Winter Pond Maintenance

Winter Pond maintenance

11/22/2015

Floating Pond De-icer

This is one of the most important things to do!! As organics decompose in the pond, they can produce toxic gases that could be trapped in the pond if it is covered by ice for more than a few days. It is important to keep at least a small area free of ice so that these gases can escape. Do not break the ice as the shock waves created can damage or kill your fish. One of the easiest ways to do this is with a floating pond de-icer. This device floats in the pond and has a built in thermostat to turn the heating element on when the water temperature drops below 40 degrees. They can also be used to keep a small pond from freezing solid allowing you to keep your fish alive.

Pond Aerator

If you have Koi, a pond aerator would be a good idea to add. During very cold weather, it’s best to move a single diffuser to a shallow area of the pond. Turn off any other diffusers, if you have several of them. Then send all air out through the single diffuser. This will effectively help to keep ice open in the area, but it will also allow the deeper part of the pond to remain warmer, undisturbed, and add dissolved oxygen, which makes it more comfortable for the fish.