What to do when Winter comes for my fish pond?

T

Thomas

New member
What do I do when winter comes to my pond? The weather in SW Kansas is really weird so I want to do what is ever best for my pond. I have 5 koi's and about 20+ juvenile gold fish in a 900+ gallon pond. I have 2 plants, 2 water fall one small fountain and 1 big waterfall. and i have a pond skimmer that i can take apart and make into a i think water skipper idk? I have had this tank for about 3 years+. So what should i do so it can be in tip top condition when spring come. here are some of my questions add on if you will please! its very appreciated

Do i turn of the water falls? because wouldn't that kill the good bacteria?
Is there any way to mod the pond skimmer because i think it doesn't filter enough during the winter.

If you can give me more advise i would appreciate it a lot!

Thanks alot and thanks for helping!
 
If possible , close skimmer . Any water left in the skimmer can freeze and split the plastic ! You really don't want a leak ! I would turn off & drain the falls but as for your small fountain pump , disconnect the extension tube and lay the pump in the deepest part of your pond . (so water shoots horizontally ) A small flow will help air circulation and keep pond from freezing too hard ! If water is less than 40 inches deep , you should buy a floating pond heater , just to be safe . they only turn on if water drops below freezing. From what I've read , you should not have any problem with hard freezing but rather safe then sorry . The plants , if possible , just trim & move to a little bit deeper water and they should be fine . If you would like a maintenance free filtering secret I've been experimenting with for the last year , email me @ [email protected] .
 
Turn off waterfalls and pumps. Leaving them on can potentially kill your fish. In the winter the fish go to the very bottom of the pond because that is where it is warmest. If a filter or pump is on it can move the water around. which will cause the warm water to rise up and the cool water to replace it. There are certain things you can buy that will put a hole in the ice that cakes your pond to allow for oxygen agitation to take place. If your fish are small enough and you have a large enough tank you can potentially bring your fish inside for the winter. But gold fish and Koi can live in winter.
 
Back
Top