Is there a need for a Filter for a Pond

[sub-80]

One question if I may: In another pond 50 times larger they place Nile Tilapia and during winter the fish started to die. So he asking for a heater, what size heater do I need?
Each website had a different value for amount of low temp the Nile Tilapia can tolerate, am using 16C. Pond or pool heater calculators are showing 300-400Kw, which seems crazy high.

Brackish Water
Volume:1825m cube
Surface Area: 913m sq.
Desired Temp: 18C
Average low temp (During Winter): 12C - 14C

 

[Dave 54]

One question if I may: In another pond 50 times larger they place Nile Tilapia and during winter the fish started to die. So he asking for a heater, what size heater do I need?
Each website had a different value for amount of low temp the Nile Tilapia can tolerate, am using 16C. Pond or pool heater calculators are showing 300-400Kw, which seems crazy high.

Brackish Water
Volume:1825m cube
Surface Area: 913m sq.
Desired Temp: 18C
Average low temp (During Winter): 12C - 14C

The larger the bod of water the greater the Kw to heat it I'm afraid

Dave

 

[sub-80]

eHow page for calculating the pond heater size gave me a seriously small number: 1928w
482114/25=1928watts
http://www.ehow.com/how_5767173_choose-right-pond-heater-size.html

 

[MitchM]

eHow page for calculating the pond heater size gave me a seriously small number: 1928w
482114/25=1928watts
http://www.ehow.com/how_5767173_choose-right-pond-heater-size.html

I would ignore that ehow page.
It's WAY off the mark.

If you really want to figure out pond heat loss, here is a good guide.
It's complicated though.

http://geoheat.oit.edu/pdf/bulletin/bullet140.pdf


.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

I would ignore that ehow page.
It's WAY off the mark.

If you really want to figure out pond heat loss, here is a good guide.
It's complicated though.

http://geoheat.oit.edu/pdf/bulletin/bullet140.pdf


.

Great link! I didn't have that one. Thanks MitchM

 

[Meyer Jordan]

One question if I may: In another pond 50 times larger they place Nile Tilapia and during winter the fish started to die. So he asking for a heater, what size heater do I need?
Each website had a different value for amount of low temp the Nile Tilapia can tolerate, am using 16C. Pond or pool heater calculators are showing 300-400Kw, which seems crazy high.

Brackish Water
Volume:1825m cube
Surface Area: 913m sq.
Desired Temp: 18C
Average low temp (During Winter): 12C - 14C

I am a little confused. You state that this other pond is 50 times larger. Larger than the pond in the original post? Then you give the same dimensions as the original pond.
If this OTHER pond is indeed 50 times larger than the first discussed pond then we a talking about in excess of 20 million gallons of water. Is it that large?
In any case, heating a pond of 400,000+ or 20 million+ gallons is going to be very costly. Not only in operating costs, but in cost of heating units (gas fueled units would be indicated on a pond this large) and plumbing configuration of intakes and outflows to ensure even heating throughout the water column. Quite an initial and continuing capital outlay for a 'Decorative' feature.

 

[MitchM]

Great link! I didn't have that one. Thanks MitchM

If people go through the exercise of calculating the actual heat loss for their ponds, I think they'll realize why I think floating heaters are such a waste of money and energy.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

If people go through the exercise of calculating the actual heat loss for their ponds, I think they'll realize why I think floating heaters are such a waste of money and energy.

Well, they do seem to be good for maintaining a vent hole in the ice cover....sometimes. But that's about all.
Thankful, and so are my fish, that I don't have that problem or any of the others related to arctic-like weather.

 

[MitchM]

It's a very expensive method to expose pond water to the surrounding air - passively at that.
I prefer to use a pond breather which constantly circulates water from 2 feet below the surface and exposes the water to the air in a heated tube. The floating heater uses as much as 1500 watts, the pond breather uses 48 watts.
Pond breather: http://www.amazon.ca/Watt-Pond-Breather-Heated-Aerator/dp/B000HHM9U0

The only useful purpose a floating heater provides (in my opinion) is that it creates an open water area so that a person can view their fish. The gas exchange aspect would be minimal I believe.

 

[callingcolleen1]

heaters can be a waste of money unless you have good water circulation, then they work much better. I have discovered that since I switched out one of the pumps in the top pond to a smaller pump last month, then you get more ice! If you have really good flow then you get way less ice. I also think that having the ponds half built up above the ground like my top pond is a very good thing for hard winters!! Yes!! This is because during really hard winters the frozen ground effects the amount of ice on ponds, that is why during warm days my ponds melt so fast, cause they are partly built up and away from the ice cold freezer ground! The ground stays frozen for a lot longer than the air, so on warm days things melt very fast on my upper ponds....