Starting the pond back up? When?

[pecan]

This is my first spring and I am wondering when is the best time to start the pond back up?

It is a 5000 gallon pond 3 feet deep. I am zone 7. I pulled the pump the first week of December when the pond started to ice over and left an air stone running. I got ice about an inch thick at the coldest point for a couple weeks with the area of the air stone not freezing. Our temps did not get below 10 degrees this year and the water temp on the surface yesterday was 43 degrees. The ice has been completely gone from the surface now for about two weeks. Outside temps have been in the high 40's during the day and sunny and the high 20's at night.

I don't and have not ever fed my comets. They fend for themselves and seem to do fine.

My concern is stirring the water up and disturbing them. They spent December and most of January at the bottom but are now swimming around a little bit, coming to the surface and it looks like they are eating algae.

Let me know your thoughts.

Thanks!

 

[j.w]

I'm in zone 7 here in Washington state and I left my pump/waterfall running this year. I think we prolly get less ice then you do there tho. Last year I turned the pump off and fish did fine till I turned it all back on sometime in March I believe or maybe April. Some think the cold water being stirred up might chill the fish but others say not so. I've done it both ways and don't see any difference myself. I guess as long as your equipment can't freeze one might think it is ok. Although one year I did lose some fish and it was a super extra cold winter so who knows, maybe some of the fish were not as strong...........survival of the fittest maybe? I didn't feed my goldfish at all for the first several yrs and they did just fine also. Kept the population from exploding also. Now I started feeding them some just for fun and notice there are a lot more of them. I may have to cut down on the feeding or will have too many fishies!

 

[addy1]

We have had a warm winter, I pulled my pump in december, kept an aerator running. We have had just a few ice overs. I will be turning on our pump around the first of march, (unless winter decides to hit then)

The fish are just hanging around, occasionally swimming and nibbling. The water still tests perfect so I am not worried about filtering. Usually by this time of year we have had an average of 16 inches of snow, this year around 3 which has melted almost as soon as it landed.

 

[taherrmann4]

Agree with Addy, it will be turned on restarted the first week of march unless the weather does not cooperate