wintering
 

See http://userpages.umbc.edu/~rrhudy1/winter.htm

(I will be moving my entire site hopefully by 10/4/03 to
http://www.fishpondinfo.com so this URL will move).

On Fri, 5 Sep 2003, Thenewguy wrote:

hey...im totally new at this...this will be my 1st winter (when it comes)
with having my pond. What do i do with my plants? and fish?? the pond is 2
feet deep and i live in ny where it can be any where from 20 degrees to -5
at night.....what do i do when the time comes???





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wintering link to zones with names
 

Absolutely can do it.

I live in Brampton, part of Toronto, and over-wintered my goldfish in my
pond, which is about 7x6, probably 24" deep, and all I used was a 100 watt
circular de-icer.

Last winter was brutal, but surprising to me, and most of my friends, was
that the ice on the pond never got thicker than 6"(I am guessing!) It
doesn't make sense considering we had a cold winter, but I swear it was so.
My 100 watt de-icer always kept a hole in the pond(a couple of times ice
built up in the hole in the de-icer, after snow falls or freezing rain, but
I cleaned it out.)

I had 11 2" goldfish, and 1 died in the spring, so I think I came out pretty
well.

I initially had picked up one of those 1500 watt de-icers, but on my way to
the cashier, someone stopped me and said that this would kill my hydro bill,
and that they had used the 100 watt de-icer without problem in Toronto.

This year, I am thinking of adding an air stone too. I have 2 4-5" koi,
figured a little more support might not hurt.


"Janet & Hugh" wrote in message
...
Kodiak you can indded overwinter fish. We have been doing it in zone 6b in
2.5 feet of water by keeping a hole in the ice. I would think you can do
it
in less than 4 feet of water as long as you keep a hole in the ice for
gasses to escape. :o)
Janet in Niagara Falls, ON


"Kodiak" wrote in message
...
Would it be unreasonable to have a pond in Zone 4a or 4b
and expect fish to survive in winter? I live in Montreal Canada,
my feeling is I need a pond at least 4ft deep. Is there info or a table
that
suggests what depth your pond should be depending on the zone your in?
...Kodiak


"Mickey" wrote in message
...
If you are talking Canada you are closer to a zone 2. Zone 5 is going
through the center of the USA. Here is a link with a few names for
reference

http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/hrdzon3.html

"Axolotl" wrote in message
. 130...
ESPMER (K30a) wrote in
:

Scott wrote Should I disconnect my filter for the winter, or
keep
it
running?
I was
planning to keep it, until I read the statement above.

You'll find a lot of people do different things ;-)

The bio bugs won't be 'working' in cold water and the fish won't
be
producing much, if any, waste so there is no need to filter a
winter
pond. Everybody kind of goes into a stupor for the winter.

Keeping water running, as in a waterfall or fountain, can
sometimes
be
dicey. If things start to freeze sometimes the water can freeze in
such a way as to direct water away from the pond. More so in a
waterfall than a fountain.

Another theory to keep the pump off is that the water movement
from
the pump to the fountain or waterfall, there and back again, is
making
a current for the fish to swim against when they'd rather just lay
there, slowly finning their fins. Water movement makes them work
harder and use up energy they'd rather put to keeping some weight
on
them over the winter.

But, all that said, there are rec.ponders who keep their pump
running
and their waterfall going all winter. And all goes well, no
problems.

Hi there, nice to see you back K30a.

I am not sure what zone I am in, Colour coded maps are not much use
to
somebody whose colour blind. I am in Mississauga, just west of
Toronto,
so I think I am in zone 5 (5a). In the past I have disconnected from
the
waterfalls and redirected the flow to a standpipe over the pond,
this
keeps an opening in the ice, adds oxygen and provides the local
wildlife
a source of water in the winter.
However, I wonder if this is the best approach, I keep seeing people
recommending a bubbler, I tried this one winter but the air pump
died
within 2 weeks. What depth should the air-stone be set to?

TIA
AXO







---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.515 / Virus Database: 313 - Release Date: 9/1/03

wintering link to zones with names
 

Absolutely can do it.

I live in Brampton, part of Toronto, and over-wintered my goldfish in my
pond, which is about 7x6, probably 24" deep, and all I used was a 100 watt
circular de-icer.

Last winter was brutal, but surprising to me, and most of my friends, was
that the ice on the pond never got thicker than 6"(I am guessing!) It
doesn't make sense considering we had a cold winter, but I swear it was so.
My 100 watt de-icer always kept a hole in the pond(a couple of times ice
built up in the hole in the de-icer, after snow falls or freezing rain, but
I cleaned it out.)

I had 11 2" goldfish, and 1 died in the spring, so I think I came out pretty
well.

I initially had picked up one of those 1500 watt de-icers, but on my way to
the cashier, someone stopped me and said that this would kill my hydro bill,
and that they had used the 100 watt de-icer without problem in Toronto.

This year, I am thinking of adding an air stone too. I have 2 4-5" koi,
figured a little more support might not hurt.


"Janet & Hugh" wrote in message
...
Kodiak you can indded overwinter fish. We have been doing it in zone 6b in
2.5 feet of water by keeping a hole in the ice. I would think you can do
it
in less than 4 feet of water as long as you keep a hole in the ice for
gasses to escape. :o)
Janet in Niagara Falls, ON


"Kodiak" wrote in message
...
Would it be unreasonable to have a pond in Zone 4a or 4b
and expect fish to survive in winter? I live in Montreal Canada,
my feeling is I need a pond at least 4ft deep. Is there info or a table
that
suggests what depth your pond should be depending on the zone your in?
...Kodiak


"Mickey" wrote in message
...
If you are talking Canada you are closer to a zone 2. Zone 5 is going
through the center of the USA. Here is a link with a few names for
reference

http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/hrdzon3.html

"Axolotl" wrote in message
. 130...
ESPMER (K30a) wrote in
:

Scott wrote Should I disconnect my filter for the winter, or
keep
it
running?
I was
planning to keep it, until I read the statement above.

You'll find a lot of people do different things ;-)

The bio bugs won't be 'working' in cold water and the fish won't
be
producing much, if any, waste so there is no need to filter a
winter
pond. Everybody kind of goes into a stupor for the winter.

Keeping water running, as in a waterfall or fountain, can
sometimes
be
dicey. If things start to freeze sometimes the water can freeze in
such a way as to direct water away from the pond. More so in a
waterfall than a fountain.

Another theory to keep the pump off is that the water movement
from
the pump to the fountain or waterfall, there and back again, is
making
a current for the fish to swim against when they'd rather just lay
there, slowly finning their fins. Water movement makes them work
harder and use up energy they'd rather put to keeping some weight
on
them over the winter.

But, all that said, there are rec.ponders who keep their pump
running
and their waterfall going all winter. And all goes well, no
problems.

Hi there, nice to see you back K30a.

I am not sure what zone I am in, Colour coded maps are not much use
to
somebody whose colour blind. I am in Mississauga, just west of
Toronto,
so I think I am in zone 5 (5a). In the past I have disconnected from
the
waterfalls and redirected the flow to a standpipe over the pond,
this
keeps an opening in the ice, adds oxygen and provides the local
wildlife
a source of water in the winter.
However, I wonder if this is the best approach, I keep seeing people
recommending a bubbler, I tried this one winter but the air pump
died
within 2 weeks. What depth should the air-stone be set to?

TIA
AXO







---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.515 / Virus Database: 313 - Release Date: 9/1/03

wintering link to zones with names
 

yes. that should work as long as the opening is large enough for you to SEE what is
going on. I would suggest a small pump placed no more than 1 foot down, blowing
water gently at the surface (gotta experiment with cutting the tubing to get this
effect-- the tubing should NOT be at the surface!!).. cause from my own experience,
when electricity goes out, the water freezes in the air pump hoses almost instantly I
had to use a cordless drill and 1.5 inch spade bit to drill a new hole, pull off the
frozen hose, put on new hose and airstone and drop it in. the entire tubing of the
water pump should be below the surface so water will not freeze in it. that way it
will open an air hole if the electricity is off for more than a little while.
any kind of cheap double outlet air pump with big airstones will do it. the air
stones are not dropped very deep, no more than 6 inches.
if the filtration sits in the pond, it is fine, if outside it will lead to over
cooling of the water in the pond and will eventually freeze up. the biobugs are shut
down anyway, I drop my regular pump into a 5 gallon bucket stuffed with that green
mosquito netting to filter and suck up the algae and other detritus keep the water
clear. even tho the pond is 1.5 feet above the ground, there is no ice at all on my
pond in winter. a small greenhouse does help solar gain. Ingrid

"Kodiak" wrote:

Hi Ingrid,
If I cover the pond, say with a sheet of plywood, leave a small opening on
the end,
as long as there's good aeration is that OK?

Assume I'm in zone 4b, that is -20 to -25 minimum average, the pond is
10ftx4ftx4ft or approx. 1200gal.
What kind of aeration is optimal. how many cc's for air pump, and how many
airstones or other
system?

Some people suggest shutting down their water pump/filtration, others say
leave it on
as long as it dosen't freeze or water dosen't get diverted. Which is right?
Many thanks for info...
...Kodiak

wrote in message
...
It isnt JUST keeping the water liquid and aeration to put in oxygen, and a
hole to
let toxic gases out... it is how long those fish are going to go without
food because
the water is less than 55oF. that is why some way of covering the pond so
it stays
warm later in fall and warms up earlier in spring is important. not to
mention more
energy efficient than running 1500 watt heaters. Ingrid


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

wintering link to zones with names
 

yes. that should work as long as the opening is large enough for you to SEE what is
going on. I would suggest a small pump placed no more than 1 foot down, blowing
water gently at the surface (gotta experiment with cutting the tubing to get this
effect-- the tubing should NOT be at the surface!!).. cause from my own experience,
when electricity goes out, the water freezes in the air pump hoses almost instantly I
had to use a cordless drill and 1.5 inch spade bit to drill a new hole, pull off the
frozen hose, put on new hose and airstone and drop it in. the entire tubing of the
water pump should be below the surface so water will not freeze in it. that way it
will open an air hole if the electricity is off for more than a little while.
any kind of cheap double outlet air pump with big airstones will do it. the air
stones are not dropped very deep, no more than 6 inches.
if the filtration sits in the pond, it is fine, if outside it will lead to over
cooling of the water in the pond and will eventually freeze up. the biobugs are shut
down anyway, I drop my regular pump into a 5 gallon bucket stuffed with that green
mosquito netting to filter and suck up the algae and other detritus keep the water
clear. even tho the pond is 1.5 feet above the ground, there is no ice at all on my
pond in winter. a small greenhouse does help solar gain. Ingrid

"Kodiak" wrote:

Hi Ingrid,
If I cover the pond, say with a sheet of plywood, leave a small opening on
the end,
as long as there's good aeration is that OK?

Assume I'm in zone 4b, that is -20 to -25 minimum average, the pond is
10ftx4ftx4ft or approx. 1200gal.
What kind of aeration is optimal. how many cc's for air pump, and how many
airstones or other
system?

Some people suggest shutting down their water pump/filtration, others say
leave it on
as long as it dosen't freeze or water dosen't get diverted. Which is right?
Many thanks for info...
...Kodiak

wrote in message
...
It isnt JUST keeping the water liquid and aeration to put in oxygen, and a
hole to
let toxic gases out... it is how long those fish are going to go without
food because
the water is less than 55oF. that is why some way of covering the pond so
it stays
warm later in fall and warms up earlier in spring is important. not to
mention more
energy efficient than running 1500 watt heaters. Ingrid


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

wintering
 

"Ian" wrote in message
.rogers.com...
I am in Brampton, and we normally are rated at 5a-6a.

BTW, where did you purchase your air pump, air stone?

I got both at Wal-Mart in their pet section. Any pet store or discount
store with a pet section should have what you need, and for an inexpensive
cost.

NJ

wintering
 

"Ian" wrote in message
.rogers.com...
I am in Brampton, and we normally are rated at 5a-6a.

BTW, where did you purchase your air pump, air stone?

I got both at Wal-Mart in their pet section. Any pet store or discount
store with a pet section should have what you need, and for an inexpensive
cost.

NJ