you might want to clarify that "running water" or surface agitation only works to a certain point to stop the pond from freezing. A week of -20c will make almost any hobby pond system freeze up pretty solid. Like most things in life, gather all the pertinent information and make the choice that works for you. If a newbie in a cold climate with a pond that's not deep enough follows this advice they might be in for disappointment.
I live in North Dakota and we reached -63F last year. It doesn't last all winter, but it can easily stay that cold for a week. Typically, we sit around -20 during our coldest months. I just got my 1st Koi pond going this past month and decided we will keep them in a stock tank in our heated garage. I'm too paranoid try using a floating heater and such. Too many variables since we sometimes lose power too. My question though, is there a good method of clearing out the pipe that is between the skimmer and the waterfall? I made a small trench for it and covered it with dirt but it's not deep and would easily freeze. I will remove the pump too but if the skimmer is empty, can I leave that in the ground? My pond is about 800 gallons and 8ftx12ft. 3/4 of the tank is 2ft deep and 1/3 is 4ft deep.
Growing up my father would only switch off the waterfall in very cold weather and would always float a football on the surface to stop the pond from completely freezing over. The koi lived happy.
makes sense it's alot harder to make water want to freeze when it's accelerating. it's kinda just like what you said about breaking the surface tension movement makes water not want to stick together and form ice crystals.
Love your videos, so informative and simple. It’s summer here now but I’m preparing for winter in advance. Also I’m in the process of removing gravel from my pond due to the last video of yours I saw. Thank you for your time and expertise.
just put a heater/de-icer in the pond when temps get well below freezing. that will keep the water from freezing up and keep the pump/waterfall flowing as the water will stay above the freezing point.
We get to -20 in Canada here. I was told that it’s not good to mix the water at the bottom of the pond with the rest because the water at the bottom of the pond is warmer. I only use an areator on the top just to keep an opening on the top from freezing up. I have lost 2 koi already, this is there first winter outside. My pond is 4 feet deep as well. The others seem fine as I can seem them through the ice. Keep me posted.
what about UV light in my pond filter at 0 to -5 c conditions (usually doesnt get colder than that where I live) Keeping the filter and pump running I understand, but is the bulb at risk of damage and should I remove it over the winter months?
Hi having just upgraded to an oase 18000 biostart filter for a 13000+ pond I after watching youre video I wS wondering should I leave it running at full pelt as it is now or slow the water flow down a bit ?
Full is good just depends on your electricity bill but pond would benefit of a good flow, not rapids etc but helps with dead spots etc. thnx for the comment
Lakes/ponds freeze all over the world and fish are fine, the difference is natural waters aren’t over stocked and the water quality is good. Problems happen to ponds which are overstock and some people switch off their filters etc, it’s abit of a wives tales gas building up, keep normal stocks and run filters you it won’t matter if it freezes or not. If anything happens in the winter everybody just blames the temps cheers
leave your pump in the upper layer of the water so it will circulate the cold top layer and will not cool it down . if you pump from the bottem of the pond you will cool the warmer water that is down there
Although probably not good for small ponds in very cold climates without constant power, the mechanical equivalent of heat aka the joule machine can help. I'd like to see a wind turbine used to just stir water to keep it from freezing. Wikipedia: "Joule's apparatus for measuring the mechanical equivalent of heat in which the "work" of the falling weight is converted into the "heat" of agitation in the water."
Thank you for your Video's. I have really appreciate your honest views! Is it a possibility to switch of the air pump in winter? As many people are struggling with high energy bills, I wondered if this could be a way off saving money! Thanks in advance, and Happy New Year! Regards Alan
You can defo switch it off, good news as cold water retains loads of dissolved oxygen. You probably only need it on in severe hot spells tbf thanks for the comment 👍
Hi sue thanks for the comment. Where do you live and what temps do you get? Do you know what filter you had? It really doesn’t get cold enough in the uk. If the water is pumping round it’s extremely difficult to freeze
It won’t free in the uk. Water is always warmer than air temp as being pumped through pipes. If you switch it off and water in pipe or filter, the will freeze, expand and crack
Nice fact about the 4°c thing ! Do you remember the beast from the east ? Are pond water actually went negative and the filters with a flow of 10,000 lph going through them froze up in the dead spots and the waterfall looking spectacular flowing too fast to freeze completely. If the water coming out of the filters was negative the bottom of the pond was probably only 1 or 2°c as almost the entire surface of the pond froze over. We lost a fish that year.
Yes it was a cold one! At least your pipes don’t freeze up. Frozen water falls look pretty impressive. Don’t suppose you did a temp test at the bottom of the pond?
Hi thank you for this information, new subbie and as a lady fishkeeper i was so worried about my first winter with my pond fish, the info gets so complicated. My dads pond years ago used to freeze over all the time but i dont remember him using a pump but he did have a box filter and his fish always survived but this was in the 80s. So im a bit behnd with how things have changed.
If the water does t freeze in the lower depths it’s usually four degrees Celsius. We are based in the uk and we don’t get temps that low here but other people do keep them in Canada etc
you might want to clarify that "running water" or surface agitation only works to a certain point to stop the pond from freezing. A week of -20c will make almost any hobby pond system freeze up pretty solid. Like most things in life, gather all the pertinent information and make the choice that works for you. If a newbie in a cold climate with a pond that's not deep enough follows this advice they might be in for disappointment.
-20 not in the uk fortunately
Do you recommend turning air stones off or keep them running
I live in North Dakota and we reached -63F last year. It doesn't last all winter, but it can easily stay that cold for a week. Typically, we sit around -20 during our coldest months. I just got my 1st Koi pond going this past month and decided we will keep them in a stock tank in our heated garage. I'm too paranoid try using a floating heater and such. Too many variables since we sometimes lose power too. My question though, is there a good method of clearing out the pipe that is between the skimmer and the waterfall? I made a small trench for it and covered it with dirt but it's not deep and would easily freeze. I will remove the pump too but if the skimmer is empty, can I leave that in the ground? My pond is about 800 gallons and 8ftx12ft. 3/4 of the tank is 2ft deep and 1/3 is 4ft deep.
Growing up my father would only switch off the waterfall in very cold weather and would always float a football on the surface to stop the pond from completely freezing over. The koi lived happy.
Great comment many thanks
makes sense it's alot harder to make water want to freeze when it's accelerating. it's kinda just like what you said about breaking the surface tension movement makes water not want to stick together and form ice crystals.
100%
Love your videos, so informative and simple. It’s summer here now but I’m preparing for winter in advance. Also I’m in the process of removing gravel from my pond due to the last video of yours I saw. Thank you for your time and expertise.
Many thanks for the kind words glad you find them useful x
just put a heater/de-icer in the pond when temps get well below freezing. that will keep the water from freezing up and keep the pump/waterfall flowing as the water will stay above the freezing point.
We get to -20 in Canada here. I was told that it’s not good to mix the water at the bottom of the pond with the rest because the water at the bottom of the pond is warmer.
I only use an areator on the top just to keep an opening on the top from freezing up.
I have lost 2 koi already, this is there first winter outside.
My pond is 4 feet deep as well.
The others seem fine as I can seem them through the ice.
Keep me posted.
What’s your view on a above ground pressurised pond filter it’s -3 tonight not sure what to do
Most filters are above ground the water temp always warmer than the air so should be fine cheers
Does that still work with above ponds ? Water still 4c at the bottom ? It’s sits on a patio
Any help please mat..?
Yes
what about UV light in my pond filter at 0 to -5 c conditions (usually doesnt get colder than that where I live) Keeping the filter and pump running I understand, but is the bulb at risk of damage and should I remove it over the winter months?
Leave the bulb in and keep the pump running. You don’t have to have the uv on but see how the water clarity is. If green when off turn it on
Hi having just upgraded to an oase 18000 biostart filter for a 13000+ pond I after watching youre video I wS wondering should I leave it running at full pelt as it is now or slow the water flow down a bit ?
Full is good just depends on your electricity bill but pond would benefit of a good flow, not rapids etc but helps with dead spots etc. thnx for the comment
Hi What about gas exchange if your pond is completely frozen? thanks Aengus
Lakes/ponds freeze all over the world and fish are fine, the difference is natural waters aren’t over stocked and the water quality is good. Problems happen to ponds which are overstock and some people switch off their filters etc, it’s abit of a wives tales gas building up, keep normal stocks and run filters you it won’t matter if it freezes or not. If anything happens in the winter everybody just blames the temps cheers
Loving these vids pal.Thanks
Cheers thanks for comment
would you switch off a shower filter in the winter
No keep running or you could loose all your bacteria!
Spot on!!! Great advice & info as usual! Thank you 👍👍👍
leave your pump in the upper layer of the water so it will circulate the cold top layer and will not cool it down . if you pump from the bottem of the pond you will cool the warmer water that is down there
Although probably not good for small ponds in very cold climates without constant power, the mechanical equivalent of heat aka the joule machine can help. I'd like to see a wind turbine used to just stir water to keep it from freezing. Wikipedia: "Joule's apparatus for measuring the mechanical equivalent of heat in which the "work" of the falling weight is converted into the "heat" of agitation in the water."
ineteresting fact about the water being 4 degrees at bootom. didnt know that. cheers
Cheers! Love a science fact lol!
Thank you for your Video's. I have really appreciate your honest views! Is it a possibility to switch of the air pump in winter? As many people are struggling with high energy bills, I wondered if this could be a way off saving money! Thanks in advance, and Happy New Year! Regards Alan
You can defo switch it off, good news as cold water retains loads of dissolved oxygen. You probably only need it on in severe hot spells tbf thanks for the comment 👍
yes, but an above ground filter WILL Freeze and crack your seal, so this is NOT helpful. Cost me 300.00 dollars this spring by leaving everything on😫
Hi sue thanks for the comment. Where do you live and what temps do you get? Do you know what filter you had? It really doesn’t get cold enough in the uk. If the water is pumping round it’s extremely difficult to freeze
U just gonna break your uv filter if you run it on freezing temperature so what’s the best filter to use during winter
It won’t free in the uk. Water is always warmer than air temp as being pumped through pipes. If you switch it off and water in pipe or filter, the will freeze, expand and crack
I agree totally it’s like a swimming pool u have to run the pump all year!
Yes we don’t want frozen pipes! 👌
It’s the same with swimming pools keep the pump running!
indeed!
Nice fact about the 4°c thing ! Do you remember the beast from the east ? Are pond water actually went negative and the filters with a flow of 10,000 lph going through them froze up in the dead spots and the waterfall looking spectacular flowing too fast to freeze completely. If the water coming out of the filters was negative the bottom of the pond was probably only 1 or 2°c as almost the entire surface of the pond froze over. We lost a fish that year.
Yes it was a cold one! At least your pipes don’t freeze up. Frozen water falls look pretty impressive. Don’t suppose you did a temp test at the bottom of the pond?
@@thep0ndman no I didn't it must have been above freezing obviously but I'd love to know if it was 4°c or not !
Hi thank you for this information, new subbie and as a lady fishkeeper i was so worried about my first winter with my pond fish,
the info gets so complicated. My dads pond years ago used to freeze over all the time but i dont remember him using a pump but he did have a box filter and his fish always survived but this was in the 80s. So im a bit behnd with how things have changed.
Cheers thanks for the comment
Even -30 won't affect
If the water does t freeze in the lower depths it’s usually four degrees Celsius. We are based in the uk and we don’t get temps that low here but other people do keep them in Canada etc