SWFL cold snap / worried about my mollies

[LeeP]

Hi Pond People! I’m pretty new here. Have a two year old renovated fountain, now approx 350 gallon fish pond. It is built up off the cement lanai and is about a foot of water, with lots of good aerating plant cover (it’s much more mature than these early photos).
Due to strange circumstances, I have both nine goldfish and a lot of mollies, who get along great. I guess the golds are ok with this cold snap, but I’m worried about the mollies. I’ve just returned from a small trip so couldn’t do anything before now. I won’t need a deicer. Should I increase the pump’s flow for more oxygen? Do they make pond heaters? Any advice will be appreciated.

 

[WaterGardener]

Please be aware that those "aerating" plants only produce oxygen during daylight hours. At night the process is reversed and they take up oxygen and produce carbon dioxide.

Most of us here use air pumps to make sure the water is oxygenated 24/7, 365 days a year.

Pond heaters do exist, but can be expensive to use.

I can't comment on keeping mollies outdoors since it gets much too cold here to keep them
outside. I'm sure that someone else will come along to help with that.

Welcome to the forum and I hope your fish made it through the cold snap.

 

[LeeP]

Thank you for your comments. Typically, this kind of cold is not on our radars here, but I guess it should be from now on. I’m wondering if some kind of ‘cover’ for the pond would help, or just interfere with the oxygen issue. Also, I’m lost on the carbon dioxide threat so need to research.

 

[WaterGardener]

You could certainly cover the pond for those cold nights. Mine is covered every winter. But since your pond is shallow, the water would heat up quickly on warmer days if you cover it with plastic, as is the usual way. There should be a way to remove it or at least vent it well on those warmer days.

Please do follow through and do your own research about everything you see online. That's always a good idea.

 

[LeeP]

That’s great to know about using plastic — I was thinking it would need to be heavier. I just went out to feed. The water is very cold, and the mollies were slow to show themselves, but did eventually come out for me, and some young as well. So relieved! Today is sunny so the water will warm more, and last night was to be the coldest. Being away was unfortunate for all of us. Now I can plan for the next one. Thanks everyone.

 

[WaterGardener]

You might also want to research feeding the fish when the water is cold. It is generally recommended to not feed when the water temperature is 50 degrees and lower.

Also, you need a thermometer to measure the temp of the water if you don't already have one.

 

[LeeP]

You might also want to research feeding the fish when the water is cold. It is generally recommended to not feed when the water temperature is 50 degrees and lower.

Also, you need a thermometer to measure the temp of the water if you don't already have one.

Thank you, and I assumed the fish would need more food when cold, ugh, but they all seem to have come through the coldest of this snap We have a pool so have a thermometer. So appreciate all the help.

 

[Stephen Noble]

Hi Pond People! I’m pretty new here. Have a two year old renovated fountain, now approx 350 gallon fish pond. It is built up off the cement lanai and is about a foot of water, with lots of good aerating plant cover (it’s much more mature than these early photos).
Due to strange circumstances, I have both nine goldfish and a lot of mollies, who get along great. I guess the golds are ok with this cold snap, but I’m worried about the mollies. I’ve just returned from a small trip so couldn’t do anything before now. I won’t need a deicer. Should I increase the pump’s flow for more oxygen? Do they make pond heaters? Any advice will be appreciated.

Hi @LeeP, welcome to the forum. Are you Mollies Sailfin or black mollies? If Sailfin where they wild caught or purchased from a pet shop? Here is what your fellow Floridian uses: A mini green house to protect topicals during cold snaps. Simply place it over your pond and unroll & zip up the panels if it gets cold. Works great. And, another benefit is the major 'jump start' your lilies will get in February. There are pond heaters. But try a greenhouse first. One thing you should consider though is water quality. You have, in my opinion, a very heavily stocked pond. So keep an eye on the water quality by testing the water. Good luck!

https://www.amazon.com/Gardzen-Greenhouse-Garden-Netting-Protector/dp/B0D25BFL63/ref=asc_df_B0D25BFL63?tag=bngsmtphsnus-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=80676864782722&hvnetw=s&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=78852&hvtargid=pla-4584276329461886&th=1

 

[LeeP]

Hi Stephen, thank you for the suggestions! I have common black mollies from the pet store. So far, they all seem to be doing ok. A greenhouse probably wouldn’t work here due to the shape/size of my pond. But plastic could be to e answer next time.
I don’t think the pond is heavily stocked, but I’ll include a pic. Thanks again.

 

[WaterGardener]

There is a thread on this site showing how people cover their ponds for winter. If you search the site I'm sure you can find it.

Mine is covered by a greenhouse as well. They can be most any size.

 

[WaterGardener]

Just search "Question for those of you that cover your pond for the cold winter months".

Several people show how they cover their ponds in winter.

 

[LeeP]

There is a thread on this site showing how people cover their ponds for winter. If you search the site I'm sure you can find it.

Mine is covered by a greenhouse as well. They can be most any size.

The problem for me is that the pond is inside of my lanai. The greenhouse would be pretty out of place and cumbersome. But I will check out the mentioned thread! TU!

 

[GBBUDD]

Anything will work plywood, a couple pieces of 2x and a tarp . It's small enough to maneuver and cover like making your bed. Done in minutes. It won't get cold enough down there where you'll need it for weeks

 

[LeeP]

Thanks, I was thinking plywood, but someone said plastic so I’m hoping that a good tarp would work. Storage for that size would be tough for us.

 

[WaterGardener]

Plastic sheeting allows the sun through to heat up the interior of the area and doesn't interfere with the light.

Is the lanai screened in? If so, it would be easy to enclose the entire area with plastic and it could help to heat your house, too. But it might need a way to be vented to keep it from heating up too much.