it would seem to me in order to keep a smalll area open when overwintering your fish and using a airpump that it would be better to not use a airstone on the end of the airline so that there is more of a rolling agitation to the surface than when using a stone. the other benifit would be less back pressure on the diaphram resulting in longer duribility. of coarse keeping the stone suspended off the bottom to prevent agitating the warmer bottom temps where the fish rest. is this a correct assumption?
airstone or open,,,
- Thread starter dga
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One guy had three airstones in his pond, the ice froze over and made ice bubbles. There are some threads on this in here, I have not had a pond running in a freezing area yet.
But I am sure someone in here will help you, welcome to the forum
But I am sure someone in here will help you, welcome to the forum
the idea is right you dont use a air stone just leave open the air line, luckily i live where it doesnt snow or get cold enough to freeze.
koiguy1969
GIGGETY-GIGGETY!!
HELLO NEIGHBOR...I am from Macomb Mich myself....yeah you dont need a stone just the air line 1/3 to 1/2 the ponds depth to keep a hole for gas exchange...your fish will gather in the deepest area of the pond where the water is warmest.
A large air pump did not work at all for me. I removed the air stone and raised the air hose one foot from the surface. One winter morning I found the entire pond frozen over. I had to run and buy a deicer to keep my poor fish alive this past winter. I live in CT. U.S.A. RDK
koiguy1969
GIGGETY-GIGGETY!!
my fish winter in a pond in my basement, but i actually left about 18 goldies in my pond last winter...gave me too much trouble trying to catch them... no falls.. no air ..no circulation...4 months in a froze over pond, and not a casualty in the spring....not that i would suggest this.
rdk said:
sure hope that does not happen to me.
thats why i am researching a plan of attach for my first overwinting of fish. i believe what i have read that even in a small 75 gallon preformed pond in zone 6, that properly prepped, i can do this without fish loss. ie: submersable stock tank heater of 250 watt, adjustable airpump, properly setup, mostly covered top of pond with marine grade plywood cut to fit (around 90%) to reduce wind chill freezing. and when i set up the pond last year (in case i decided to put in fish) 4 inches of sand on bottom over 6 inches of pea gravel and 2-4 inches of sand on the sides of pond. (sand does not hold water as fill dirt and clay does) thus also helping in insulating ground temps at bottom level. i am now wonderinf if i should have a floating heater on hand in case. i know the cost of the fish are much less than the equipment, but then again this is a hobby.
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Hobby's tend to cost a few pennies, you are putting a lot of thought into this. An extra heater on hand would not hurt. We won't have any fish to worry about. Will be lucky to have the pond running lol, by winter
I live in WMass and all I have done once things start to freeze over is put in a trough heater. I have never lost a fish over the winter. I mess up this year and went a couple of days to long with my falls running and the pond froze over and the pump dumped most of my water on top of the ice. But once again my fish survived.