Comments on: Overwintering Your Pond Fish http://pondalgaesolutions.org/2009/10/10/overwintering-your-pond-fish/ The Official Blog Of Pond Algae Solutions Wed, 04 Apr 2012 02:44:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: PondGirl http://pondalgaesolutions.org/2009/10/10/overwintering-your-pond-fish/#comment-804 PondGirl Thu, 06 Oct 2011 14:20:28 +0000 http://pondalgaesolutions.org/2009/10/10/overwintering-your-pond-fish/#comment-804 Hey, I found your video helpful but just have a few questions specific to my pond. I have a 125 gallon pond and am living in a zone 5. I have bought a floating de-icer for the pond, however, have 5 koi in there and am wondering whether or not to leave the pump in. I seem to be getting mixed messages and nothing specific to my size of a pond. Hey,

I found your video helpful but just have a few questions specific to my pond. I have a 125 gallon pond and am living in a zone 5. I have bought a floating de-icer for the pond, however, have 5 koi in there and am wondering whether or not to leave the pump in. I seem to be getting mixed messages and nothing specific to my size of a pond.

]]> By: chris http://pondalgaesolutions.org/2009/10/10/overwintering-your-pond-fish/#comment-379 chris Tue, 24 Nov 2009 07:05:27 +0000 http://pondalgaesolutions.org/2009/10/10/overwintering-your-pond-fish/#comment-379 I HAVE A GREAT TIP FOR GETTING RID OF PEA SOUP ALGAE (GREEN WATER). GO TO WALMART TO THE FABRIC AREA. BUY A BAG OF QUILT BATTING. PLACE YOUR PUMP IN A BUCKET WITH HOLES DRILLED IN IT OR EVEN BETTER WHAT HAS WORKED FOR ME IS THAT I PLACE MY PUMP IN A CAT CARRIER. THE CARRIER IS A GOOD RECTANGLE SHAPE AND SEEMS TO BE MORE SOLIDLY BUILT. WRAP THE BATTING AROUND THE CARRIER, SECURE WITH ROPE. AFTER A FEW DAYS YOUR POND WILL BE CRYSTAL CLEAR. CLEAN BATTING AS NEEDED. HOPE THIS HELPS. COST OF BATTING IS AROUND 5 DOLLARS. I HAVE A GREAT TIP FOR GETTING RID OF PEA SOUP ALGAE (GREEN WATER). GO TO WALMART TO THE FABRIC AREA. BUY A BAG OF QUILT BATTING. PLACE YOUR PUMP IN A BUCKET WITH HOLES DRILLED IN IT OR EVEN BETTER WHAT HAS WORKED FOR ME IS THAT I PLACE MY PUMP IN A CAT CARRIER. THE CARRIER IS A GOOD RECTANGLE SHAPE AND SEEMS TO BE MORE SOLIDLY BUILT. WRAP THE BATTING AROUND THE CARRIER, SECURE WITH ROPE. AFTER A FEW DAYS YOUR POND WILL BE CRYSTAL CLEAR. CLEAN BATTING AS NEEDED. HOPE THIS HELPS. COST OF BATTING IS AROUND 5 DOLLARS.

]]> By: Mark http://pondalgaesolutions.org/2009/10/10/overwintering-your-pond-fish/#comment-354 Mark Sat, 17 Oct 2009 14:01:42 +0000 http://pondalgaesolutions.org/2009/10/10/overwintering-your-pond-fish/#comment-354 Hi Danny - It will be interesting to see how many make it through successfully. Best of luck this winter to you and all of them! Hi Danny – It will be interesting to see how many make it through successfully. Best of luck this winter to you and all of them!

]]> By: danny http://pondalgaesolutions.org/2009/10/10/overwintering-your-pond-fish/#comment-353 danny Sat, 17 Oct 2009 05:31:24 +0000 http://pondalgaesolutions.org/2009/10/10/overwintering-your-pond-fish/#comment-353 I live in southern Alberta Canada,last winter was the first time to leave my pond running and keep fish outside.I have 5 gold fish and 3 koi 4 to 6 inches,pond size 8'x14' and 20"-30" in deep.pressure flo filter,900tgph submersible pump.the waterfall is about 5' tall.mid oct temp dropped below 0 degress C ,after two days had to shut down waterfall because water started to be rerouted beside the pond due to ice. So I rerouted my waterfall diffuser around the side of the fall,and placed it to empty 4" above water surface.high flow creating lots of turbulance will keep a hole in the ice and helps aerate pond. This worked well till the temp dropped to -12C to -15C overnight 5 days in row.Then my 1 1/2" hose froze up along with the filter(yes it cracked the filter).I broke a hole in ice above pump and disconnected the outlethose and aimed the pump toward the edge of waterall to get high cicular flow around the edge of pond (kind of like river).i broke a hole in ice 6-8" two to five times a day useing sledgehammer.If you use the same hole or mantain the same the ice never get more than 1" thick so you really do not have to swing hammer hard(10lbs sledgehammer makes perfect size hole with little effort,remember the more often you break hole open in a day the easier it is and if your not bashing like a mad man you won't stress fish.5 times a day at temp of -35C,at this temp the hole will freeze over in a hour or so 2hours 1/2 of ice will form). I stopped feeding mid oct and did not feed again till erly may.lost 1 koi i think it tried to hide in rocks near surface got stuck in ice and froze. this year i'm adding an air stone.pond foze over last week i'll see how it goes. have at laest 50 babies that suvived the summer now 1"-2" in size.How many will survive winter? I live in southern Alberta Canada,last winter was the first time to leave my pond running and keep fish outside.I have 5 gold fish and 3 koi 4 to 6 inches,pond size 8′x14′ and 20″-30″ in deep.pressure flo filter,900tgph submersible pump.the waterfall is about 5′ tall.mid oct temp dropped below 0 degress C ,after two days had to shut down waterfall because water started to be rerouted beside the pond due to ice. So I rerouted my waterfall diffuser around the side of the fall,and placed it to empty 4″ above water surface.high flow creating lots of turbulance will keep a hole in the ice and helps aerate pond.

This worked well till the temp dropped to -12C to -15C overnight 5 days in row.Then my 1 1/2″ hose froze up along with the filter(yes it cracked the filter).I broke a hole in ice above pump and disconnected the outlethose and aimed the pump toward the edge of waterall to get high cicular flow around the edge of pond (kind of like river).i broke a hole in ice 6-8″ two to five times a day useing sledgehammer.If you use the same hole or mantain the same the ice never get more than 1″ thick so you really do not have to swing hammer hard(10lbs sledgehammer makes perfect size hole with little effort,remember the more often you break hole open in a day the easier it is and if your not bashing like a mad man you won’t stress fish.5 times a day at temp of -35C,at this temp the hole will freeze over in a hour or so 2hours 1/2 of ice will form).

I stopped feeding mid oct and did not feed again till erly may.lost 1 koi i think it tried to hide in rocks near surface got stuck in ice and froze. this year i’m adding an air stone.pond foze over last week i’ll see how it goes. have at laest 50 babies that suvived the summer now 1″-2″ in size.How many will survive winter?

]]> By: Mark http://pondalgaesolutions.org/2009/10/10/overwintering-your-pond-fish/#comment-352 Mark Sat, 17 Oct 2009 00:45:39 +0000 http://pondalgaesolutions.org/2009/10/10/overwintering-your-pond-fish/#comment-352 Hi Peter, Many thanks for the kind words and for the timeless advice. It's spot on. And may I say that "bravery" is often not a word related to wearing a silk shirt in a snow storm. Other words might best describe that:) Hi Peter,
Many thanks for the kind words and for the timeless advice. It’s spot on. And may I say that “bravery” is often not a word related to wearing a silk shirt in a snow storm. Other words might best describe that:)

]]> By: Peter ( Nishikiboy ) http://pondalgaesolutions.org/2009/10/10/overwintering-your-pond-fish/#comment-351 Peter ( Nishikiboy ) Fri, 16 Oct 2009 21:49:31 +0000 http://pondalgaesolutions.org/2009/10/10/overwintering-your-pond-fish/#comment-351 Another superb video ... I do like this site ! as usual concise and to the point ... easy to understand ... I prefer heating to 16.2C that way the thermostat kicks in at 15.7C but I understand for 1 reason or another not everyone can heat ... It's not the cold which kills Koi ... it's the fluctuating temperatures in Autumn Fall and especially Springtime ... the Parasites and Pathogens thrive and multiply far better as the temperature begins to rise, whilst the media bacteria is still dormant ! and the Koi immune system at its lowest level ! and of course the dreaded temptation to feed when too cold !!! Koi do NOT have a stomach, just a crude gut, and as pointed out in the video the food will just rot inside a Koi gut ! causing Bacterial disease and Ammonia inside as the food decays ! I have a silk shirt very similar Mark ... but I'm only brave enough to wear on vacation ! Congratulations once again Mark, on a superb Website ! Another superb video …
I do like this site !
as usual concise and to the point …
easy to understand …
I prefer heating to 16.2C that way the thermostat kicks in at 15.7C
but I understand for 1 reason or another not everyone can heat …
It’s not the cold which kills Koi …
it’s the fluctuating temperatures in Autumn Fall and especially Springtime …
the Parasites and Pathogens thrive and multiply far better as the temperature begins to rise, whilst the media bacteria is still dormant ! and the Koi immune system at its lowest level ! and of course the dreaded temptation to feed when too cold !!! Koi do NOT have a stomach, just a crude gut, and as pointed out in the video the food will just rot inside a Koi gut ! causing Bacterial disease and Ammonia inside as the food decays !
I have a silk shirt very similar Mark …
but I’m only brave enough to wear on vacation !
Congratulations once again Mark, on a superb Website !

]]> By: Mark http://pondalgaesolutions.org/2009/10/10/overwintering-your-pond-fish/#comment-349 Mark Tue, 13 Oct 2009 17:40:36 +0000 http://pondalgaesolutions.org/2009/10/10/overwintering-your-pond-fish/#comment-349 Sheila...thank you! This is a great post and wonderful advice from someone who has to deal with extreme winter conditions at times. Sheila…thank you!

This is a great post and wonderful advice from someone who has to deal with extreme winter conditions at times.

]]> By: Sheila http://pondalgaesolutions.org/2009/10/10/overwintering-your-pond-fish/#comment-348 Sheila Tue, 13 Oct 2009 17:30:20 +0000 http://pondalgaesolutions.org/2009/10/10/overwintering-your-pond-fish/#comment-348 Hi: I live in Nova Scotia, Canada and in towns we have limits on the depths of our ponds. In Amherst, it is under 20 inches and the winters can be brutle here. I have wintered several time in the outdoors, but it is risky business. If you get the cold before the snow then you will loose your fish. Several years ago I lost all my fish. The next year I had some that were freezer burnt and they eventually died so I have taken a better route I winter my fish in my garage which is unheated. I try to get most of the fish out but sometimes I miss a couple, and in the spring they come for food as soon as they see me out there getting the pond ready for the rest of their mates. The first year I did this I had major ice buildup in my pool and was constantly adding warm water, so my husband insulated the door that was close to the pool and it helped 90%. The next year I put foam insulation under the pool. I have not lost any since I started doing this. What I did was buy a 30" deep x 10 foot wide kiddie pool and I fill it with water and put a small pump with water feature in the centre. I bring in my fish (60 or so, pending on the number of babies I have. This year I only have four babies and last year I had about a dozen)late October and they stay there until mid to late April, pending on the ice in my pond. I wait until it is all melted and starting to warm up. When I first bring in the fish, until late December I have to add ice cubes to keep the water cool enough and after that I have to keep a check on the buildup of ice as once there is a little forming on the pump, several hours later you have an ice attraction. It is very important to keep the water cool enough so you do not have to feed the fish in the house. Cleaning the pool can be very difficult in the house so I try my best to keep it at a steady rate of 32-45 degrees. Seems to work well for me. A note of interest, last winter I had four frogs winter with my fish. They did very well and I did not have to feed them either. This is what works best for me in our extremely cold climate and I think if you live in a cold climate like ours, this solution to winterizing your fish can be very useful. Hi: I live in Nova Scotia, Canada and in towns we have limits on the depths of our ponds. In Amherst, it is under 20 inches and the winters can be brutle here. I have wintered several time in the outdoors, but it is risky business. If you get the cold before the snow then you will loose your fish. Several years ago I lost all my fish. The next year I had some that were freezer burnt and they eventually died so I have taken a better route I winter my fish in my garage which is unheated. I try to get most of the fish out but sometimes I miss a couple, and in the spring they come for food as soon as they see me out there getting the pond ready for the rest of their mates. The first year I did this I had major ice buildup in my pool and was constantly adding warm water, so my husband insulated the door that was close to the pool and it helped 90%. The next year I put foam insulation under the pool. I have not lost any since I started doing this. What I did was buy a 30″ deep x 10 foot wide kiddie pool and I fill it with water and put a small pump with water feature in the centre. I bring in my fish (60 or so, pending on the number of babies I have. This year I only have four babies and last year I had about a dozen)late October and they stay there until mid to late April, pending on the ice in my pond. I wait until it is all melted and starting to warm up. When I first bring in the fish, until late December I have to add ice cubes to keep the water cool enough and after that I have to keep a check on the buildup of ice as once there is a little forming on the pump, several hours later you have an ice attraction. It is very important to keep the water cool enough so you do not have to feed the fish in the house. Cleaning the pool can be very difficult in the house so I try my best to keep it at a steady rate of 32-45 degrees. Seems to work well for me. A note of interest, last winter I had four frogs winter with my fish. They did very well and I did not have to feed them either. This is what works best for me in our extremely cold climate and I think if you live in a cold climate like ours, this solution to winterizing your fish can be very useful.

]]> By: Linda http://pondalgaesolutions.org/2009/10/10/overwintering-your-pond-fish/#comment-347 Linda Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:44:41 +0000 http://pondalgaesolutions.org/2009/10/10/overwintering-your-pond-fish/#comment-347 Hi Mark, Thank you for the video, it's the first one I've seen and hope to see more. Also, the questions and comments have been great also. I've had fish for almost 10 years and it's all been trial and error. I have expanded my pond twice, because of course, you always end up getting more fish than you start with. I kept them in wading pools during the expansion with small pumps and they all came through like troopers. My pond is now aprox. 11.5' x 6' x 2' deep, so just over 1,000 gal., with a 2'x6'x1' ledge with pea gravel surrounding my pump and filter system. It holds six 12" to 20+" koi, maybe four goldfish, and five shubunkins. Two of the koi I've had almost from the beginning of first pond and they have come through every winter just great, as have the rest of the koi the last few winters. One shubunkin, for the last few years and we'll see how the 4 new one's survive their first winter. I do nothing special, keeping the pump running all winter, and removing the leaves that fall. Only this last winter did we remove any ice and the waterfall kept an open space anyway. I guess if you live in the PNW like I do, you seem to have an easier time of it. Hi Mark,

Thank you for the video, it’s the first one I’ve seen and hope to see more. Also, the questions and comments have been great also.

I’ve had fish for almost 10 years and it’s all been trial and error. I have expanded my pond twice, because of course, you always end up getting more fish than you start with. I kept them in wading pools during the expansion with small pumps and they all came through like troopers.

My pond is now aprox. 11.5′ x 6′ x 2′ deep, so just over 1,000 gal., with a 2′x6′x1′ ledge with pea gravel surrounding my pump and filter system. It holds six 12″ to 20+” koi, maybe four goldfish, and five shubunkins.

Two of the koi I’ve had almost from the beginning of first pond and they have come through every winter just great, as have the rest of the koi the last few winters. One shubunkin, for the last few years and we’ll see how the 4 new one’s survive their first winter.

I do nothing special, keeping the pump running all winter, and removing the leaves that fall. Only this last winter did we remove any ice and the waterfall kept an open space anyway.

I guess if you live in the PNW like I do, you seem to have an easier time of it.

]]> By: Steve Burns http://pondalgaesolutions.org/2009/10/10/overwintering-your-pond-fish/#comment-346 Steve Burns Mon, 12 Oct 2009 18:44:17 +0000 http://pondalgaesolutions.org/2009/10/10/overwintering-your-pond-fish/#comment-346 Lincoln, Nebraska. We have about a 3000 gallon pond with a depth of about 4' at the deepest. For the past several years we have left our waterfall running with a submersible pump and have used a stock tank warmer to keep the surface open. It keeps about a 10" diameter opening. The waterfall also keeps an area of the pond open for all but about 2 weeks during the winter. We have stopped feeding the fish several weeks ago. Trimming back all the follage around the pond is important to make sure it does not get into the pond and decay over winter. But all the work is worth it. Lincoln, Nebraska. We have about a 3000 gallon pond with a depth of about 4′ at the deepest. For the past several years we have left our waterfall running with a submersible pump and have used a stock tank warmer to keep the surface open. It keeps about a 10″ diameter opening. The waterfall also keeps an area of the pond open for all but about 2 weeks during the winter. We have stopped feeding the fish several weeks ago. Trimming back all the follage around the pond is important to make sure it does not get into the pond and decay over winter. But all the work is worth it.

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