Air balls?

[humbirdlover]

Can you use air balls or air stones in the winter? What do you recommend and where do I get them?

 

[Frankp]

That's what I used last winter to keep an opening in the ice. Worked real well. I'd suggest putting it in the shallow part of your pond. That keeps the warmer water on the bottom in the deeper ends where the fish will more than likely be. If it gets so cold that the aerator doesn' work then I use a floating heater to keep the ice open.

 

[humbirdlover]

Thanks Frankp, I might have to look into it. I've been using a small fountain pump inside a plastic container with a piece of filter cut to fit over it, plus have a light bulb in a box type thing I built to turn on when it get cold enough to freeze.

 

[j.w]

I know there is all kinds of them for sale on-line............round ball types, flat round ones, long bar ones etc. and I need to buy some but just haven't gotten around to it yet. I've been using a little air pump in the winter w/an old aquarium air stone on the end of it to keep a hole in the ice here. We don't get too terribly cold here usually. I also run a fountain tube bubbling water up to the surface and that keeps another hole open. I just bought a large air pump this Spring and I have it on one end of my pond bubbling up air like a giant volcano...............the fish love playing in it........... but I will only use that in the Spring/Summer for added surface movement to the water to help w/ added oxygen. If I kept it going all winter I would think it might keep my fish too chilly as it moves the water so much.

 

[humbirdlover]

Thanks jw..I was reading in some other threads about them, but didn't see where it said during the winter, or maybe I just missed it. We had a mild winter this past one, and I only turned the light on one time I think. They just sounded like they would work better than the little fountain pump. I just set it on a ledge to shoot water out and have a little circulation. When the pond does ice over, it makes a cool little ice arch, LOL Where do you get your products like that online?

 

[j.w]

I've never ordered an air stone on-line yet so can't tell ya where to look other than maybe check ebay or amazon for some. I don't know which kind are the best either. Maybe somebody else will have some good advice on which kind works the best and last the longest. When you say you used a little fountain are you saying you let the water shoot up out of the water and back in. I don't do that. I take the fountain top off and just use the tube on the water pump that's connected to it and just put the pump down in the water so only the very top of the tube is level w/ the water so it will form a nice hole in any ice that forms. The water just sort of gurgles upward a few inches. If the water coming up out of the tube shoots out too high you can lower the pump or use a shorter tube connected to the pump so it just sort of boils up if ya know what I mean. Like this:

 

[humbirdlover]

Maybe I do have the tubing a little too long, LOL It's funny how things happen. My hubby and Grandson just left to go fishing, and were going to stop to get some minnows on the way. Guess what they have in the cooler? Yep, an air stone! It works off of batteries, not sure if it has an ac adapter or not. But guess I had better not mess with their fishing stuff, LOL

 

[sissy]

I have a petco air pump with 4 ports i got around 4 years ago and works pretty good for being less than 30 dollars ,of course it does need protected from getting wet .I came with every thing

 

[j.w]

Yep I too have to keep my small aquarium pump dry so it sits on the front porch deck under a chair and pump is covered by a tupperware container and sitting on a towel. Has worked this way for a few years now w/ no problems. I just stick the little tubing line to the pump outlet and run it to the pond down a foot or so and it bubbles up air nicely.

 

[sissy]

The petco one comes with every thing air lines ,air stones and check valves .I got the big 2 inch air balls at big als.com and they were the cheapest I have found for the 2 inch ones

 

[j.w]

Good to know sissy. I have several lines coming off my air pump diffuser bar in the water. Could I put one of those balls on every line or is it a good idea to leave one line or so completely w/o a stone on it or does it matter?

 

[sissy]

I guess it would not matter .You could try it out both ways since these where so cheap I bought extra's .Only place I could get them that cheap .

 

[j.w]

I sure will check it out. I've bought things before at Bigal's on line. That's where I bought my Pondmaster pond pump and I still have it running 10yrs later!

 

[j.w]

Ok sissy how long ago did you get those 2" air stone balls from Bigals as I sure couldn't find any there on line today. Am I looking in the wrong place. I found the long bar ones and the short ones but no ball ones.

 

[sissy]

I just got them this past spring and you told me about big als