remembering winter and are you prepared

[pecan]

In LA I would probably leave it running and treat it as you would any other time of the year. But Larkin may have better advice, since he is from LA.

 

[lovinglife]

I had a bubbler going all last winter and still lost my two largest fish. I was so bummed! We have a long cold winter, but my bubbler kept a nice size opening in the ice, I figured I was good this year, but nope, still lost my largest Koi. My pond is 7-8000 gallons, I only have 13 koi half of them about a foot long or better the rest a bit smaller. Sure hope my big ones survive this winter...

 

[j.w]

TM you shouldn't have to shut anything down where you are. I'm in zone 7 and I don't turn my falls off unless it is going to get really cold and I do that so the water doesn't get chilled and churned up making cold spots for the fish. The tubing or the pump (submersible) does not freeze as I leave it in the deep water if I turn it off. I leave an air stone running in case we get ice on the pond and also a water bubbler at the other end of the pond. Fish do fine even when we had lows of -6 for a short time during a couple winters here.

 

[j.w]

Lovinglife did you have a water bubbler or an air bubbler going? If no air bubbler then maybe they needed extra oxygen from a bigger airstone?

 

[Mmathis]

Air bubbler / water bubbler .....?

 

[addy1]

one pumps air, i.e. aerator
one pumps water, i.e. like a water fountain but bubbles

 

[sissy]

I have to shut mine down in January and some times for a week or 2 and it is a you never know what winter will bring in the middle of the night so take precautions anyway .I am zone 7

 

[pecan]

I have to shut mine down in January and some times for a week or 2 and it is a you never know what winter will bring in the middle of the night so take precautions anyway .I am zone 7

Interesting you turned it back on so early. I could have without freezing issues, but I was concerned about disturbing sleeping fishies so I waited till March when they started moving around. Did your fish seem to care about the moving water when you turned it back on?

 

[j.w]

Now I wonder how you would figure out if they cared if sissy turned the moving water back on? Their metabolism's are slowed down so much w/ the cold temps that I wouldn't think they'd even notice unless it was a very hard flowing waterfall that was turned on really churning up the water. Mine flows medium hard and if I were to turn the falls off I prolly would not turn them on again till early Spring but if I just had a circulating pump I wouldn't worry about that so much but then that's just my 2 cents worth cuz my fish never told me any different and I did ask them B)

 

[pecan]

Now I wonder how you would figure out if they cared if sissy turned the moving water back on? Their metabolism's are slowed down so much w/ the cold temps that I wouldn't think they'd even notice unless it was a very hard flowing waterfall that was turned on really churning up the water. Mine flows medium hard and if I were to turn the falls off I prolly would not turn them on again till early Spring but if I just had a circulating pump I wouldn't worry about that so much but then that's just my 2 cents worth cuz my fish never told me any different and I did ask them B)

They could have filed a formal complaint....

Actually you make a good point. Please disregard my silly questions.

 

[sissy]

Jw must be having wine too as she talks to her fish :razz: But then so do i .I just turned on the small pumps and leave the bigger ones off .The small ones are only 210 gph and 640 gph and the are up on a ledge and about 12 inches from the top .That was because we were already in the 60's and close to 70 on some days .Last winter was really mild ,but the winter before was the bad one and left only my 210 gph pump on and that was connected to the bubbler because i had no pond heater and needed to keep an opening and i made it up to keep an opening and air in the pond .I am scared of what this winter might be like .But I do have a pond heater now .The fish just float around on the bottom

 

[addy1]

I wait until it warms some, the surface area of my bog really cools the water. Last year dec-end of feb it was off

 

[callingcolleen1]

You guys in zone 7 and 8, ha ha ha all worried about a "little ice"! Here in Canada I winter my pond in zone 2! The ice on the bottom pond gets so thick you can walk over it, I could drill and hole and sit there and "ice fish" ha ha ha!!

If the coldest it gets where you are is barely below freezing, Thats not what I call winter, I would call that a "nice January day"! I get ice that forms over the water ways, that connect the ponds together threw a series of water drops. This ice can grow to five or six times the size of the actual water spillway. The ice forms a very hard shell over the spillway, and I listen real close when it's minis -40 or below, to make sure the water is still flowing under the ice. I heat the pond when its minis -15 c or I think that's 5 F. Larger body's of water hold there temp better, if your pond is under 1000 Gallons, the edges will freeze sooner than a 5000 gallon pond. Also the coldest water in your pond is the surface water, unlike air, cold water rises, and warm water sinks, that's why ice forms at the top first.

If you get a lot of ice, the level of water in the pond can drop, as water is turned into ice. if you have a skimmer that needs constant water level, you may have trouble! But if all you get is a thin layer of ice only, like 1 inch or less, you should have very little to worry about.

 

[sissy]

Very true colleen but it is what we live with for our winters ,maybe you need to pack up and move to zone 7 when you retire . :razz: Join us .Think how your doggies would love that outside in the winter without shivering there paws off .Just think what kind of garden you could have here .There is a place here right now 7.98 acres and 1835 sq.ft. house 3 outbuildings ,fenced pasture for horses and only 59 thousand .Views of the mountains and a stream and natural pond .Friends of mine looked at it when it was priced at 70 thousand but did not want all that land .Tried to tell them they could sub divide it up and still have the view ,oh well .

 

[Mmathis]

You guys in zone 7 and 8, ha ha ha all worried about a "little ice"! Here in Canada I winter my pond in zone 2! The ice on the bottom pond gets so thick you can walk over it, I could drill and hole and sit there and "ice fish" ha ha ha!!

If the coldest it gets where you are is barely below freezing, Thats not what I call winter, I would call that a "nice January day"!
If you get a lot of ice, the level of water in the pond can drop, as water is turned into ice. if you have a skimmer that needs constant water level, you may have trouble! But if all you get is a thin layer of ice only, like 1 inch or less, you should have very little to worry about.

I know -- I'm jealous For what it's worth, we don't really have "seasons" here. Well, we have summer, but the rest is just, whatever...