Pond is ready for the winter

[bettasngoldfish]

Spent some time working in the yard yesterday and today (Im beat) trying to get ready for the snow.

I also did a water change on the pond , netted out a bit of leaves, pulled the pump and filter and got them put away for the winter. Put the de-icer in the pond and added a new airpump. I picked up a cheap airpump that has four outlets on it and it is awesome. When I plugged it in I was pretty impressed by the amount of air pressure/bubbles it produced. The de-icer is not plugged in yet but its ready to go. I ordered a pond breather but its on back order, so who knows when that will arrive.
Net is back in place and fish are active and seem happy.

The stock tank is covered with a net, two airstones running and a floating stock tank heater. I unplugged the filter and pump but will leave it in the tank for the winter. I have the tank up against the house a straw bales around the other sides so none are exposed to the weather. I will cover the top of the tank once it gets a little colder. The tank has some rosy reds, a couple young goldfish and some snails living in it.

 

[j.w]

Good for you Maria and now you can rest easy. Me too I did mine on Friday. I leave my pump and falls running tho cuz temps don't get too bad for long. Have a small aquarium air pump bubbling and a water bubbler pumping up also. Netted the bottom and cleaned the pre-filter. Fish still looking at me w/ those big feed me eyes tho. Nope I'm not falling for it

 

[Lisak1]

We did the same yesterday. Finished up the last few tasks, cut down the last few dead plants, tackled a big clump of iris that was taunting me ALL SUMMER LONG from the bog... it was a beautiful day to work outside. When I was all done I just stood and gazed at my pond. Like saying "goodbye for now" to a friend.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

I picked up a cheap airpump that has four outlets on it and it is awesome. When I plugged it in I was pretty impressed by the amount of air pressure/bubbles it produced.

would love to see a photo of it and of the bubbles it produces.

 

[bettasngoldfish]

would love to see a photo of it and of the bubbles it produces.

I didnt take any photos and its dark out already (will be every day when I get home from work too for a while now) : ( Here is a link to the air pump http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002JPEVMC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I bought some nice big air stones from drsfoster&smith http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3669+3671+8121&pcatid=8121

Hope this helps

 

[JBtheExplorer]

I didnt take any photos and its dark out already (will be every day when I get home from work too for a while now) : ( Here is a link to the air pump http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002JPEVMC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I bought some nice big air stones from drsfoster&smith http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578 3669 3671 8121&pcatid=8121

Hope this helps

Wow that is super cheap compared to most of them I've seen.


EDIT: may sound dumb, but I'm still learning. kind of curious what else I would need to go along with this. I know i need hose. when it comes to hose is there a particular size or is it all the same? and what else would I need other than an air stone?

 

[bettasngoldfish]

Wow that is super cheap compared to most of them I've seen.

Yes, I know and thats partly why I was so surprised when I plugged it in. Last year I bought an air pump sold for ponds (cost a lot more than this one) and it was awful. The first one arrived and barely made the water move so I sent it back for a replacement and while it was more powerful it quit working after a few months.

 

[Tula]

Wow that is super cheap compared to most of them I've seen.


EDIT: may sound dumb, but I'm still learning. kind of curious what else I would need to go along with this. I know i need hose. when it comes to hose is there a particular size or is it all the same? and what else would I need other than an air stone?

You want to make sure you get "check valves" when you use an air pump. They fit inside the hose and stop water from getting sucked back into the pump, would it stop running for any reason.

 

[j.w]

Also if you have long tubing attached to the stones you can slip a stainless nut on the tubing before sticking the stone on. Helps weigh the tubing so it doesn't float up to the surface. Mine were floating up like crazy before I put the nuts on.

 

[Lisak1]

Also if you have long tubing attached to the stones you can slip a stainless nut on the tubing before sticking the stone on. Helps weigh the tubing so it doesn't float up to the surface. Mine were floating up like crazy before I put the nuts on.

Brilliant! I fool with my lines to try to secure them under rocks so they won't float. I wondered why they don't make the tubing itself weighted, but a nut would do the trick. Now if someone could tell me how to keep the lines attached to the stones - I've had to fish mine out of the pond bottom more times than I care to count! Why isn't there a better way to attach the hose? Some kind of clip or something so the hose doesn't just slip off? Or am I the only one who has that issue?

 

[bettasngoldfish]

Yes, I have check valves in place.

I haven't had trouble with my air stones floating up or them falling off the tubing. I wonder if you are using the corect size tubing? Or it could be the tubing needs replaced. After a while it gets kinda hard or dried out on the end in the water.

 

[Lisak1]

Yeah it's the tubing that comes with the whole set up, so it's the right tubing. But if I try to pull the air stone up from the bottom or try to move it, it invariably falls off. And then it's fishing time!

 

[Mmathis]

To weight my tubing, I use the flat lead (?) weight strips they sell for keeping submerged plants from floating. I twist them around the tubing in a spiral pattern. They work great!

 

[The PondFather]

Spent some time working in the yard yesterday and today (Im beat) trying to get ready for the snow.

I also did a water change on the pond , netted out a bit of leaves, pulled the pump and filter and got them put away for the winter. Put the de-icer in the pond and added a new airpump. I picked up a cheap airpump that has four outlets on it and it is awesome. When I plugged it in I was pretty impressed by the amount of air pressure/bubbles it produced. The de-icer is not plugged in yet but its ready to go. I ordered a pond breather but its on back order, so who knows when that will arrive.
Net is back in place and fish are active and seem happy.

The stock tank is covered with a net, two airstones running and a floating stock tank heater. I unplugged the filter and pump but will leave it in the tank for the winter. I have the tank up against the house a straw bales around the other sides so none are exposed to the weather. I will cover the top of the tank once it gets a little colder. The tank has some rosy reds, a couple young goldfish and some snails living in it.

Spent some time working in the yard yesterday and today (Im beat) trying to get ready for the snow.

I also did a water change on the pond , netted out a bit of leaves, pulled the pump and filter and got them put away for the winter. Put the de-icer in the pond and added a new airpump. I picked up a cheap airpump that has four outlets on it and it is awesome. When I plugged it in I was pretty impressed by the amount of air pressure/bubbles it produced. The de-icer is not plugged in yet but its ready to go. I ordered a pond breather but its on back order, so who knows when that will arrive.
Net is back in place and fish are active and seem happy.

The stock tank is covered with a net, two airstones running and a floating stock tank heater. I unplugged the filter and pump but will leave it in the tank for the winter. I have the tank up against the house a straw bales around the other sides so none are exposed to the weather. I will cover the top of the tank once it gets a little colder. The tank has some rosy reds, a couple young goldfish and some snails living in it.

Sounds like you did everything right for another winter in Ohio. My Chicago pond is also winterized by shutting down the falls pump and replacing it with a small 300-500 gph pump I put in my skimmer. I discharge the pump right back into the pond but right in front of the skimmer. I also use a 300 Watt stainless steel heater. It has a light that shows it has power (blue) and when the heater is on it turns red. Great feature as you know all's well with the heater. I also add Aquascapes coldwater bacteria. it's good down to 35F which means all winter. I feel it's impossible to clean out a pond leaving no debris or fish waste so this winter bacteria really helps keep the water safe for the fish when I'm no longer running any filtration. I add the bacteria every two weeks. Hope your pond comes out in the spring with every fish healthy!

 

[j.w]

I was afraid to use lead on mine for fear of lead poisoning and heard it can change the water quality, more so if the water is acid.
Just found this idea online and I have some of these.

Ceramic rings.