outdoor pond (real one) questions - Aquarium Advice

DanielFZappa · 08-02-2009, 08:50 PM

I am normally an aquarium guy, but my father has a nice sized pond in his back yard. It's about 30 feet across but pretty shallow, no more than 4 feet in the middle. It's a happy haven for frogs, toads and even a few turtles (along with Fred and Ethel, our resident ducks).

The problem is the algae and mosquitoes. I remember reading somewhere that comets are hardy as **** and can handle winters. My dad lives just west of Cleveland so the winters are really cold, but he's pretty sure the pond doesn't freeze solid.

My question is will comets survive this far north in a natural pond? What temp can they handle at the low point? And if they can't do this, what are our options for at least an algae eater to knock back some of it so the pond looks aa little prettier?

Thanks in advance!

**jsoong** · 08-02-2009, 10:19 PM

Comets & koi can over winter as long as the water is deep enough - below frost line. Up here in Edmonton, people can over winter fish in ponds that is deeper than 6-8 ft. <Our low is -40 for winter, zone 3a.>

4' might be a bit too shallow, as a mid-west winter can be fairly brutal. You best check with a local person & make sure the pond is a foot or 2 deeper than the frost line.

<Even with a deep enough pond, you still need to keep a bit of open water for gases to escape. So it is either manual chopping of ice or a heater.>

DanielFZappa · 08-03-2009, 10:14 AM

That's what I love about these forums: precise andd excellent answers. Thank you for that. Now for a follow up...

...I verified with a very long stick and some string with a plumb bob that the bottom is well short of 2 feet below the frost line. My father has expressed interest in aerating it to help with the algae with a small fountain or even just a water pump to keep the water moving. Will doing that year round (or at least for the winter months) make it a habitable spot for comets and koi? Or are we pretty much screwed without dredging the bottom of the pond to deepen it? We have access to a backhoe that will do the job pretty well.

Thanks again!

DragonFish71 · 08-09-2009, 12:34 PM

We use a stock tank heater in our pond for winter. It keeps the water about 40 degrees. Our's is a plastic form 2 tiered pond with waterfall though. I'm not sure if that idea would work for you but I do know comets are pretty hardy.

**jsoong** · 08-19-2009, 05:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DanielFZappa

My father has expressed interest in aerating it to help with the algae with a small fountain or even just a water pump to keep the water moving. Will doing that year round (or at least for the winter months) make it a habitable spot for comets and koi? Or are we pretty much screwed without dredging the bottom of the pond to deepen it? We have access to a backhoe that will do the job pretty well.

Thanks again!

Aerating won't keep water from freezing (at least not when it is -40!) Here, pumps & everything else freezes solid in Feb .....

If you can make the pond deeper, that would be best. Don't have to do the whole pond if you don't want to, just a section so there will be some liquid water below frost line. And a heater over the deeper part will help keep a small ice free area so gases arn't trapped below solid ice.

cwt · 08-20-2009, 01:05 AM

Luckily we never hit -40 here in Ohio... near the lake, an air temp of 0 to -10 degrees F is more typical for the lowest temps we see here, and lake-effect snow will likely cover any frozen surface for much of the winter anywhere near Lake Erie.

My dad, in Southern Ohio, put an aerator in his pond after a die-off, and it has improved the quality of the water quite a bit; but he has wild fish in it and not goldfish. The aerator is turned off when icing starts. I agree with jsoong, deeper is better; dad's pond is about 12' deep. The edges of the ice usually stay 'loose' from the border of the pond; if your dad's pond is the same way that would help.

krap101 · 08-20-2009, 01:30 AM

Well, if the water keeps moving.. enough.. it won't freeze. (in reasonable conditions). Also if the water is moving, the water won't stagnate, and mosquitoes won't breed. The problem is that if the pump is too high, and the water freezes, it'll be suspended, run outside the water, and burn itself out. If it is too low, you might pump the water over the ice, and dry out the underneath portions. I'm just speculating, but this might not happen.

Also, mosquitofish, a type of livebearer are another solution to the mosquitoes.