My pond runs all winter, zone 2/3

[j.w]

Ha Ha I just seen the big one showing post :biggrin:
I remember when it was the thing to do............streak.............never did it but know some that did and mooning was all the rage back awhile also

 

[sissy]

We used to see the streakers out by Rutgers College and Middlesex College in NJ

 

[callingcolleen1]

Hey, nothing like streaking in the middle of nowwhere, only the wild amimals by the river, and in the summer I sometimes suntan parts of me that normally never see the sun... he he he, but the puppies are used to seeing mommy in the "birthday suit" every now and then, and the sun feels good on the skin on my pale skin. It's like this, the more skin you expose to the sun, the more vitamin D you can absorb, so it"s all good! ha ha ha :coolgleema: :sun_smiley:

 

[callingcolleen1]

Gordy, if you are not going to be out there all winter, then you need a relible system. If you have power, then you can have a small pump running in front of the heater or a bubbler, or some system like that. Mitch in water valley has a small decier that provides small holes in the ice and it seems to have worked for him, and he is further north than me. I would not use that small decier for large Koi, as the holes are too small I think, for such big fish, and I would recommend only goldfish and they require less oxygen and and less risky than big koi, as they require much more attention all winter to enure the water is filtered and clean and that they also have large breathing holes.

I see you mentioned solar, and I had a mini "brain storm", and was wondering if you had large magnifing glasses position just right in the sun, that could burn holes threw the ice in the day time....

 

[Catfishnut]

I don't know about going streaking...

I wouldn't have the guts to do such things and I don't know if anyone would like to see my nakedness. I would be afraid of the criticism of my anatomy and comments such as:
"It's ok, nothing to see here!" Hee Hee! But, you are correct on the vitamin issue. You need sunlight to hit your skin and convert vitamin K or maybe D to vitamin E or something akin to that. The whole process results in a proper balance for your mood system. Your skin is an organ which does more than just cover your bones. It has many other purposes which are vitally important to survival.

Gordy

 

[Catfishnut]

Gordy, if you are not going to be out there all winter, then you need a relible system. If you have power, then you can have a small pump running in front of the heater or a bubbler, or some system like that. Mitch in water valley has a small decier that provides small holes in the ice and it seems to have worked for him, and he is further north than me. I would not use that small decier for large Koi, as the holes are too small I think, for such big fish, and I would recommend only goldfish and they require less oxygen and and less risky than big koi, as they require much more attention all winter to enure the water is filtered and clean and that they also have large breathing holes.

I see you mentioned solar, and I had a mini "brain storm", and was wondering if you had large magnifing glasses position just right in the sun, that could burn holes threw the ice in the day time....

Colleen,

Yes, I definitely need a very reliable system. Sometimes the road to my cabin is impassable even with a 4-wheel drive and you never know if the power will go out and for how long.
I am not too worried about my fish surviving. The fish I intend to keep here are very hardy. They are native fish from this area so they are used to the hardships of our winter climate. It is the mechanical parts of the pond that I worry about. I don't want a pipe to freeze and break and release all of the water out onto the ground leaving my fishies high and dry.

Once I build the whole pond system, I may not try to operate it during the winter at first. I will take my time to design the winter mode later and that will buy me some time to perfect it.

Gordy

 

[Catfishnut]

Colleen,

Regarding the solar power subject, check this out! I don't think it would be useful in my application, but it sure is wild!

Gordy

 

[callingcolleen1]

All I can tell you for sure is that all my pumps and hoses are pretty easy to get at, nothing fancy like underground pipes, that would be too much trouble if it ever froze solid by chance. If the power does go out and the hoses to the pumps freeze, I switch the hoses to spare hoses, or disconnect the hoses and take them in the house to the tub and run warm water to defrost them quick.

My filters are all under the water and are big pre pump filters that disconnect from the pumps quick. Everything in this weather has to be accessible just in case... I also use the black flexable pond tubing that has not failed me yet, and if by chance the power goes out and they freeze solid, then they should not burst. I try to keep everything simple and easy access in winter, just in case. I use and double big pre pump filter that has not failed me in winter, and can run it all winter without the filter plugging up. Pre pump filters will not freeze up like external filters, where the water flows into large filter containers above the water level, as they are more exposed and tend to lose water pressure, and then can freeze inside the large box, where as a hose does not lose too much pressure, so it does not freeze at all if the water flow is constant with good pressure. Underwater filters down in two feet of water should not freeze, as that has never happened to me, with the ponds flowing all winter and a pond heater.

I would never leave my pond unattended in the winter, could not bear the thought of my big old koi dying cause of a unforeseen mishap. If you stick to wild fish that are tough and don't over stock the pond, and with at least a air bubbler. then things should be ok...

 

[Catfishnut]

Hey again Colleen,

That is a great explanation! It makes very good sense and I am hoping that it all works well for me. When you stated that your pond runs all winter, I felt more confident that I could do so too. Provided that I took careful measures to ensure continuous water flow. I figure that if you can do it in zone 2 or 3, I should be able to do it in zones 5a-5b. I have been watching my neighboor's pond and although it ices over completely, the waterfall and pump keep running. He's got a nice pond with several good sized goldfish and koi. His pond is 18 inches depth and kidney shaped. Maybe 8 - 10 foot long and 4 feet wide at the wide areas. I lean over the fence and admire his pond nearly every day.

Gordy

 

[callingcolleen1]

Glad to be of help!

 

[j.w]

I don't know about going streaking...

I wouldn't have the guts to do such things and I don't know if anyone would like to see my nakedness. I would be afraid of the criticism of my anatomy and comments such as:
"It's ok, nothing to see here!" Hee Hee! But, you are correct on the vitamin issue. You need sunlight to hit your skin and convert vitamin K or maybe D to vitamin E or something akin to that. The whole process results in a proper balance for your mood system. Your skin is an organ which does more than just cover your bones. It has many other purposes which are vitally important to survival.

Gordy

Gordy, as a young chid I grew up watching this wonderful fellow on tv every day. His show was only on in the Pacific N.W. He had a basset hound named No Mo (stood for no motion)and another one named Slo Mo :biggrin:
Course he never sang this song on his children's show. He liked entertaining adults also :cheerful:
He was loved by all.
http://www.stanboreson.com/history.htm

 

[sissy]

Scare all the cows and get curdled milk is what my Aunt Helen used to say to Uncle Ivan on the farm .They had an outside shower and he used to wash up out there in the summer when he was sweaty and smelly from farm work . :cheerful:

 

[callingcolleen1]

Ha ha ha, that's why we have to accessorize with big beautiful jewelry and fancy scarf's! He he he, less is more these days!

 

[sissy]

not sure how much a scarf will cover :cheerful: :cheerful: just saying

 

[callingcolleen1]

Look!! Today by the pond, ice is almost gone from the pond, but it is still very icy all around the pond as ground is still frozen very hard. The sun was shinning so very nice and bright, even if it was minus 8 C and cold. I have had the pond plugged in for last day or so and that is helping get rid of the last of the ice off the bottom pond.

JW you can see how nice and clear the water is, and all I use is those filters all winter long. I use two of those filter per pond, so I have three double connected filters all together, so that would be six in total, as I double them for each pump. It really helps to keep the pond water clean all winter.

Some of you people are very creative and have made yourself home made pre pump filters and that is good too! I always like to keep the water filtered all the time cause some of my koi are very big and I feel it is good to keep the water fresh under the ice too.