their fish.

I may suffice for those people in milder weather zones, but I would be very careful about recommending it for harsh weather zones.

Let's not forget Mitch that your pond is the size of some people's back yards, and you do not have koi. It may work for some in milder weather with smaller koi, but if you are going to use it on harsh weather, a heater will still be needed for most people.