Will my fish be OK if the pump/waterfall is off for 4 hours?

[bagsmom]

That's a strange question, isn't it? I'm going to do a yard sale (to hopefully get some money to help pay for the liner on my future pond build.) I'm limited as to where I put things out. With a bunch of strangers coming onto the property, I'd like to NOT draw attention to the pond. I don't want to deal with people wanting to walk up and through my gardens to get over to it and I definitely don't want people letting their kids go by it.
I was thinking if I just turn off the pump, no one would notice it was over there.
I think the fish would be totally fine. Would the bacteria in the filter be OK for that long, without water moving through it?

 

[MajorDan]

Good question for one of our more knowledgeable members. I am a noobie.

 

[Lisak1]

I think I'd go the route of putting up "Keep Out" signs rather than shut down the pond. People should be able to respect that, right?

 

[mrsclem]

I agree with Lisak 1. I don't let anyone walk thru my yard during yard or fish sales. Better than risking your fish by shutting things down. Velvet ropes maybe?

 

[Blueeyes]

I wouldn't shut the pumps down everything would probably survive except for the bacteria.

 

[snoozer]

I had power go out for 19 hours and everything was fine so i think you would be ok.

 

[Sparky]

I would say might be ok. Anything in your mechanical/bio filter system that goes dry will die off. If volume of the pond was big enough, you’d maybe be ok. In smaller bodies of water that die off could drive an NH spike however.

 

[Ray G]

I have had 26 hours blackouts with no power and had no problems with my pond. I guess it depends to a large degree on how many fish you have and whether you have plants in the pond as well. If the fish load is small and there are plants to use nutrients then everything should be fine for only 4 hours.

 

[bagsmom]

You would THINK people would watch and control their kids, but they don't. And I've had people go wandering around the yard, which I would never be gutsy enough to do. Kids run to the backyard and start playing on the swings. I'm hoping for avoidance rather than confrontation. (And being mathematically disabled, it is hard enough for me to make change without also trying to corral wayward people.) Actually, I think the prime traffic time will be around 3 hours, instead of 4. My fish load is low and I have tons of plants. So hopefully all will be well! (Honestly, I've considered just bagging the whole idea to avoid the work and stress, but I really want to do that second pond! I need the "free" money from my old junk!)

 

[addy1]

Have fun! You should be ok, IMHO. I have lost power off and on and all does ok. No koi!

 

[bagsmom]

Yes, no koi. Just some small goldfish. We have lost power before too, for an extended period, now that I think about it. I will let everyone know how it all goes. There are almost always good stories after a yard sale. There will ALWAYS be an old man who shows up early, looking for "old tools." Half the time I end up giving stuff away to cute kids or to families who seem like they need a break. The snooty, rich-looking people who try to bargain with me don't get any discounts! I'll be very happy if I can get $200 for my trouble. I don't really have anything "good" but I have a large quantity of just junk.

 

[addy1]

We need to do a yard sale, got sooooooooooooooo much stuff. A lot I hauled from AZ that I should have left in AZ

Good luck with yours!

 

[Lisak1]

Another reason why I avoid doing yard sales - I can't handle people. Haha! I can forgive kids just about anything - they only know what they've been taught - but adults who don't know how to behave send me around the bend.

I'm sure your pond will be fine. While the bacteria in the filter may die off, the pond is full of good stuff so it will all re-establish itself once you start it back up again.

Good luck with your sale! New pond - here we come!

 

[Ray G]

Good luck with the yard sale and let us know how it goes. I am sure the pond will be fine for 3 to 4 hours. Also I am not convinced that bacteria in filters die off as quickly as people fear they do. I reckon they are pretty hardly little critters overall.

 

[Linus_Cello]

It should be ok to turn it off for a few hours. I’m assuming that the day will not be extremely hot, that you have not overstocked the pond with fish, and you have a large volume of water. If it makes you feel better, partially cover the pond with something light colored to prevent the pond from heating up.