What is a good pond heater?

[Dave 54]

Thanks. I'm going to find a smallish one. One reason I want to make a little warm spot on the bottom is to see if a couple of Plecos will survive. I can't catch them. They have been in there since spring and 1 is about 4" and the other is about 6". I don't really think they will make it, but I want to experiment and see.
Also, I found a solar powered air bubbler. It only works with sunlight on it, it doesn't have a battery, but it puts out a lot of air when it does work. I think it would be grreat for people who live on areas that are sunny a lot.

How much air does the solar powered bubbler kick out and if its alot can you turn things down to a bare minimum ?
Dependant on how cold you get your winters, then we'll have to se if your plecos make it through, personally if you do get a cold winter normally then I would catch them and tank them for the winter indoors as the safest option

rgrds

Dave

 

[agapanthus]

The solar bubbler doesn't have much power, it is off most of the winter here. LOL I can try to catch the plecos, but they dissappear so quickly! How do you catch a pleco? Anyway, I just thought that a submersible de-icer would make a warm spot for them. Right now, they sometimes sit on the small submersible pump because it gets a little warm.

 

[crsublette]

I don't want to beat a dead horse but it doesn't look like anyone has mentioned putting the heater in the bottom won't make the bottom water warmer. The colder, more dense water from the top will sink to the bottom, displacing the warm water. It will stir the pond gently but my point is that you will still be trying to heat the entire pond.

Reminds me of a fun thread, aerator and bottom heater? :cheerful:

Yeah, it is around 36~39*F water temp where the water density starts to change, that is 36~39*F water is heavier than 33*F water, but 42*F water is lighter than 33*F water and the ground temperature, along with pond depth, will determine if the surrounding water temperature will remain a particular temperature.

So, the heater being at the pond bottom will not make too much of a difference due to a higher heat displacement and other changes due to the surrounding enthalpy.


As a quick aside, folks, we are not talking about air temperature. When talking freezing temperatures, air and water temperature is never even close to being the same.

 

[crsublette]

The solar bubbler doesn't have much power, it is off most of the winter here. LOL I can try to catch the plecos, but they dissappear so quickly! How do you catch a pleco? Anyway, I just thought that a submersible de-icer would make a warm spot for them. Right now, they sometimes sit on the small submersible pump because it gets a little warm.

Hope it works, but I don't have high hopes. Plecos are known for never surviving water temperatures that drop below 60*F. Hope'n for the best.

 

[crsublette]

For this winter, I am going to try the 1250w bucket heater, but still going to use a floating 1250watt deicer.

Going to setup the bucket heater as descrbed in post#200 in another thread.

Also, going to look into using a thermostat controlled eletrical outlet or a timer that can handle the ampage so that the bucket heater is not always on.

 

[koiguy1969]

Hope it works, but I don't have high hopes. Plecos are known for never surviving water temperatures that drop below 60*F. Hope'n for the best.

i have a 20" pieco... that spends 8 months a year in water at and under 60*... had him since he was 1" . he's been in 53* water and lived!
But a pieco isnt gonna survive an outdoor winter in oregon.

 

[fishin4cars]

Mark, I lost my big Pleco I have had for 5 years this spring. I put it out in the pond to early and that last water temp dropped to about 48-50. It didn't pass away all of a sudden either, it took several days and I finally removed it and took it out of it's misery. 50-60 water temps are about the lower limit for this species. I've witnessed some making it at lower temps but not by much. I don't think they have much of a chance of surviving a winter in Oregon, heck I would have a hard time surviving a winter that far north, and I ain't no fish! LOL

 

[dieselplower]

Someone remind me... What is the point of all this effort to screw with nature when it works just fine to keep a small hole open and be done with it? Yall's utility bills not high enough? You guys bored? Ya want to mess with fish evolution? What? Not bashing, just asking, why?

 

[crsublette]

Someone remind me... What is the point of all this effort to screw with nature when it works just fine 1) to keep a small hole open and be done with it? 2) Yall's utility bills not high enough? You guys bored? Ya want to mess with fish evolution? What? Not bashing, just asking, why?

1) ...to keep a small hole open...

This is the entire point. So many different approaches. Then, there is the approach of playing Russian roulette by never even having a small hole open at all or just a "pin prick" of a hole.


2) Yall's utility bills not high enough? You guys bored? Ya want to mess with fish evolution?

Well, also, some folk might have a Pleco in their pond they want to try to keep alive.

I do not think we are doing this to mess with the "fish's evolution". I would love to have some tropical blue cichlids in my pond, which I am told they do well at eating parasites in the water, but they are a tropical fish that can not tolerate cold temperatures.

Now, if it was possible to "mess with fish's evolution" to train fish to tolerate lower temperatures, then this would be a grand thing.

Meh, man, I don't know. I don't think anyone is trying to "mess with fish's evolution". :lol:

Everyone have their own desire's for adjusting their pond luxury. :cheerful:

Some folk adjust the pond luxury so much that they purchase a $1,500 koi. :faint:

 

[dieselplower]

The pleco will be dead. Why torture it?

 

[dieselplower]

Those are nice Koi. One was $7,500!

 

[Hangman]

Agapanthus:
I recommend you get those plecos out of the pond. It seems the general consensus is they will not survive your winter. The last thing you want is a couple dead fish rotting in the bottom of your pond over winter. I realize that many ponds have a fish or two die over the winter - but why leave them in there to die (and decompose) if you know they cannot survive?
My second recommendation is a 100 watt floating heater that is sold under several names. You can find it at Amazon or most internet pond suppliers. It is about 14 inches in diameter and has a 3 inch hole in the center. I have had good luck with it. It does freeze over after a couple days below zero (F) - but the hole opens back up when it warms up to the teens.
search K&H 8001 or 100 watt pond heater at Amazon it is $37.17 right now

Jeff

 

[crsublette]

The pleco will be dead. Why torture it?

I do not think the intent is to torture it; although, I can see how it can be perceived as such by PETA's representative, dieselpower.

It would be quite expensive to heat up the water for the poor little pleco.

I would make a special fish fry occasion out of it just to see how it would taste. Probably too many bones though...

 

[dieselplower]

Oh those are fighting words. We all know that pleco will die. Would a person do this to their dog? U

 

[crsublette]

Oh those are fighting words. We all know that pleco will die. Would a person do this to their dog? U

I don't know man. Depends on who you are asking, such as someone in china town where dog is on the menu. :bdaybiggrin: To really irk ya out, here ya go and high in iron, dog meat filets. :bye2: :bye2: