When do you ...

[Sunshine]

Turn on the pumps after being shut down all winter? We are still cold here in Ohio. Today was 65*, but I'm sure old man winter isn't done with us yet. I left my Bio running, but shut down the bog. The fish are slowly becoming more active. Is there a certain rule to go by before staring it back up?

 

[Tula]

I'm a little south of you in Cincinnati area. I turned on my filter pump over a week ago. I'm not running my waterfall yet. My water is slowly clearing

 

[JBtheExplorer]

Probably as soon as temps are consistently warm enough that ice doesn't form on the surface anymore. The sooner I can clean it and get the water moving again, the better.

 

[Sunshine]

Great. Yea, I'll have to pump out the water that is in there and any nasties before I turn it on. The fish seem to stay on the small side where the falls have been running all winter.

 

[JohnHuff]

Over a week ago for me too. I do it by feel. Once the fish start moving and I don't think they're gonna freeze anymore. Basically I turn off the pump for 2 reasons.

One is to prevent further cooling of the pond water since circulation of water from the bottom of the pond to exposure to the air and in the waterfall will lower the water temp even more.

Two is to prevent damage to the pump. I figure when it gets very cold the water in the hose or at the outlet of the waterfall may freeze in the middle of the night.

So once, I don't think circulation of the water won't lower water temperatures and it's Spring like, I start the pond again.

 

[addy1]

I start mine usually early march, this year about a week ago. My pump is external, biggest fear is a power out and the pump freezing up.
Our water is a consistent 38 right now, even with the snow last week it stayed the same, 38.

 

[pecan]

I start mine when temps have warmed up enough (air temps in the 50's consistently) to work with the hoses and pumps. Normally around the first to middle of March. But this year it was the middle of February.

 

[Dave 54]

Never switch ours off

Dave

 

[morewater]

Well, we got 2.5" of snow last night, and tomorrow it's supposed to be around -14C with the windchill..........so I'd say I'm turning on my pumps sometime around June 28th.................Damn, I hate groundhogs, lying buggers.

 

[dieselplower]

I check the long range forecase and turn it on when I am confident nothing will freeze and risk damage to pump/hose etc or overflowing/emptying the pond. I like to get my filters going early to help them establish the benificial bacteria that are needed to handle the ammonia and nitrite that the fish will be producing at increasing levels as they start to perk up as the water warms. If I wait too long I know that the BB's will not be able to keep up and I will surely have an algae bloom. My filters are going now and this is the first time I have had them on this early. We shall see if it helps.

 

[Sunshine]

I really need to get busy ans clean it first. It was 65* yesterday, 44* today. This weather is so up and down. The pump is still in the pond. Hopefully I can just plug it in and it starts right up.

 

[taherrmann4]

I started mine about two weeks ago and that was about a week later than normal.

 

[j.w]

I never turned mine off