My pond runs all winter, zone 2/3

[addy1]

That is a ton of fish Colleen! You need to drop some birth control pills in the tank.

Neat ice pictures brandonsdad

 

[j.w]

That ice is catching up w/ you Ryan................your gonna need a chainsaw pretty soon!

I remember those days of hatching baby fish driving me crazy as they over populated my tank Colleen. All gone now, no more of that stuff to deal w/ for me. At first it was fun to watch and then it just got nuts. Finally separated the male and females..........what a job, some would still be in there w/ each other of the same sex that I didn't spot and then there they would go at it again :goldfish: :goldfish: :goldfish: :goldfish: :goldfish: :goldfish:

 

[callingcolleen1]

JW did you ever have the wild guppies? I have had colonies of wild guppies in three different tanks for 25 years. They are very small and not fancy like the guppies in the pet store. I bought four big colorful guppies and put them in the ten gallon with all the wild guppies, hoping to breed some of the "wild" out of them but now the wild guppies are all suddenly dieing in that tank, but the new fancy guppies look great and had babies that also look great, so long as I keep picking out the small dead wild guppies ..... now my hubby calls me the "killer" and I am sad. But on the other hand maybe I will get just one tank with big fancy guppies, which is all I ever wanted, but if one wild guppie left it may interbreed and call the rest to go wild.

I have an exciting new idea for spring, I saw that little tank that the koi guy posted somewhere, looked like it had wild guppies in it. I want to make a miniature garden with my succlents, and have a mini one gallon pond, stocked with little guppies, with a home made fairey house!

 

[j.w]

Nope never had wild guppies Colleen just the ones w/ the colored tails. Have fun w/ them cuz you will have them forever and ever Amen! Good thing they need water to live in as they would be in every crack in your house including your bed :razz:
Hey I hear a frog outside chirping away like it was Springtime............guess somebody likes the rain here

 

[callingcolleen1]

Sure signs of spring today, large ponds sedges are starting to turn green again. The darn things grow under the snow, and the roots are in flowing water so they are just full of energy from their winter nap and eagar for spring too! Moss is also turning green on the lava rock in pond edge.

 

[addy1]

We are heading to 25 degrees above normal, not good for the plants, then it is going back to cold.................maybe lol

Great looking shots there Colleen

 

[callingcolleen1]

Those big sedges always start very early under the ice and snow, never hurts them, but I it would not be good for spring bulbs to come up now, don't think they will yet even with the really warm day yesterday. Water was running off the roof and snow had all melted, but now it's snowing again like crazy, pond ice had all melted, but now it's turning to slush again. Will get picture later...

 

[callingcolleen1]

Tonight by the pond, the snow is still falling and the temperature is supposed to drop to -6 tonight . Going to plug the pond heater in now....

 

[addy1]

We are heading to 68 on sunday................way to darn hot for this time of year. The plants are confused again.

 

[callingcolleen1]

Well I went to check the pond early this morning (420am) before work and the very heavy snow we had last night must have caused a short on this one light by the pond (tripped the circuit) and that was on the same circuit as the pumps, but not the heater. Only two hoses were froze and I had to defost them in the tub before work. Was wet and cold after that ordeal, but I did managed to get it back running after 20 minutes! Very happy my pumps and filters are on a different circuit than the heater, and the heater was above the pumps so it was easy to reach down and get to the pumps. (I have very easy access to pumps and hoses)

Took these pictures of the pond after work at noon, everything was very bright after the foot of fresh snow! Fish were all good and swimming around nice.

 

[callingcolleen1]

One thing I did not reconnect the one pump to the top pond as I could not find the filter in the dark the other day, so I left it till the weather gets warmer, Now their is just one pump pushing water to the top pond. I noticed that with just one pump their is more ice then with two pumps circulating the water. I used to have just the one pump years before, but this year I got that new bigger pump and thought I would run that too all winter. But now I think I will just use the one till the weather warms up.

 

[j.w]

You got it down to a science there Colleen! Good for you and still see you are at 0* this morning

 

[callingcolleen1]

Sunset picture's from today by the pond... like the slight pink glow just as sun went down. Fish were out and about swimming around more than usual. We have been very lucky this winter, not really cold yet, currently 37 F or +3 C. Maybe this winter we will not get the real cold like some years... minus 40 or below. Today everything was melting like spring, water making roads mucking down by the river and I got water puddles in my back yard... that are not ponds! Ha ha! I am NOT complaining about the nice warm weather! Very thankful to have such nice weather, even it it means mud!

 

[sissy]

purple and pink pond they must be doing the disco circuit .

 

[addy1]

Very pretty Colleen! love the hue on the ponds.