Wisconsin Pond Build

[taherrmann4]

I have an aerator that I keep going 24/7/365 and a heater that I keep in the pond. I only turn on the heater if it is going to get really really cold otherwise it just floats in the pond all winter.

Country what zone are you in?

 

[CountryEscape]

I'm zone 5, Todd. I have the floating heater ready to go in at any time, and your idea of having it floating and always ready is a good idea! I was most happy to hear that it's ok to let the pond freeze and then thaw it couple of times a week to release the gases would work. Not that I will definitely do it that way, but since last year we had that horrendous ice storm, and some areas around me had no electricity for 5-10 days (I only lost electricity for 8 hours, thank goodness), at least I won't have to panic about my koi pond. Now my inside aquariums will be another situation, though .... I need to get a generator and learn how to use it to keep my house working if that were to happen again.

 

[sissy]

Most deicer come with a thermostat so thought that made it only kick on when needed .This is the first year I have owned one and only bought because of last winter and I got the kh at pet mountain .My neighbor bought one last winter after the first snow storm and bitter cold weather hit here and she told me she did not really see a big difference in her electric bill .So I guess this winter if it is bad I guess I will find out .Here it has been in the 60's or higher 70's yet .

 

[HARO]

Sissy; the thermostat is set to come on at 34 - 35F. I may be a bit of a skeptic, but in our winter (zone 5) it seems to stay on too long, melting almost the entire surface of the pond. This causes more evaporation, and I don't need that! The twice-a-week system works for me, I can't speak for anyone in a warmer zone. John

 

[sissy]

I'm not sure about it since this is the first year for mine and temps have not been cold enough yet to even try it out .I guess if I have that problem I could get a timer that only runs it at night and since our average temp here for winter is 55 degrees ,not saying we don't get below that as we do .I guess where it is really cold all the time it would be different .I guess I will find out ,but really hoping that this winter is a lot milder than last winter and maybe then I will only need to run it maybe 1 or 2 times a week like you do .I have one of those energy use meters so going to plug it into that at first to see how much energy it will use .If it uses to much I will put the timer on it .I don't want to warm the water up to much and confuse the fish .I guess I will find out and as they say live and learn .I have used just an aerator and pump before last winter and only ever got a really thin layer of ice and the sun would melt that during the day .

 

[CountryEscape]

I think I'm going to do the one and off like John said, and only melt a hole couple of times a week. Pet store owner (saw him again today, left my debit card yesterday) said that to be careful about pumping lots of oxygen in with airstones. He said you want the fish to go into hibernation, AND the algae. His thought is if you pump in oxygen, everyone will want to "stay awake". What are other's thoughts on this theory? As usual, I'm learning as I go, and it's nice to get lots of opinions to choose from.
He also said to turn my submersible pump on it's side so it is shooting straight up (I had thought of just removing the pipe, or leaving a 6' long pipe on it and shooting it sideways), so that it is acting like a bubbler, keeping the water moving, and the ice from forming unless extreme cold weather hits. He suggested using zip ties and weighing it down with something heavy to keep it on it's side so the water will shoot up instead of sideways, since my outlet is on the side of the pump. Most importantly, he said to make sure the pump is NOT on the very bottom of the pond, where the sludge will collect during the winter. Thankfully, for right now anyhow, I have no sludge. Scooped any out that was there already with a net, and it all caught and gathered together and came out in a matt, although there was not much there to remove ... so far anyhow. First year pond, so we shall see what the winter brings for me in the sludge category.

 

[sissy]

I have never heard of that as oxygen depletes during the winter.A pump shooting up brings colder water from up above and makes the water down lower colder .I leave my aerator going as long as possible to keep the oxygen levels down low in the water .I have never seen algae be able to grow in cold weather and even here where the temps do not get that cold all my neighbors algae on there ponds just dies away and there water is crystal clear.Also since I got the new aerator this past summer it will probably stay on all winter

 

[sissy]

Actually I am going to use addy's air circle with my aerator and run one weighted one to the bottom of the pond also and I will try the pond deicer if i think I will need it and see how that works .i'm sure some one on here knows better about that oxygen thing that guy told you .I'm just not sure about that since I have never heard of it .

 

[HARO]

The colder the water, the more dissolved oxygen it can hold. You are not trying to add oxygen, you are trying to provide TURBULENCE to prevent the water from freezing. As far as the fish are concerned, temperature is what brings on their winter hyatus, not a lack of oxygen. John

 

[CountryEscape]

John, yes, that's what the guy was saying, keep the water moving to keep it from freezing, but thawing just a couple of times a week is sufficient, too, just keep the water moving is good. He said aerators were definitely needed in the heat of the summer, when the oxygen is depleting from the heat, but that the colder water keeps the oxygen level up. All new info to me, and that's why I'm putting it on here, to check it out and see if he knows what he's talking about He's one of those that loves to get new info, but loves MORE to give new info. I'm the type that is always looking to absorb new, and so he sees me as someone he can educate, and he HAS, but I still don't really understand all the nitrite, nitrate, KH, GH, and why the levels are where they are. I guess I didn't care much for chemistry or biology. Should ask my daughter, the biology teacher. As I said, I'm not saying that this guy is right, just wondering what others have to say about it. I think in the end we all do what we decide after reading everyone's opinions and facts. And, in the end, whatever works best for each of us is what is best for us. Sissy, I think your use of an aerator is definitely what the majority say, and what I am or may use as well.

 

[sissy]

Thats the reason I did not understand what this guy could have been talking about .I have not used oxygen in my pond in the winter because I know there resperation slows down with the cold and I am using a combo of air and the deicer to keep pond opening and I have never really seen algae grow in the winter .I figure the oxygen first and if the weather really gets bad then the deicer .Before this I used my pump with the pipe on it pumping that down into the water and this way the top water that is colder stays there .I read on here thats one thing you don't want to do where it's colder the top water will be colder .

 

[koiguy1969]

THE GASES REMOVED ARE AS IMPORTANT AS THE OXYGEN PROVIDED.... noxious gases trapped under the ice become concentrated and increasingly harmful or fatal.

 

[herzausstahl]

Patti,
Ok, I get a general idea of where you are, I'm surprised that you are still zone 5 that south of me! I remember my aunt and uncle lived on the lake at one point and he kept the ice from forming around his dock with a little underwater fan. Was cool to see.

John,
I was wondering about the 100 watt de-icers, the people you knew, did the units die completely or just not keep up with the ice forming? The one I was looking at I thought only kept a small hole in the ice (looked like it was a donut and kept the hole in the center of the unit free of ice). Do you have a big problem with evaporation during the winter months? How do you add water back in when you aren't using your outside faucets? I was looking for a little ice to form on a good portion of the pond with the belief that it would act as an insulator against the cold.

Patti/Sissy,
I have my separate winter pump set up so the pump is about a foot under the water surface so it only redistributes the top layer of water and the outlet is at or just above the water surface so it causes the agitation I will want to keep a hole in the ice. If I get a heater it will only be to keep a hole in the ice if for some reason the pump dies on me due to operating in the cold. I was running an aquarium aerator for extra oxygen since I shut down the main pumps early, but took it out now since I was worried the cold temps could cause it to fail or seize up. I like your idea sissy of covering it with an upside down pot and the aerator ring that Addy has. Will be curious to see how that works. I don't know if I would want the stock tank heater/major pond de-icer since I want a good portion covered with ice and snow to help with insulation and evaporation, but this will be a learning winter for me, so with that advice Patti, I say find what you want to try the most, but have a back up plan or 10 in case it fails.

Tmann,
I was looking into getting a Little Giant aerator that is able to go underwater. That way I could place it on the bottom during the warm months to help with aeration and then on the shelf (where my winter pump is now) to keep a hole in the ice and it would be a fraction of the cost of the pump I am running now to operate.


Great ideas and advice everyone. Sorry for the delays in keeping up with everything on here, but been busy lately with work, around the house, and keeping up with the NFL. As for the weather around here it has been unseasonably warm in the 50s during the day, but in the next few we will get back to normal and sub 40s for the highs.

 

[CountryEscape]

Herz, the stronger tank heater, even though it is 1500 watts, will still only keep a small area open, I'm sure. I know this because it's the type I use on my horse's water tank, and there are times that half of the tank is frozen still. I'm assuming most of my pond will be frozen, just looking to keep part open, but we will see! I'll keep you all posted. At this point, though, I'm going to plan on using the pump shooting straight up to keep the water moving, and if that keeps a hole in the ice, so be it. I'm leaving everything running until it gets colder, though. I figure the longer I can keep waterfall and skimmer-to-bog going the better. I don't have to go into the pond to remove the pipe from the pump, just pull it up. In fact, I will also tie a cord to the pump, with some type of floater on the top, to use that to pull the pump out, rather than the pipe itself, which is what I use now.
Also, we all remove our hoses from outside water hydrants in the winter, to keep the faucet from freezing, but they are still available to be used. I use mine all the time, used to use house hydrant for watering the horses until the hydrant got repaired. You just have to remember anytime you run water in the freezing weather, run it for a minimum of a minute, to get everything thawed out, and then remove the hose and drain any hose of any water. Where I used to rent, I had only a house faucet, and had to run over 100' of hose to the barn for the horses/goats. I had to make sure to drain that long hose everytime I used it. Just never leave the hose on the faucet, that's where you will get frozen and broken faucets.

 

[sissy]

Remember a horses water tank just like my deer trough is above the ground and exposed to cold wind flowing all around it and a pond is below ground with the ground insulating it ..The clay pot I have covering it has one of those styrofoam pot liners inside it and is set up on a stone to allow some air flow The flower pot liner is used for plants outside that you don't want the roots to freeze .I had a plastic flower pot that I used and just used that sprayfoam stuff on the inside of the flower pot ,but it was lite and had to put a pot on top of it for weight with a plant inside that >I did make a faux rock also but used it for something else and have to make a new one .