Question about releasing the gas build up under ice

[callingcolleen1]

Well that is not too bad, hardly any winter ! If I lived down there I would leave pumps run for sure. If you have external filter box, I would put small heater in that so box does not ice up on coldest nights. I leave my pumps going even in minus 40 below zero and have done so since 1991. Big koi need good water flow cause biggest risk is for them, as the biggest koi use the most oxygen.
No need to worry about super chilled water, no such thing in ponds or rivers. Super chilled water only happens in upper clouds or labatory. Only pure water can be super chilled. Water on earth has too many salts and minerals for that to happen.

 

[Jeanie master]

It would take a lot of leaves in a poorly maintained pond to cause an issue with gases. The only reason to leave a hole open in the ice cover is to allow some oxygenation of the water, but even this is not really needed if snow is not allowed to accumulate on the ice cover blocking the sunlight from reaching the water. Algae are functioning even at very low water temperatures so Oxygen is still being provided to the water column through photosynthesis. In fact, algae provide more Oxygen to the water than natural aeration.
This is another reason that natural ponds sustain complete ice-over in the winter with no ill effects. Nature provides.

Do you constantly remove snow from the top of your pond throughout the wintet?

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Do you constantly remove snow from the top of your pond throughout the wintet?

No, but I am in Zone 9a. It very rarely snows....if you want to call a brief dusting Snow.
But in answer to your question, it is recommended that snow not be allowed to accumulate on the surface of a frozen pond. Sunlight can still reach below the surface of an iced-over pond. This keeps the algae functioning throughout the Winter utilizing CO2 and producing Oxygen. Both being very important since any water surface gas transfer is either absent or negligible.

 

[Lisak1]

We don't remove snow from our pond. The risk of falling through the ice outweighs the potential consequences to my fish - me before them, I'm afraid! Just because the snow piles up on the pond is no guarantee of solid ice underneath. I've been told to use a roof rake from the edge of the pond - a long handled tool designed to pull accumulated snow off the roof to prevent ice damming - but that snow can get HEAVY! Plus we get so much snow there's really no place to move it TO. We've had up to five feet of snow accumulate on our pond with no negative consequences to the fish, as far as I can tell anyway! One year we had snow cover from November until April. everyone lived to tell the tale.

 

[MitchM]

When ice thickness reaches 2 feet, snow on top doesn't matter.
I think the pond will balance out appropriately for your region, snow cover or not.

 

[Lisak1]

Agreed. And my "November to April" survival story is just called "winter" where you are!

 

[Jeanie master]

No, but I am in Zone 9a. It very rarely snows....if you want to call a brief dusting Snow.
But in answer to your question, it is recommended that snow not be allowed to accumulate on the surface of a frozen pond. Sunlight can still reach below the surface of an iced-over pond. This keeps the algae functioning throughout the Winter utilizing CO2 and producing Oxygen. Both being very important since any water surface gas transfer is either absent or negligible.

Ty, never would have known that! Our winters have been changing, we get less snow than we used to but occasionally.....yikes!!

 

[Jeanie master]

We don't remove snow from our pond. The risk of falling through the ice outweighs the potential consequences to my fish - me before them, I'm afraid! Just because the snow piles up on the pond is no guarantee of solid ice underneath. I've been told to use a roof rake from the edge of the pond - a long handled tool designed to pull accumulated snow off the roof to prevent ice damming - but that snow can get HEAVY! Plus we get so much snow there's really no place to move it TO. We've had up to five feet of snow accumulate on our pond with no negative consequences to the fish, as far as I can tell anyway! One year we had snow cover from November until April. everyone lived to tell the tale.

Wow...five feet and I'm outta there! I can barely handle what we get! I'd never walk on ice! I'd probably kill myself lol

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Although the removal of snow is beneficial in keeping a pond healthy during the Winter months, it is admittedly not practical or in some cases even safe.

 

[callingcolleen1]

I never remove the snow from top of ice as it helps keep the pond warmer. I keep main pumps running all winter and shovel snow into pond from around pond walkway. When you have a good layer of snow during extreme cold, the heat stays in pond better and holes open nicely at water ways. Water continues to move nicely under the ice and snow.

If you don't have good layer of snow over the top of ice, then the ice gets much thicker dispite the 1500 watt heater.

 

[callingcolleen1]

Here is my video from Jan 2015, we had extra snow and I did pile it up on the ponds that year. It made the ice a lot thinner and when my dog Bear tried to walk threw the deep snow piled on the bottom pond, the ice under the snow was so thin it cracked!

 

[Lisak1]

We learned that the hard way! One of our dogs - big ole malamute - fell through the ice one year. He loved to go curl up on the pond and sleep in the snow. We figured the pond was frozen - no harm. Boy were we wrong! Luckily he got out and was ok. We fenced the pond off after that to keep the dogs off the ice until he died. Now we just have little ones who barely want to step out the door when it's cold!

 

[budgenator]

You definitely need to watch how your waterfall freezes and make sure the water will stay in the pond. I can't imagine a worse scenario than realizing you've emptied your pond accidentally and its freezing cold out!

That happened to me on year at the old house, I had left the pump in a box filter running to see what would happen, the water ran out on the side away from the house and under the snow half draining the pond before we noticed! It was not fun refilling the pond with a garden hose hooked to the kitchen sink and ran out through the window because all the outside water was turned off. Also nobody has enough declorit for 500 gallons in January. It did make a cool looking bump in the ice.

 

[Jeanie master]

I never remove the snow from top of ice as it helps keep the pond warmer. I keep main pumps running all winter and shovel snow into pond from around pond walkway. When you have a good layer of snow during extreme cold, the heat stays in pond better and holes open nicely at water ways. Water continues to move nicely under the ice and snow.

If you don't have good layer of snow over the top of ice, then the ice gets much thicker dispite the 1500 watt heater.

Wow..amazingly different opinions!!

 

[morewater]

Wow..amazingly different opinions!!

Snow is a great insulator.

That's all it's good for. Snow and cold are 4-letter words.

Toss in a breather for gas exchange, then go to Punta Cana. After that, it's every fish for itself.

Darwin is a cruel Master.