I'm so upset! Two dead Koi! l

[callingcolleen1]

I have taken my time to find some of the very bad comments just for you guys that think it is the greatest thing. I remember well back 15 years ago people were recommending about the "then in thing" was the aerator and that failed horrible for people with severe weather as they seen to always freeze shut. I know lots of people over the years tell me "it works so great and the fish are all just fine, then a bad winter and suddenly they just died off.

Read these and just remember, nobody ever reported dead fish from a well circulating pond in the winter.....

I was expecting better aeration from this pond breather

Byeyeinzsky75on April 28, 2015
Verified Purchase
I used this product for my 500 gallon koi pond in RI. It was my first winter with the pond. 1 out of the three fish died. Also when the ice finally thawed, the water stinked as hell that I am surprised two survived. I was expecting better aeration from this pond breather.

Top critical review
See all 24 critical reviews›

All fish dead
ByGail Moenon March 7, 2016
Verified Purchase
It's just starting to thaw the ponds here in Minnesota. I have this new gadget and lots of dead fish bodies so far! I am beyond mad. IT is still working, just like it's supposed to. All my Koi appear to be lost. Who pays for this?
3.0 out of 5 starsDoesn’t work
ByATon February 20, 2018
It worked ok for couple of months then one day tipped over and wasn’t aerating anymore.. this happened after a snowfall and freaked me out as there was a risk of ice build up. Fortunately the pond was large enough to not freeze over but I wouldn’t depend on it in future

Showing 1-10 of 11 reviews(1 star). See all 65 reviews
1.0 out of 5 starsDid Not Work for Us
Byejr1953on December 2, 2017
Verified Purchase
This unit would not stay upright in our pond and when I attempted to correct that, the top fell off into the pond.

It sounded like a great idea, but in practice was not designed with enough weight below the waterline to keep it upright.
Comment|Was this review helpful to you?
Yes

No
Report abuse
1.0 out of 5 starsNOT A GOOD PRODUCT
ByColin Snow Minneapolison January 8, 2016
Verified Purchase
Bought one last year, 2014. Worked well in Minnesota for a few months and then started to trip the circuit breaker. Ran it this year for less than a month before it tripped again. Tried calling the company today Jan 8th using the numbers online 630 365 0340 & 800 627 6179 but both numbers are no longer in service. I don't believe Amazon should be marketing products that fail like this & customers are then unable to contact the manu

1.0 out of 5 starsdidn't work.
ByIke LaRueon April 2, 2016
Verified Purchase
Bought these during the summer planing for the winter. Bought two in fact. Neither one worked. I read the directions, and there was no water flow to the top circulating the water.

May have to return
ByAGuyinBendon December 20, 2017
Verified Purchase
So far cannot get ours to work. No bubbles. Just pumping water, not air. Defective? Maybe assembled wrong? W


1.0 out of 5 starsOne Star
ByMaureen maxandon November 24, 2017
Verified Purchase
Does not really work temp only 29F and just doesn’t fill and float correctly .




1.0 out of 5 starsPond heater
ByRobert Kolleron January 17, 2010
Verified Purchase
It just did not work for me. The float kept tipping over in the water and there was a hose that went to nowhere. I returned it after my son fiddled with it in our backyard for 30 minutes.
Yes
No
Report abuse
Comment

Insert product link
Paste the product's web address below:
Product not found. Only products offered on Amazon can be linked.



1.0 out of 5 starsthis looks like a good product
ByAmazon Customeron January 1, 2017

Reading through the reviews, this looks like a good product. However, one design aspect of it is horrible. The pump is encased in a plastic "filter" ball, with only one small opening that allows both the wire (power) and the hose (pumped water) through. The fitting that connects the pump to the hose comes out of the pump at a 90 degree angle, and instead of installing a secondary 90 degree angle fitting, which would then place the hose parallel to the incoming wire (so that they would both fit through the hole in the filter ball without exerting undue pressure on the hose fitting), the hose is simply bent 90 degrees so that it will fit through the hole in the ball. First, this puts a kink in the hose, which severely restricts water flow. Second- and most importantly, in my case- it put so much pressure on the fitting that it became snapped off in shipping. The fitting is molded into the pump, so it cannot be replaced. The only options that I have at this point are 1) Send the whole thing back for a replacement (while I am currently watching my koi die off), or 2) Attempt to epoxy the fitting back together and see how long it lasts. With frigid weather predicted for the next week, I have no choice but to try #2 and see what happens.
Yes
No
Report abuse
Comment

Insert product link
Paste the product's web address below:
Product not found. Only products offered on Amazon can be linked.



1.0 out of 5 starsGreat idea that doesn't work.
ByB. Erdmanon January 3, 2018

I have tried to use these for several years now. They all end up forming a cone of ice around the plastic tube. This winter the cone goes all the way to the top.

Please don't talk about adding air or dissolved oxygen to the pond with this device....No device will add additional dissolved oxygen in a pond that is already near freezing because no pond ever, ever, ever needs dissolved oxygen in the winter. This is a scientific fact...only out-gassing is needed due to decaying organic debris and urination of the fish. Man, so many sources tell these magical stories to people on the Internet. This device is great in a high-quality filtered pond with NO Debris on the bottom or floating mid-level. It has failed numerous times with all of my customers in the Northeast.
Yes,
I write national magazine articles about filtration and bacterial diseases in Koi ponds and design custom systems for a living.

Mat
Comment| 3 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?
Yes

No
Report abuse
2.0 out of 5 starsPond Breather
Bymichael Olesenon January 9, 2014

I bought mine based on the other reviews, but I am not having good luck at all. I have a big dome of ice building up around the clear plastic tube. I have had to poor hot water to clear the ice mound. And now with MN weather I am stuck repeating the exercise of hot water baths. I am not sure why this is occurring. This should have been a slam dunk.
Comment|Was this review helpful to you?
Yes

No
Report abuse
2.0 out of 5 starsAPI 8PB Pond Breather
Bytealeafon December 22, 2012

I bought this last winter and it seemed to work okay. This year it bubbled for a couple of days and is now not working. I do not like the idea of buying a heater each winter. I have leopard frogs that hibernate in my pond. I do not recommend this at this time and intend to contact API to see if this is usual for their heaters or just this particular one.

 

[callingcolleen1]

Other people on this forum are also quietly discussing the "pond breather failures" in their local garden centers, as I read that from a well known person on this forum.

The above reviews were just a few that I grabbed. there are more everywhere.

 

[MitchM]

I think we should all chip in and buy Colleen a pond breather for Christmas.

 

[addy1]

your fish would most likely have survived without them as well. as you never used to use them and your one top pond that froze with no circulation your fish your said were fine there too.

I always had a aerator running, or a small pump running, every winter. Never let the ponds freeze over solid. Quit using the aerator after a friend lost all their fish using one. It was a cold winter, we think too strong of a aerator running. Possible super chill. When the ice melted all they did was scoop out dead fish.

Both my ponds with fish have been kept with a hole in the ice, aerator, small pump.
After that year, changed to the pond breather. Around 4 years ago. I don't really care about bad reviews, I will keep using them. You can always find bad reviews for anything you use.

The pond that froze this year with some fish that survived, is around 200 gallons, with two small fry in it. Volunteers, eggs went down the hose that feeds water to the pond. Two one inch fish in 200 gallons, odds are that they would be fine.

I had some fry in the same pond a few years back, they did not survive the winter. I try to catch them but you all know what it is like, darn things are fast. Lots of plants in the pond.

 

[addy1]

Other people on this forum are also quietly discussing the "pond breather failures" in their local garden centers, as I read that from a well known person on this forum.

The above reviews were just a few that I grabbed. there are more everywhere.

Well if someone here is quietly discussing the failure, they are welcome to discuss it here. Not everything works for everybody. They work for me and my two ponds that have a fish load.

And power use.............don't even notice it. We use less than $50.00/ month for electricity in the winter.

 

[callingcolleen1]

I always had a aerator running, or a small pump running, every winter. Never let the ponds freeze over solid. Quit using the aerator after a friend lost all their fish using one. It was a cold winter, we think too strong of a aerator running. Possible super chill. When the ice melted all they did was scoop out dead fish.

Both my ponds with fish have been kept with a hole in the ice, aerator, small pump.
After that year, changed to the pond breather. Around 4 years ago. I don't really care about bad reviews, I will keep using them. You can always find bad reviews for anything you use.

The pond that froze this year with some fish that survived, is around 200 gallons, with two small fry in it. Volunteers, eggs went down the hose that feeds water to the pond. Two one inch fish in 200 gallons, odds are that they would be fine.

I had some fry in the same pond a few years back, they did not survive the winter. I try to catch them but you all know what it is like, darn things are fast. Lots of plants in the pond.

Do you remember if your friends acerator quit puumping air? They do tend to do that when the air line freezes shut after they condensate. Thats what usually happens to them when very cold.
200 gallons is pretty small pond to run all winter. Smaller the pond the harder they freeze. I highly dought it was anyrhing to do with super chilling as thats not possible. Most likely pond froze too hard as you said when pond was frozen over. Air pump may have quit working, but 200 gallons is quite small. Fish could have been frozen in ice if pond froze that hard.

 

[addy1]

Do you remember if your friends acerator quit puumping air? They do tend to do that when the air line freezes shut after they condensate. Thats what usually happens to them when very cold.

Nah it was pumping away, 1/3 of the pond open water, the shallow end, started seeing a few floaters in the open water in mid February, as the ice melted nothing but dead fish. All goldfish, from small to large, dead.

Had it out by the pond, covered, the air lines wrapped in insulation, the stuff you put around water lines.

 

[callingcolleen1]

Nah it was pumping away, 1/3 of the pond open water, the shallow end, started seeing a few floaters in the open water in mid February, as the ice melted nothing but dead fish. All goldfish, from small to large, dead.

iI know lots of people that have water pumping up a big storm in their ponds like CE has a thrashing splashing pump and her fish fine.
People should never rely on just one device during exteme weather. I use recommend heater and pump running for most people that have weather colder than minus 20 Celsius for long periods. That pond was too small and should have had a heater.

 

[addy1]

That pond was too small and should have had a heater.

Their pond was over 10000 gallons.

 

[callingcolleen1]

I think we should all chip in and buy Colleen a pond breather for Christmas.

I am sorry but I would not use it as I have at least 50 pounds of Koi breathing below the ice and that hole would be too small to provide enough air for that many big koi. Plus the pond would freeze way to hard for my liking. I would never allow two feet of ice to cover my koi ponds. Running a pump is way better way to get oxygen down to fish and running water keeps ice down best in my ponds. I have not used the heater for over a week now. Top pond had lots of ice in morning but by noon its gone as the running water at ice level quickly gets rid of ice. Plus the water is always so sparking clean and clear when your run pumps all winter. Pumps use less energy that that pond breather.

 

[callingcolleen1]

Their pond was over 10000 gallons.

Must have read that wrong. I would have left pump running. Most Pumps don't take hardly any energy and use less watts than pond breather.

 

[MitchM]

Colleen, there are so many inaccuracies in your statements, I don't know where to start.
People come here for help, if they receive wrong information, they won't come back. You need to stop giving out information that is inaccurate.

If you don't want to use a pond breather, don't. Other people do and it works great.
You obviously don't understand how pond breathers work or what their purpose is.

Keep doing what you're doing for your pond, other people will do what works for them.


.

 

[addy1]

I would have left pump running.

external pump one power out, pump is history, there for off every winter

 

[mrsclem]

Colleen, I'm sorry this thread has turned out this way. Obviously, what you do with your pond works for you. If I'm not mistaken, and correct me if I am, you run a 1200- 1500watt heater in your pond system. The pond breather is 40 watts. I use 1500 watt heaters when we have hard freezes and my electric bill jump significantly! I read the bad reviews online and it seems that a lot of them were posted by people who did not understand how the pond breather worked or had ponds that were doomed anyway( 500 gallons with koi). The issue with the breathers tipping is probably due to the depth of the pond. If the ball that holds the pump sits on the bottom, the breather will tip. The water depth needs to be deep enough for the pump to be suspended off the bottom. I do a lot of online shopping and bad reviews are just that- bad. Most people that post don't know how to use what they bought or there is an issue with shipping, damage, etc. Nothing to do with the actual product. I agree that the pond breather may not be acceptable where you live but it works for a lot of other people. Personally, I could not afford to run my high wattage heater for more than a couple of days a winter. I'm interested to know how many days you run yours.
No offense- I love your videos and you do a fantastic job with your ponds.

 

[addy1]

The issue with the breathers tipping is probably due to the depth of the pond. If the ball that holds the pump sits on the bottom,

I tie the pump up, in the 1000 gallon stock tank pond the pump will sit on the bottom. I do a slight loop of the tubing tie it up so it is off the bottom. Never tips.