What is your weather like ... today

[MitchM]

So we reached a low windchill of -42.7C/-44.9F at 6:14 this morning.
I'm really hoping that it will only warm up from here.
I know goldfish are carp and they are accustomed to cold temperatures, but I wonder how they will survive under probably 7 months of ice.
My pond breathers are still working fine, but does it matter after 7 months? There has to be a limit how long the fish can survive without food.
I'm already hearing stories about our wild horse populations and other wildlife having a hard time this winter.

 

[CountryEscape]

Haver, next year, set up a small pump, maybe 1600 or so, on top of a milk crate or something you can securely tie it to (I use zip ties) and place it so the pump is about 6" below the surface of the water, or lower than the thickest ice would be. If you use that pumping water toward the surface, you could leave your heater off for the most part, only have to turn it on if the pond threatened to completely freeze over. It's best to have moving water, too, not just the opening. That's what I have in my goldfish pond and know now that the heater does not need to be on very much. Only reason I plugged in the koi pond heater (since my revelation - I had 3 heaters running, though, 1 in each pond, 1 in horse water trough), was to open a hole so when I got the air bubbler going again, it had a place for the air to disperse. YOu definitely do not want to turn on an air bubbler (I have a large one, can run several bubblers at one time, but I've not gotten fittings yet to put in several areas ...) if there is no place for the bubbles to come out from under the ice. Tried that last winter, thought it would "bubble through" the ice. What actually happened was it lifted the whole ice area, and then it was going to crash back down, so quickly shut it off and melted a hole.

 

[CountryEscape]

I'm now under a winter storm WARNING from 6 p.m. tonight to 6 a.m. Monday, for snow, sleet and freezing rain. "Freezing rain and sleet will begin this evening changing over to a mix of sleet and snow early Sunday morning, before changing to all snow by midday on Sunday. Accumulation snow and sleet 6-8", along with up to .1" of ice. Winds 10-15 with 25 mph gusts." It's 40 degrees this morning, just needed to add sweatshirt and I was good to go outside! But, tomorrow going to get colder for several days again.
Yep, glad I'm staying in this weekend, no place to go, and no one coming here. Too risky. On my to-do list: fill bird feeder (done), get bubbler going (done), pull trash container upright (done), change water in both aquariums, do taxes, and crochet. Not even 8:30, and I'm about done catching up on everything, ready to hit it hard!
BTW, Colleen, your weather banner says it's -22F right now!!!! Yikes!

 

[sissy]

supposed to be near 60 today and then almost 70 tomorrow and sun is out and going to go down today and move aggie and bert to holding tank and try and get old liner out and dig the whole end of the pond longer .Then winter storm supposed to hit monday into tuesday but mix of rain and sleet .But you never know until it gets here .I cannot trust these weather reports here ,they are very seldom right .I am going to wait to go down by the pond until sun hits it .Bad enough my hands get cold from the water and then being in the shade of the house does not help .

 

[CountryEscape]

Stay warm is #1, Sissy. Don't freeze your fingers. Sure wish you had help there for your new pond dig-out and replacement. I know I had a tough time doing mine alone, and I had a tractor to move the liner! Hope your son can maybe come and help you move the liner to the pond when the time comes. Good luck! Keep taking pics so we can see your new pond dig.

 

[sissy]

I have rubber gloves and a couple of pairs of other gloves .I worked on it yesterday and after you are working for awhile you get warm .Pond liner is I think going to be the hardest part of the whole project .it says on the box 130 lbs and I think it weighs more .Hand truck will help a little getting it out to lay in the yard to warm up tomorrow .This liner is longer and a little wider than the old one .

 

[mrsclem]

I am sick of this weather. Went down to check for ice on the ponds and found both stock tanks leaking from the return lines! The 55 gallon barrels still haven't thawed out so I can repair the lines on those. Never had problems like this but this is the 1st year I have run the pumps in the winter. Seriously thinking about going back to just heaters in the winter.

 

[sissy]

It has been a cold winter so that could be to blame for them leaking .I have a leak on my temporary filter

 

[callingcolleen1]

Well thanks goodness the sun is finally up, warming up nicely to minus 29 Celsius (minus 20 F)

 

[haver79]

That is VERY cold Colleen. We are expecting a low of -10 this weekend then slowly warming up by next weekend. Cant wait for 40 degree temps!
CE will definitely plan on setting up a pump for water movement next winter rather than having the heater running all the time. I have to purchase another pump, I need a backup pump anyway. Just not sure what to get. Bet running 3 heaters really socked your electric bill!

Sissy, good luck on getting your new liner put in. Hope all goes smoothly.

 

[haver79]

So far this am I have done nothing but sit around and drink coffee. Gotta get up and get moving. I have to clean house, do laundry, go outside and fill bird feeders and check on the rabbit. I better get busy!

 

[callingcolleen1]

yes, I can't wait for the hot summer, going to lay and bake in sun if summer ever gets here!! I am only running the one red heater, not the green one, and the one heater does all three connecting ponds, keeps them from freezing solid and the water is still moving under the ice from pond to pond under the ice.

 

[callingcolleen1]

I just made a nice pot of hot coffee too, life is just so much better in the morning with a hot cup of coffee!!

 

[callingcolleen1]

Are you guy using stock tanks as filters? think CE had trouble last year with her above ground filters freezing too. I think only the underwater filters are best for long cold hard winters, less chance of them freezing when they are below the ice.

 

[sissy]

aggie and bert move took all of 10 minute maybe