Ice-out!

Don't think I mentioned this before, but whe we had our giant snowstorm here 3-4 weeks ago, one of my deicers died on me. The pond has been frozen over and covered with snow for the entire time, as I have been unable to really access it and take any action. Well, I've finally had enough melt to get to everything and get the de-icer working again. Much to my relief, I can now see that at least most of my fish made it through the freeze! They are just hangin out, waiting for spring, much like me!

[Anemoneman]

Can't they survive for quite a while in a frozen pond? It is my understanding that since they don't move much (low metabolism from cold temp) they don't use much oxygen. I have heard two schools of thought on this. One is always leave an opening with a bubbler going, the other is to let it freeze without any agitation since the agitation will cause the fish to exert energy thereby using oxygen.

It really depends on a few factors. Good old bio-load, more fish = more waste, when that breaks down in a pond, it can cause noxious levels of gasses to build up and suffocate/poison the fish. Debris, such as fallen leaves and everything else that builds up in the pond only adds to this. I do not remove all the muck from the bottom in the fall, as my frogs need that to burrow into and hibernate. I get the muck out in late spring for this reason.

One is always leave an opening with a bubbler going, the other is to let it freeze without any agitation since the agitation will cause the fish to exert energy thereby using oxygen.

not quite my understanding, but hey, I could be wrong! AsI understand it, bublers are detrimental in that water in a pond will stay much warmer at the very bottom if left undisturbed. The water stratifies into temperature layers if left undisturbed.
The heat of the ground (as long as your frost line is shallower than your pond) actually can keep the bottom layer of water many degrees warmer than the surface. If you sink an airstone to the very bottom, it creates a upflow current. This current will keep a hole in the ice, but you lose the warm layer at the bottom, and your fish get colder than they would otherwise, and use up their fat reserves quicker.
For this reason, I prefer a floating de-icer, just warms the suface and leaves the other layers of water alone (supposedly). However, I have found the daggone things to be notoriously fickle, breaking down at the worst possible times.

Pondmom posted a DIY de-icer sometime in the past, but I didn't make one, I should ask her fo the plans again sometime. I also need a better electrical outlet box outside, mine is the worse for wear after 6-7 years now.

[Anemoneman]

Great explanation, thanks.
I don't have a pond but am interested in them. Two friends of mine have/had ponds. One had a small (100 gal or so) pond and he used a heater. Had a heck of a time with it though. Dog chewed on it, heater burned out, etc. A lot of problems were probably avoidable. He had a good pond for a few years until his dog pulled a hose out of a pump and it pumped the pond dry. He didn't find it until late in the day and by that time he lost all his fish. The pond's still there but it has been dry since then.
Another friend has a huge pond. Takes up most of his backyard. It's about 5' at the deepest. I don't know all the specs but he has been pretty successful. Very clear, no disease (UV helps a lot I think) and tons of babies. He started from scratch and learned from experience (the hard way) but seems to have a good method of pond keeping now. Anyway, he uses a bubbler(s) to keep a couple holes open. Our climate is quite a bit different than yours though and I'm sure that makes a difference.

With a really large pond, it might not make much difference how you keep a hole open, I just went by what I read somewhere. Besides, though I haven't really looked for them, are outdoor airpumps commonly available?

I have come close to pumping mine dry on a couple of occasions (leaks, blockage, stupidity). After the first time, I learned to keep my pump elevated in the mid water range, about 18 inches deep. In case of disaster, it can't totally drain the pond.

Slightly off the topic, it cracks me up when I watch Home & Garden TV and they install "low-maintenance water gardens", heheheheheheee... Luckily I enjoy most all of the work I have to do out there, cuz there's nothing low-maintenance about it!

[Anemoneman]

I learned to keep my pump elevated in the mid water range

Great idea!

Luckily I enjoy most all of the work I have to do out there, cuz there's nothing low-maintenance about it!

That's the only reason we do it isn't it?

Quote:

Luckily I enjoy most all of the work I have to do out there, cuz there's nothing low-maintenance about it!


That's the only reason we do it isn't it?

Totally true for me, but too many people get tricked into thinking ponds are easy. They see these shows, or, in my case I've had visitors who admire my pond. They then just hurry into it, not knowing how much work its going to be, to keep it looking top-notch. Similar to aquarium newbies who pack it in after a few months, but a LOT harder to get rid of a huge hole in the back yard!

My friends who have shown interest, after I've explained what I have to do to maintain it, NONE of them have built one!