Why Should I keep a hole in the Ice in my pond? In Carlisle, Mechanicsburg, Harrisburg and Hershy.

​Now that you've decided to dive into the world of water gardening, you're probably wondering exactly what you need to do to maintain you're new aquatic beauty, and keep it looking good.

The Short 

​If you simply make sure that your pond is at least two feet deep, the proximity of the earth to the pond’s surface will not allow the latter to freeze any deeper than 8”.  That leaves 16” for the fish to lounge around and basically hibernate over the winter.  You do need to keep a hole in the ice (using a “floating heater”) to allow for the exchange of gasses (like oxygen) and other bad gasses.   But other than that your fish will do just fine in the pond, all year round.  Supplemental oxygen can also be supplied by running your waterfalls, adding a bubbler, or using the pump to churn the water near the surface.

The long

 ​Goldfish and koi hate wintertime more than we do. Neither species of fish are indigenous to North America, so in our colder climates, they merely “survive” winter. They don't flourish in it.
 
In the southern part of our country, the winters are pretty balmy and very little ice appears on the ponds. However, winter's effects on the fish seem to be the same whether the pond is merely icy, or completely iced over. Some important wintertime facts will help you guide your fish through winter and into a safe and healthy springtime.
 
Wintertime “Factoids”
There are certain things you should realize about winter so you can properly interpret certain events and conditions come spring.

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