Do ponds get O2 in winter after the waterfall's shut down?

[GBBUDD]

120 and 60 for me 120 for the pond aerator and 60 keeps bogs aerated and cistern has the small water pump keeping the water moving
120n sounds like a lot i know but some winters like now even the 120 has a tough time keeping a hole open

 

[brokensword]

Good to know. What is a smaller aerator? Mine seems too much doesn't it from the pic? What are air stones? Those blue things? I am assuming you connect the blue air stones to your aerator meaning that is where the air comes out?

your aerator will generate heat so it'll be okay under your tub. As noted, keep th aerator stone a foot or so below the water surface. Oxygenation occurs AT THE SURFACE, not in the water column where the bubbles are rising.

That said, fish don't need the same level of oxygenation in winter (they're in torpor; needs are a lot less) and cold water holds a lot more O2 than warm. You're keeping a hole open so any toxic gas from decaying organics can get out as well as allowing oxygenation to occur.

This really only matters if you have a decent bioload (fish herd/large fish size). When the water temp hits 39 deg F, it inverts and the warm water now is at the bottom, hence why ice forms on top. In a pond of less than 10' depth (actually more, most of the time) you won't experience a thermocline but the water near tthe ice will still be colder than at the bottom of your pond.

 

[poconojoe]

I have a string tied to each of my air stones. I raise them up for winter as others have stated.

I made a small wooden "house" for my aerator. It took me about half an hour with scraps of wood I had laying around. The roof lifts off for access.

I have (inexpensive) little valves in the "house" controlling the air to each air stone.

 

[Doctor mcboy]

So it's November! Except for today the weather is actually pretty mild for the next 10 days and next weekend is high sixties and low around 50 which is pretty warm for November I think. All my questions are simply to determine what is best for the health of my fish. That's my main focus.
Today we are going to move the diffuser to the middle level (18 in) in our pond which is shallower so that the deep level (42 in) can remain undisturbed for the next few months. We are also going to remove most of the annuals today even though they're still kinda green.
I am assuming that our diffuser will be enough for winter because cold water stores more oxygen but what about so many other ponds that don't have a diffuser. How do they manage to have enough oxygen?
Also, what about filtration? Once our pumps are turned off there will be no filtration for months. Thanks why I'm planning to leave my pumps on till wintry weather actually hits. Is that ok? I've heard of some people keeping their waterfalls etc going all winter. How do they do that? Is that even desirable?

i dig your pond and patio. a far as the ice i live down south so that is not a problem. come on down and the ice problems are over forever!

 

[Lisak1]

As you already suspect, you have too many big fish for your pond. That inch of fish per gallon rule just does not translate to a pond, but sadly keeps being used in far too many pet shops. It may be fine for goldfish, but not koi. Check this chart to see what I mean - compare the difference between the waste produced by say 3 six inch goldfish and one 18 inch koi:

Koi Length and Weight - Ammonia Produced, and Waste Produced

This chart also lists koi weight by weight and how much ammonia and waste they produce. Koi get heavier as they grow and produce more ammonia and waste.

russellwatergardens.com

Anyway, that's a problem for spring. There's nothing you can do about it now, other than planning to either re-home some of your big fish or expand your pond. (I'm guessing it will be the former rather than the latter, based on your patio containing your pond space, but one can always hope!)

I don't use an aerator at this time of year for aeration so much as I use it to help with that ever popular "hole in the ice". We run our waterfall all winter, so it's generally not an issue, but the aerator and de-icer are plan B in case something happens that makes it necessary to shut down the waterfall or we get a power outage, etc. The aerator just under the surface with a de-icer directly above it has been very effective for us in the past.

 

[sissy]

Only thing I would wonder about your tote you have your aerator in getting covered in snow and can it get air to it in those kinds of conditions .Here I don't get a lot of snow so have no idea ,but i built a house for my aerator ,the wooden box holds mine and it sits on concrete block and house is open on the bottom with just a board holding the aerator and foam insulation around the sides

 

[cas]

I have used a small aerator (Laguna Aerator PT-1630) every winter since 2004 to keep a whole in the ice. I have the motor placed on the bench, protected by an over turned pot. The air stone is placed 12 inches below the surface. It successfully keeps a small hole in the ice all winter except for maybe a week or two in February when we get our coldest temps. In 2015 I started using a pond breather in addition to the aerator because I have more and larger fish and wanted to be sure to keep a hole open all winter.