Wetland filter freezing

[BForn79]

I found some questions on my topic but was looking for more information. Most people said they turn off their wetland filter for the winter. I will also have an intake bay feeding the wetland filter. Will the intake bay be ok turned off ? Will the fish be ok without the filter? Will the plants be ok with the filter off? Can I still run an aeration though the winter?

 

[Mmathis]

Hello and welcome!

Where do you live? Some people, depending on climate, run their bog filters all year long.

 

[poconojoe]

I'm in northeastern Pennsylvania zone 6b.
It was the first winter with the bog and I kept it running.
There remained a hole in the ice from the water returning from the bog. At first I feared the water would just pour over the ice and drain the pond, but it was ok.
As extra insurance, my deicer was not too far away, but there was no reason to worry.

I run two air stones year round. For the Winter, I raise the air stones to about a foot from the surface.
I'd rather not send all that cold air down there where the fish are hibernating.

 

[Lisak1]

There are so many variables to consider - how big is the pond? How deep? How many fish? How large are they? There is no one "correct" answer. One big consideration is how will the pond handle ice - as @poconojoe mentioned, you have to be sure you won't end up icing over and pumping all the water out of the pond. It is certainly do-able to keep the pond running, but you need to know what your challenges will be. Will you need to add water? Do you have an accessible source nearby that you can use in the dead of winter? Will any of your components freeze? Where's your plumbing situated?

More information would be extremely helpful. We do keep our pond running all winter so I can definitely share some additional tips if you think you might want to do the same.

 

[j.w]

@BForn79

 

[mrsclem]

The plants will survive with the pump off so long as water remains in the bog. If the plants dry out, they will die.

 

[addy1]

The plants will survive with the pump off so long as water remains in the bog. If the plants dry out, they will die.

I turn mine off the plants do fine. The bog does stay wet

 

[CometKeith]

I'm in northeastern Pennsylvania zone 6b.
It was the first winter with the bog and I kept it running.
There remained a hole in the ice from the water returning from the bog. At first I feared the water would just pour over the ice and drain the pond, but it was ok.
As extra insurance, my deicer was not too far away, but there was no reason to worry.

I run two air stones year round. For the Winter, I raise the air stones to about a foot from the surface.
I'd rather not send all that cold air down there where the fish are hibernating.

Hi I started using a pond breather in the winter and I think that really helps. I usually keep one or two pumps going all winter and an air stone and my bog pump. I know you are not supposed to bother the warm bubble of water that settles at the bottom but I think a little water movement and gas exchange really helps a lot. Other than occasionally a small fish getting stuck in a shallow area that freezes my fish population does really well every winter. Still feels like winter today!

 

[brokensword]

Hi I started using a pond breather in the winter and I think that really helps. I usually keep one or two pumps going all winter and an air stone and my bog pump. I know you are not supposed to bother the warm bubble of water that settles at the bottom but I think a little water movement and gas exchange really helps a lot. Other than occasionally a small fish getting stuck in a shallow area that freezes my fish population does really well every winter. Still feels like winter today!

there actually isn't any 'warm bubble' at the bottom of most garden ponds; you need to be at least 10' deep and even then, other factors come into play, so other than the temp being near freezing at the top where the ice forms, the bottom won't be much difference in temps from near the top, no matter if you stir the water or not. Thermoclines exist mainly in larger, deeper bodies of water.

 

[CometKeith]

there actually isn't any 'warm bubble' at the bottom of most garden ponds; you need to be at least 10' deep and even then, other factors come into play, so other than the temp being near freezing at the top where the ice forms, the bottom won't be much difference in temps from near the top, no matter if you stir the water or not. Thermoclines exist mainly in larger, deeper bodies of water.

Hmmmm ... so I have always learned that 38 degree water is the most dense and it falls to the bottom of most ponds in the winter. Are you saying that isn’t true?

 

[brokensword]

Hmmmm ... so I have always learned that 38 degree water is the most dense and it falls to the bottom of most ponds in the winter. Are you saying that isn’t true?

at 39F, the water inverts and the warmer water IS now at the bottom, so you got that right. But, it doesn't mean it STAYS at 39F! Mitch did some readings years ago and I did some this past winter, late, and saw 36F in February about 30" down (out of 40"). As I noted, it takes a much deeper body of water to get that stratification of temps. 13' was mentioned on the PondBass forum and when I did a bit of research, typically you'll see this in even deeper bodies like the great lakes and the ocean, of course.

 

[CometKeith]

at 39F, the water inverts and the warmer water IS now at the bottom, so you got that right. But, it doesn't mean it STAYS at 39F! Mitch did some readings years ago and I did some this past winter, late, and saw 36F in February about 30" down (out of 40"). As I noted, it takes a much deeper body of water to get that stratification of temps. 13' was mentioned on the PondBass forum and when I did a bit of research, typically you'll see this in even deeper bodies like the great lakes and the ocean, of course.

That’s interesting. I read this long article on GPF more than 5 years ago and it was the argument for and against having a lot of water movement in the winter. The pro was obviously providing for gas exchange and preventing oxygen deprivation when the pond is covered in snow. The con was breaking the water bubble. In this article the writer suggested the water movement benefit outweighed the problem of disturbing the bubble. Where we live the winter temps can go below 0 degrees F so I think the bubble still plays a vital role even if the temp is 36 degrees. It’s still better than being subjected to zero or less air temps that might freeze over the pond! A couple years ago the earth cracked at night as temps hit 27 below. In the spring all my fish were fine!

 

[addy1]

I had a neighbor lose every fish in his pond, ran a aerator during the winter. In February the fish started floating. It was a cold winter.

 

[CometKeith]

I had a neighbor lose every fish in his pond, ran a aerator during the winter. In February the fish started floating. It was a cold winter.

Hi Addy do you think the aerator was the culprit? I know it is like 87 degrees today and we are talking about the winter... Here in Chicago I run a bunch of stuff during the winter.. at least one or two pumps, an aerator, and a pond breather and have never had an issue with fish surviving the winter no matter how much snow or cold we have. I have heard of several horror stories where ponds were100 percent covered with snow for a time and the fish died. That’s why I think a pond breather is so important. Since I started using one I never have had any issues.

 

[addy1]

Addy do you think the aerator was the culprit?

I really do, one half of the pond was open water, one half ice covered. They had a api 100 running full blast. Water tests were all normal. Temperature of the water not taken . They quit using and put in the pond breather only, no fish death since. Maybe a few tiny fry or something like that but no die off.