Should I leave the halogen lights on all winter for 50 Watts of heat?

[Jeff G]

I live in Western NY - a cold climate., Two years ago I used a backhoe to dig an 8 ft x 11 ft, 7 ft deep hole, in a wooded area with clay soil. It made a nice pond about 1000 gallons. I sprinkled 100 pounds of bentonite clay around the sides and it holds water nicely. I top it off every few weeks. I put in 2 dozen feeder fish goldfish (I call them rescue fish) and 8 survived growing to 6 inches. They look great!
I installed an aerator that I keep on all the time, and a circulator pump fountain that I only run when there is no danger of freezing. I also installed halogen lights about 18" below the surface. 3- 10 Watt and one 20 Watt. I figured the halogens would add some heat to the water in winter.
I have been leaving the lights on 24/7 to act as a gentle 50 Watt heater thinking it would warm the water a tiny bit while the surface is frozen over.
Will leaving the lights on all the time be bad for the fish? Does it stress them? Should I turn them off at night?

 

[Tula]

Welcome I personally would not leave the lights on 24/7, as it's certainly not how fish live in a natural setting. Goldfish are pretty hardy !

 

[Becky]

Welcome to the forum

 

[Jeff G]

Thanks for the info - and the greeting.
OK, I will only leave one 10 Watt bulb on and will switch the other 3, (10W, 10W, and 20W), off at 9 pm and on at 6 am. Maybe they will be more comfortable..
I wonder if the on and off switching will stress the halogen bulbs. We'll see.
I'll let you know.

 

[MitchM]

10 or 50 watts of heat will not add any heat to the pond, but having that extra electrical device in the water adds another item into the water that could pose a safety risk to it's inhabitants.

 

[Lisak1]

I was going to say the same - these lights will have zero impact on water temp. The only value is to humans - you, so you can see your fish after dark or anyone walking by to alert them to the presence of a pond.

 

[Jeff G]

Last year, when it was covered in a foot of ice and snow some large animal broke through the ice and fell in. Fortuntely it escaped. I could see the track. Now the pond glows under the snow. The lights are a good warning.

 

[Lisak1]

The lights are a good warning.

That's precisely why ours stay on all winter. We have a completely fenced suburban backyard - no one SHOULD be cutting through, but I wouldn't want to risk it either.

 

[callingcolleen1]

I used to have halogen lights by my ponds too years ago. One time I dropped one in the pond while it was on, trying to move it so I could see deeper into the water. Good thing I am still here, as are the fish too, cause I had it plugged into a GFI circuit.
A couple years back I bought some under water lights, and have all sorts of them now, but trouble is they don't seem to stay bright for very long. After a year they seem to have problems and cleaning the lens was not the issue. So this year I will see if they have any new improved pond lights, or just go back to plug in spot lights.

 

[callingcolleen1]

Use the light if you like, but be careful. It would help heat if you had a cold frame over top.