Zone 5 Wintering

[TK9NY]

Starting my research early - plus planning a few changes (yes, already) that could help with wintering.

First off, i'm going to be deepening the pond. Right now it is about a foot and a half at it's deepest. I didn't even think to try for deeper when putting it in, so now i'm going back in to correct that. What depth should i shoot for, if i want to try wintering my fish? If i bring the fish inside, what depth is okay and when do i pull them inside for the year?

Second, in terms of the plants, how do i winter them? Do they just die off and i replace them next year? I have some floating plants (lettuce, hyacinth, salvinia), a couple of submerged plants (hornwart/moneywart?), and one "bog plant" (dwarf papyrus).

Finally, do i disconnect everything and bring the pump inside? What about the spillway? (It's a small 8 inch spillway with bio balls in it). I"m assuming i put a heater in the pond to keep a hole in the ice? What about an aerator?

I live in upstate NY if that helps. I have four goldfish (two fantail and two sarassa). The pond is a little over 100 gallons right now and once i deepen it (and widen in by about a foot on two of the sides) it will be closer to 200 i'm guessing.

This has been quite the adventure - after this weekend's alterations the pond will be 100% DONE in terms of building. Yay!

 

[addy1]

I use a pond breather, cheap on electricity. We are warmer than you but Mitch up in Canada uses the same thing his fish do fine over the winter.

you can find them for around 49-59 try dr foster and smith.

If your pump is external it needs to be pulled. Mine is external I pull it, shut everything off all the plants I have regrow, all are hardies.

Hornwort will come back, the others will die, I think they are all tropicals.

People in cold country say 3.5 feet works, my pond is 5.5 at its deepest. Our ice goes down usually not much more than 18 inches. A lot of times less.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

I'm in zone 5 and my pond is 3.5' deep at its deepest point.
I, like addy, use a pond breather. Has worked well the past two winters.

 

[bettasngoldfish]

I'm in zone 5 and the pond is 3 feet deep, fish stay out all year now (when I had a smaller preform 165 gallons and only 18" deep) I would bring them indoors for the winter) I use a heater and aerator all winter. I have also kept fish in a stock tank all winter by using a stock tank heater, aerator, putting a cover over the top of the tank and putting insulation around the tank (using straw bales) for the coldest part of the winter. Obviously I would take the cover off as weather allowed. The water never froze and if I remember correctly it pretty much stayed in the low 50s sometimes upper 40s.

 

[ChrisP]

3.5 feet is plenty for zone 5. All you need is a decent air stone system to keep a hole open. The fish will be just fine.

Water lettuce and hyacinth will die at the first frost; nothing you can do about that. Some tropicals (cannas, taro) can be brought inside before the frost hits.

I leave my hardy plants in float baskets in the pond as is.

The pump and tubing should be drained, but may remain outdoors.

 

[addy1]

Be careful with the aerator, a friend killed off all his fish using to big of one, during February, a real cold one, all the fish floated up to the top dead. One end of the pond was ice free, one end frozen, all fish dead.

A fish hatchery near me uses a small pump, like 200 gph with the output right below the water surface. It moves just enough water to keep a hole open. I use a pond breather in the deep end of our pond and and small pump in the shallow end. I use two since the pond is around 27 feet long.

 

[bettasngoldfish]

@addy1 By aerator I mean air pump with four outlets for air stones to be used to hang in the pond or stock tank. This is the exact one I use https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002JPEVMC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Are you referring to an aerator that sits on the bottom of the pond or tank?

 

[addy1]

@addy1 By aerator I mean air pump with four outlets for air stones to be used to hang in the pond or stock tank. This is the exact one I use https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002JPEVMC/ref=ohNope _aui_detailpage_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Are you referring to an aerator that sits on the bottom of the pond or tank?

Nope the same as that, it was a 100 something, can't recall the name, put out a lot of air. Kept half the pond open, half frozen, every fish except one died. Water tests all great. It was a really cold month, temps in the minus.

I quit using my aerator that year, now just the pond breather and small pump for the big pond, pond breather for the 1000 gallon pond.

 

[TK9NY]

Hmm, looks like three feet it is. Going in the hole this morning, wish me luck! Hopefully i can get back out.... I'm also pushing the sides back a bit. We're going from 4x3x1.5 to 5x4x3 - rough guesstimate - and if the calculators i used are correct that's going from about 130 gallons to about 450? Is that right?

Wow. I'm halfway to koi pond size and my landlords wouldn't be able to tell at all because the biggest change will be in depth! They're my parents so i'm allowed to "trick" them like this (LOL). I'm hoping if i can take care of this one and winter the fish properly, they'll be more open to a 5x8x4 foot koi pond (raised edge) next summer.

 

[TK9NY]

Didn't quite make it to three feet, my back and shoulders gave out on me lol - 2.5 feet, if i'm lucky, at the deepest. Is that okay?

And didn't really take the sides back, more just pushed the retaining wall back a few inches all around to leave a couple inch ledge around the edge for better stability for the wall. If i put another layer of retaining wall block then i'll have half a foot or so above ground and it might push the depth to three feet even.... if that makes a difference? If not i'll leave it as is.....

It's a lot of work and i was reminded of why i'm going with a raised edge koi pond in the future. Maybe dig about a foot down, but no more. My shoulders and wrists can't take that abuse!

 

[Lisak1]

Lots of ponds here in zone 5 are built two feet deep and winter fine with fish in place. But yes - one way to get a deeper pond is to build up!

 

[MitchM]

Wind exposure is the major contributor to ice thickness.
If your pond is exposed to the wind during winter, it will develop thicker ice.

 

[Jeanie master]

3.5 feet is plenty for zone 5. All you need is a decent air stone system to keep a hole open. The fish will be just fine.

Water lettuce and hyacinth will die at the first frost; nothing you can do about that. Some tropicals (cannas, taro) can be brought inside before the frost hits.

I leave my hardy plants in float baskets in the pond as is.

The pump and tubing should be drained, but may remain outdoors.

Hi, wondering since I'm in 5, and new to this, first winter..have you saved any taro, or tropical water lily tc? Ty

 

[Jeanie master]

Nope the same as that, it was a 100 something, can't recall the name, put out a lot of air. Kept half the pond open, half frozen, every fish except one died. Water tests all great. It was a really cold month, temps in the minus.

I quit using my aerator that year, now just the pond breather and small pump for the big pond, pond breather for the 1000 gallon pond.

I know I'm green at this (almost as green as my water lol) but I don't understand what happened here. I thought I'd leave my bubble in my pond and run the waterfall (with some insulation) and be ok...now, not sure what to do! Yikes. Also I have a deep end and a shallower end. Deep is 3.5' , shall is 2 I'd say. Help...

 

[sissy]

I put a kiddy pool and a cement mixing tub of plants in my basement with a grow light that comes on at night .A little miracle grow and they make it