Tell us how YOU Winterize YOUR pond.

[MitchM]

I use 2 pond breathers.

This is what one looks like:

This is them operating normally:

This is at the worst point of the winter, with drifting snow:

 

[TAHOE]

I cut all my plants back, lower to deep part of pond. Drain my 30 gal filter, then bring it inside the house and hook to the inside pond to keep it alive for the winter. I pull pump and store in basement or I put it on a shallow shelf with just a small water line to circulate the shallow end of pond. If I pull it, I still use a small fountain pump to aerate and keep water moving and hopefully an open hole if it freezes hard.

 

[bettasngoldfish]

thanks for the photos @MitchM this helps me a lot. After seeing this I am placing my order

 

[waynefrcan]

Mitch, I'm still amazed that those 2 breathers supplied enough o2 for that size of pond. Maybe not enough for heavy fish load or large koi.

The rated use on one of those I think is about 150 sqft surface area? Also when I used one it froze solid at -22 C.

 

[waynefrcan]

Man you really need some rocks in that thing lol!!!

 

[addy1]

thanks for the photos @MitchM this helps me a lot. After seeing this I am placing my order

His pond is the reason I bought two, one for the big pond, one for the stock tank, the only ponds with a bunch of fish in them. The small ponds either have no fish or a surprise fish or two from traveling eggs.

 

[MitchM]

Mitch, I'm still amazed that those 2 breathers supplied enough o2 for that size of pond. Maybe not enough for heavy fish load or large koi.

The rated use on one of those I think is about 150 sqft surface area? Also when I used one it froze solid at -22 C.

I think that's a key point Wayne. Low fish load.
It's too bad there's no way to quantify that.

I did get some icing up of the breather tubes around the -25C mark, that's when I covered the tubes with those black plant pots. I'm pretty sure I could still hear the breathers running though.
Those black pots froze in place, so when it warmed back up a bit I took them off.
You can see that the breathers later formed their own protection from the wind. They look like mini vents similar to a hot spring in winter.
Maybe they froze for a short time, I don't know. Even if they did freeze, it didn't last long. We had -40 for what, 1 week? I don't think it would kill the pond inhabitants to be frozen over solid for that short period of time. It didn't anyways. All lived.

 

[MitchM]

Man you really need some rocks in that thing lol!!!

Got any ideas for that?

 

[MitchM]

...

The rated use on one of those I think is about 150 sqft surface area? ...

They should be rated for more than that.
People swear by those trough heaters, but they don't actively move any water.
These breathers are supposed provide aeration for between 4,000 to 10,000 times more aeration to a pond than a floating trough heater.

 

[waynefrcan]

Got any ideas for that?

I sure dooooooooooooo!!

OK I would get fairly large rocks 1 ft by 1ft, forget the small stuff they just trap the crap. I would do different clusters of them here and there. Throw in some driftwood etc.

 

[waynefrcan]

They should be rated for more than that.
People swear by those trough heaters, but they don't actively move any water.
These breathers are supposed provide aeration for between 4,000 to 10,000 times more aeration to a pond than a floating trough heater.

Could be for sure.

 

[callingcolleen1]

The best way to winter your pond is to use a heater WITH a pump and good sized filter that can run all winter without plugging up, and have that pump circulate water next to the heater, to evenly heat the whole pond.

My pumps have been running all winter since 1991, they flow all summer and a reduced flow all winter. It is really the only best way to winter your pond if you have large fish.

Sadly, overy the many years of wintering my pond very successfully, I have seen many people over the many years try different tricks and new low watt devices, only to lose their fish. Harsh climates need a big heater and a good pump and filter below the water, to insure pump and filter do not freeze.

If you live in a harsh weather climate, and are trying new devices, I can only wish you the best of luck, cause you will most likey need it..

 

[MitchM]

What is the purpose of a floating heater Colleen?

 

[MitchM]

Those pond heaters are absolutely ineffective at raising the temperature of our ponds.
Outdoor ponds require roughly 40 watts/meter squared/degrees Celsius.
My pond for example, at 83 square meters, would require 83,000 watts to raise it's temperature by 25 degrees Celsius above what the outside temperature is.
(83 square meters X 40 watts/sq m/degrees Celcius = 3320 watts for my pond) (3320 X 25 degrees temperature difference = 83,000 watts required)
A 1500 watt heater won't budge the temperature up one bit.

The only thing keeping our ponds from freezing solid is heat from the earth.
If anything, those floating heaters bring the water temperature down. They keep an open hole in the ice which allows evaporation, which actually cools the pond.
If you want to keep your water temperature as high as possible, the best solution is for a cover of ice or something similar.

 

[DoDad]

My first step is to bypass the waterfall and return water directly to the pond.
Next step was to assemble the frame. Tomorrow I will cover it with 6 mil plastic.