My pond runs all winter, zone 2/3

[addy1]

lol Colleen, I was out there sweating buckets, getting that darn hole done. 80 tomorrow too! way warm for this time of year. My land flowers have all started blooming again, looks like spring!

 

[callingcolleen1]

Hello CJ from Ohio! Hows your pond these days... Are you planing to winter your pond? Nice to hear from you!

 

[callingcolleen1]

Addy, I coming to cool you off with a ice cold "snow machine" and I'll try not to stomp on your pretty flowers!! Ha ha ha. You guys just love to watch me freeze to death here. While you sit by the ocean soaking up the sun and probally drinking nice fancy cocktails with little wooden unbrella's and cherrys on a sword!! Don't woRRy aBout ME!! I'll just FrEEzE my tongue to the IcY glass here trying to suck in a frozen cherry!!!

 

[addy1]

you are welcome to head down to florida and stay in the foreclosure we are working on..........10 minutes from the beach! We had some canadians stay there a month last winter

 

[callingcolleen1]

Oh thanks! Me and the fish, puppies, birds and hubby will just abandon this frozen land and all fly south! Sometimes it's real tempting but I must like this "challenge" why else would I go thru all the work of "ponding it"....... now I remember! its cause after a long cold hard winter, SprINg is SO much MoRe eXCiTing!

You really miss Spring after months of frozen, c o l d, horrid wind and icy snow white landscape, looks so clean and fresh with each new layer of snow.... till it melts and reveals the PoPPy "Chocolate Logs" that were hidden from sight!! wHAT!! You think I'm going to "feel" under the snow for PoPPy Poo! Ha Ha Ha. PS don't eat Yellow SNOW!!!

 

[addy1]

lol colleen, my little girl does bite size tootsie roll size logs. I just leave them, they add to the organic yard material!

 

[callingcolleen1]

Two bite Tootsie rolls, ha ha ha!

20 degrees outside, pond surface temperature currently at 35 degrees, from what I can see, still no ice this morning.

 

[Faultless]

you are welcome to head down to florida and stay in the foreclosure we are working on..........10 minutes from the beach! We had some canadians stay there a month last winter

Where in Florida are you at?

Two bite Tootsie rolls, ha ha ha!

20 degrees outside, pond surface temperature currently at 35 degrees, from what I can see, still no ice this morning.

I lived in Toronto for 5 years I loved the winter(I was born and raised in Palm Beach) I didn't see snow until I was 22. I was sitting in a restaurant by the window and it started snowing. Everyone looked at me strange as I picked up my food and ate it outside in the snow. My wife was born and raised there and we actually are considering moving back up at some point... Then we go to the beach in November and start laughing at that idea. Winter down here means lots of old people who say "well in New York (insert anything) is much better" and only having to mow the lawn once a week instead of twice.

 

[j.w]

You have inside birdies Colleen? Did you ever show them to us? Love to see your birdies :razz:

 

[addy1]

His parents live in delray beach, we go down all of the time to check in on them, fix things, make sure the nurses are doing their job. To keep from being bored........lol we have bought a few foreclosures to work on. The one we are almost done with, is in the same development his parents live in. Gives us a place to stay and only 8 houses or so away from them.

We live in maryland currently.

 

[sissy]

Nice and hot today but geeze so hot I had to start early this morning and then take a rest from the heat .Had to water some of my plants in the yard .I did finish sealing the side porch and front porch and even had a chance to look in on the pond .The lady bugs are a big hassle and keep landing all over you while your outside .They seem to be every where .

 

[Dave 54]

We run our pond all winter including UV-C and spin drifter bottom drain cover which we turn down ever so slighlty .
We cover the pond with Policarbonate sheeting and our filter housing is already double glazed with proper double glazing from windows it is insulated with Polystyrene sheeting 22mm from filter housing to Pond with extra insulation in the form of silversided bubble wrap sheeting and recycled Plastic Loft insulation .
YOu could say our koi are snug as bugs in a rug during the winter months

rgrds

Dave

 

[callingcolleen1]

Used to cover the pond many years ago with a "cold frame" type green house, but decided the dark was worse when I got white fungus growing inside the pond, on the walls, and on the fish! It went away once I took the top off. Then I thought I never get fungus under the ice in winter cause the sun can still shine threw the ice and keep fungas away. I decided the ice was good, to a certain extend, like 2-6 inches ok so long as there is lots of natural open holes and water running like the creek. I also try to keep things as natural as possible, and that includes a few leaves too. That year I got fungus, I also went crazy and covered everthing tight so not a leaf could fall in my pond, but I decided that too could be a problem, as some leafs good for pond life. So now for the last two decades I allow some leaves in the pond for the winter, keeps the SnailS haPpy!

JW I will try to get pictures of birdies tomorrow in the daylight, there sleeping now zzzzzz

 

[Dave 54]

Do you prep your fiter for winter ?
Do you continue with your regualar maintenance routine or stop ?
You must continue with your normal maintenance routines of water changes Vortex cleans (if you have one) ?.
Trickle the water slowly back in the pond and you'll find you loose next to nothing temperature wise .
Quit feeding at 10c and dont be tempted to feed again till spring,
That way you shouldnt have a problem

Dave

 

[callingcolleen1]

Dave, I have all my filters before the pumps and inside the water, just find I like that best, that way I don't have to rely on just one pump. I run three main pumps all winter, the rest I shut down. If one breaks down it's not the "end of the world" cause there is two others. Just how I have always done things, got a "system down pat" that's worked good for me for the last two decades.
I also don't do bubblers, prefer to keep pumps running like a creek, from pond to pond (I have three connecting ponds). Each pond is about 1000 - 1500 gallons or so, and three feet at the deepest.