DK910
6burg
5B/6a
Heater needed?
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DK910
6burg
Thanks do you have Amazon link for 200gal aerator choice?
DK910
6burg
Thanks! Do you have an Amazon link for a 200 gallon pond breather or is a simple small pump to provide bubbles suffice?Hey. So everyone’s pond is slight different so it’s hard to say exactly what anyone else needs. I’m in Chicago so I’m guessing we get more snow than you do. You can try running an aerator and see how that works. It is a good source of dissolved O2 for your pond. If your pond does freeze over you can put a pot with boiling water on the ice to melt a hole. If I had a choice of just one thing for my pond for the winter I would always go with a pond breather. In the 5 years I have been using it I have never lost one fish due to winter conditions except for one poor fish that decided to swim into my bog that isn’t very deep
DK910
6burg
…for source of 02
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Something like this would probably be pretty good for a small pond. Aquascape 75000 pond air 2
Also another way to get your water saturated with O2 is to build a mini waterfall throwing your pumped water over some rocks so it splashes in the pond. I’m attaching a pic of my pond so you can see how I did it. It’s nothing fancy that I bought. It’s just the end of hose from the pump being smashed down with a rock to get it to spray water. Btw my first pond was from a kit that was 150 gallons. If you think you may be getting addicted to ponding it never hurts to get better equipment as you go along so you don’t have to keep replacing it as the pond gets larger!
Also another way to get your water saturated with O2 is to build a mini waterfall throwing your pumped water over some rocks so it splashes in the pond. I’m attaching a pic of my pond so you can see how I did it. It’s nothing fancy that I bought. It’s just the end of hose from the pump being smashed down with a rock to get it to spray water. Btw my first pond was from a kit that was 150 gallons. If you think you may be getting addicted to ponding it never hurts to get better equipment as you go along so you don’t have to keep replacing it as the pond gets larger!
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DK910
6burg
Thanks! I have this little waterfall but do to DST
12/23/22 we won’t get much sun! I will do your idea but I’m limited with space but I will make it happen! I promise, due to limited space..I’m not getting larger do you run your pump all winter long? Where are you located?
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Hi. I’m in the city of Chicago and close to Lake Michigan. Yes I run my waterfall all winter. Typically I also run an aerator and a pond breather, but I’m not seeing them for sale on Amazon either now and mine needs replacing. So my pond is a lot bigger than yours.. over 3000 gallons and 60 to 70 fish but I have had small ponds in the past so I have a good idea what’s needed. If you look up my thread @CometKeith in the pond photography section in the thread labeled my goldfish pond you can see how I started more than10 years ago! Incidentally when my wife and I moved 5 years ago one of the conditions for the new place was me getting a much larger pond! This winter I only lost one fish but it was a 15 year old goldfish so I must be doing something right. I believe in redundancy so if you have multiple sources of aeration and one goes out it won’t be catastrophic for your fish. I have had submerged pumps go out in the winter and then start right up again in the spring. Having something else as backup saved the day!View attachment 151328
Thanks! I have this little waterfall but do to DST
DK910
6burg
Conditions lol! Sounds like you are a big “fry” so an aerator (simple small pump) to make bubbles along with a pond breather? Thanks for your help
just preparing for the inevitable..Windy City …subbbbbb zeroooooo!!!!
DK910
6burg
Do you have a link for pond breather? ThanksHey. So everyone’s pond is slight different so it’s hard to say exactly what anyone else needs. I’m in Chicago so I’m guessing we get more snow than you do. You can try running an aerator and see how that works. It is a good source of dissolved O2 for your pond. If your pond does freeze over you can put a pot with boiling water on the ice to melt a hole. If I had a choice of just one thing for my pond for the winter I would always go with a pond breather. In the 5 years I have been using it I have never lost one fish due to winter conditions except for one poor fish that decided to swim into my bog that isn’t very deep
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Haha. Yes we have been married almost 30 years so we had to negotiate about the pond. Incidentally we were doing a rehab of the property and she got to pick out everything else because I “waived” my veto power in the negotiations! It did hit 26 below a few years ago with minus 50 degrees wind chill. All my fish made it through that fine. Yes that combination sounds good. Can’t figure out why Amazon isn’t selling pond breathers anymore….may have to look somewhere else!Conditions lol! Sounds like you are a big “fry” so an aerator (simple small pump) to make bubbles along with a pond breather? Thanks for your help
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It looks like they are out of stock on Amazon and almost everywhere else. It looks they are all made by the same company… Allied Precision Industries. I do see one advertised by bestnest.com and they are selling it for under $100. I found one here that is the same model but more expensive.https://www.songbirdgarden.com/store/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=10883
Hopefully they will be more plentiful when everyone actually needs them!
You've gotten some good advice about your original question but it did catch my eye when you said you run your pump for 4-5 hours a day... if that pump is feeding your filter, you're not doing yourself or your fish any favors by shutting down the pump for any length of time. Just a thought!