pond temperature

[emperorpenguine]

I am here in ireland where our winters are relativly mild. I have constructed a pond which is above ground with a metre square glass panel. It holds about 300 hundred gallons and about 3.5 feet deep. It is only up and running about two months so this will be the first winter having the pond. As i said our winters are relativly mild and when i read about winter temperatures on the forums it usually by people on the other side of the atlantic where there are weather extremes. I have several gold fish and two koy. I understand the gold fish are hardy enough so could someone tell me how koy are likely to fair in a relativly mild climate where any extreme cold snaps are rare and when they do, would not last for more than a few days.

 

[DrCase]

We dont have that bad a winter here,, but i freeze over once or twice a year with no problems for the koi..
I would worry more about the glass panel with a low temp :icon_mrgreen:

 

[Oldhead]

Well what do you consider mild? The water temp may swing too fast with an above ground pond. I'm pretty sure the bottom line temp is 36 to 39 degrees but 40 is best.

 

[koikeepr]

Hi there. I LOVE Ireland and travel there often. Lucky you.

I am in North Carolina here in the US and we actually have a similar winter. Your fish will have a pleasant winter and simply live through it. In the autumn, as temps cool down you should be feeding them wheat germ based foods only. You will find these at your local pond shops or on the 'net.

Once the temps hit 50 degrees (10 degrees celcsius) this winter, you should quit feeding them until the spring and they are active again.

They will look very still and calm on the bottom of the pond and not do much. That's prefectly ok. It's sort of like a hibernating animal and reserving it's energy.

I will only get 1 or 2 light snowfalls each winter (and it only last a few hours at that), but lots of leaves in the autumn, so I build a tent of netting so that they don't fall in the pond. You simply connect some PVC piping and set it up so the netting can create a tent-like effect.

Don't let your water ice over. If you see any, just puncture it to so that the gases can escape.

But, your fish will do well. Even in very cold areas, koi do well.

 

[MassKoi]

I live in masschusetts and have an above ground pond with koi and goldfish. I have not had any problem with water temperature other than keeping a hole in the ice over the winter.

 

[JonoB_uk]

Slightly off topic but i am planning a windowed pond. Have you any photos and can you tell me the thickness of glass you used?

Would you do anything differently if you did it again?

Jono

 

[MassKoi]

I would like to see pictures of pond with windows also.....

 

[koiguy1969]

youtube has a good selection of windowed ponds

 

[stroppy]

fish i think would be ok ... but i to wonder about the glass ...im in the south east and my pond doesnt even get ice on it
also love to see your pond

 

[DoDad]

I live in Oregon an also have mild Winters but every so often it does go below freezing for a couple of days. What helps me a lot is I cover my pond in the winter and I would say that increases my water temps by 8 to 10 degrees. My pond never goes below 55 degrees F. One other thing is I do bypass my waterfall.

 

[oldmarine]

Same as DoDad, The winters here in Tacoma are about the same. Last couple of years, I used a 300 watt submersable aquarium heater in the filter reservor of my 365 gallon pond. Dispite the freeze at night the water temps never went below freezing, Just like any potential solution, there is a potential problem. Using the heater in the winter months created an evaporation problem. Water warmer than the air, created evaporation to the point of about a gallon of water a day. The next thnig I need to do is install an automatic water fill kit, and plumbing so I don't have to run in and out of the house every day with a bucket of water .

 

[chilligirl]

I live in Oregon an also have mild Winters but every so often it does go below freezing for a couple of days. What helps me a lot is I cover my pond in the winter and I would say that increases my water temps by 8 to 10 degrees. My pond never goes below 55 degrees F. One other thing is I do bypass my waterfall.

Your climate is very much like mine - what did you cover your pond with?

My pond is on a south facing wall of my house, fairly sheltered, but I was still thinking of building a cover for it for the winter to give it extra protection. Also considering picking up some hay bales and stacking them around the exposed above-ground sides for insulation (pond is 6 feet deep, 4 feet in ground, 2 feet above ground).

 

[oldmarine]

I have never given the idea of covering my pond a thought. In the wild, mother nature seems to do a good job at housing our wild life. I haven't covered my pond for any reason so far, and feel there is no need to.

My pond is on the east side of my house, and it gets about eight to ten hours of direct sun in the summer.

 

[DoDad]

I covered it with 6 Mil, Thick Clear Construction Film. This is the inside.

This is the outside.

QUOTE=chilligirl;23227]Your climate is very much like mine - what did you cover your pond with?

My pond is on a south facing wall of my house, fairly sheltered, but I was still thinking of building a cover for it for the winter to give it extra protection. Also considering picking up some hay bales and stacking them around the exposed above-ground sides for insulation (pond is 6 feet deep, 4 feet in ground, 2 feet above ground).[/QUOTE]

 

[DoDad]

If my pond was made by Mother Nature I guess I wouldn't cover it. But as I'm trying to fool her I do.:banana:

I have never given the idea of covering my pond a thought. In the wild, mother nature seems to do a good job at housing our wild life. I haven't covered my pond for any reason so far, and feel there is no need to.

My pond is on the east side of my house, and it gets about eight to ten hours of direct sun in the summer.