Hi David, Janeen here in Mount Vernon.  Last year when we had the three weeks of
freezing cold we ended up getting an aquarium heater at Pet Smart.  It was about
40.00 and we put it down in the bottom of the pond and it kept the water in our
250 gal pond just a few degrees higher and it kept it from freezing.  I did read
that you're suppose to be running you pump when winter sets but we did it last
year and are doing it again this year.  We only have a few fish and they aren't
Kio yet so the risk of loosing expensive fish isn't our concern.  I'd rather
have the pump working, and still being able to hear the water flowing down the
waterfall rather than taking a chance that the water flowing in winter will
confuse the fish.  I don't want to take a chance that the water would freeze and
crack the skimmer, weir, or plumbing, causing major problems.  We know how
quickly a freeze can happen causing damage to pumps and pipes from last winter
when we lost our spa equipment to the freeze.  Janeen

Thanks Larry.

--- In pondkeepers@yahoogroups.com, "Larry" <l.nave@...> wrote:
>
> I also cover my pond with a top....I rigged a pvc frame and drape a tarp over
the frame
> It works great and easy to take off and on at any time...it is loose so air
get in fine.
> Larry
>
> --- In pondkeepers@yahoogroups.com, Sam Palermo <skywavebe@> wrote:
> >
> > Hi David,
> > I did the same thing not with the weed burner but a Tarp a couple of
> > years ago and as long as a left a little space for air to get in but
> > stopped all the
> > additional evaporation, the temperature did stay higher than the frozen
> > bird baths and other. I have since constructed a pond cover using H frame
> > type structure to place over my pond for winter with 5 foot by 48"
> > Polycarbonate panels that act as a greenhouse but there is yet to be proper
> > insulation to the sides so temp is not lost that way. I have some
> > pictures of my structure if you want them. The tarp is the easy and
> > simple way to do this.
> >
> > Sam, in Chicago
> >
> > david wrote:
> > >
> > >
> > > We live about 40 miles south of Seattle WA. It has been in the low 20s
> > > & upper teens with one night of single digits.
> > >
> > > I was finally able to get a pond heater <1500 watts> and installed it
> > > yesterday afternoon.
> > >
> > > However, the temps were 17 last night & the pump is almost stopped.
> > > Would spreading a tarp over part of the pond help? It is sunny outside.
> > >
> > > I wanted to get the weed burner out and heat the pond surface. But I
> > > had back surgery last month and do not walk well. I am afraid I will
> > > end up in the pond. ;-)
> > >
> > > david
> > >
> > >
> >
>

Thanks for the follow up. and info

Yes I would like the pictures.  Just email to david_cee@...

david

--- In pondkeepers@yahoogroups.com, Sam Palermo <skywavebe@...> wrote:
>
> Hi David,
> I did the same thing not with the weed burner but a Tarp a couple of
> years ago and as long as a left a little space for air to get in but
> stopped all the
> additional evaporation, the temperature did stay higher than the frozen
> bird baths and other. I have since constructed a pond cover using H frame
> type structure to place over my pond for winter with 5 foot by 48"
> Polycarbonate panels that act as a greenhouse but there is yet to be proper
> insulation to the sides so temp is not lost that way. I have some
> pictures of my structure if you want them. The tarp is the easy and
> simple way to do this.
>
> Sam, in Chicago
>
> david wrote:
> >
> >
> > We live about 40 miles south of Seattle WA. It has been in the low 20s
> > & upper teens with one night of single digits.
> >
> > I was finally able to get a pond heater <1500 watts> and installed it
> > yesterday afternoon.
> >
> > However, the temps were 17 last night & the pump is almost stopped.
> > Would spreading a tarp over part of the pond help? It is sunny outside.
> >
> > I wanted to get the weed burner out and heat the pond surface. But I
> > had back surgery last month and do not walk well. I am afraid I will
> > end up in the pond. ;-)
> >
> > david
> >
> >
>

You shouldn't have your pump running once the waters get down and stay down
below 50F... and especially not once winter hits hard.

A 1500 watt heater is going to cost you some electricity and is not going to
be able to compete with those kinds of temps anyhow.  If there is a risk of
the pond completely freezing to the bottom, I guess if you leave it running
24/7, throughout the winter, it might keep the water a couple of degrees
warmer but then the heater will also cause the water to circulate and this
is something you do not want when the fish go into their hibernation stage,
where they find a thermocline near the bottom and just stay in that
thermocline all winter.  If there is circulation in the water, it messes up
the thermocline and the fish is never really able to go into it's
hibernation stage.

All you should have is a floating de-icer to keep a hole open in the top of
the pond.  There are a couple of plans for DIY de-icers using regular light
bulbs so you would only be running a couple of 60 watt bulbs at most.  Many
people find that just one bulb works and then they have the second bulb for
redundancy.  If I had to do this (I don't since I'm down in N'Awlins), I'd
get the commercial grade, long-life bulbs so they are sure to last through
the winter.

Of course, all of this is assuming your pond is large enough, deep enough
and built in-ground so that it doesn't have a risk of totally freezing over.

If the weed burner works on some kind of fuel, then I would not use that on
your pond as I'm sure there are some residual carbons (soot, unburned fuel,
etc.) that would end up in your water when the ice melts.

Here's a link to the DIY de-icer.  Maybe you could make one or have a friend
do it for you.

http://bickal.home.mchsi.com/deicer.htm

You can Google for other DIY designs but you can probably improvise on this
one with stuff you have around your home.  For example, if you don't have
PVC pipe, you could just use styrofoam blocks.

I also have many other links and info on my blog.  Just scroll down on the
right side and click on the Pond links under Labels.

Lenny Vasbinder
Fish Blog - http://GoldLenny.blogspot.com
(Links to any articles referenced in above reply are listed on the right
side, alphabetically under Labels and also under Archives by Year, Month)






-----Original Message-----
From: pondkeepers@yahoogroups.com [mailto:pondkeepers@yahoogroups.com] On
Behalf Of david
Sent: Friday, December 11, 2009 11:50 AM
To: pondkeepers@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [pondkeepers] Covering pond with tarp

We live about 40 miles south of Seattle WA.  It has been in the low 20s &
upper teens with one night of single digits.

I was finally able to get a pond heater <1500 watts> and installed it
yesterday afternoon.

However, the temps were 17 last night & the pump is almost stopped.  Would
spreading a tarp over part of the pond help?  It is sunny outside.

I wanted to get the weed burner out and heat the pond surface.  But I had
back surgery last month and do not walk well.   I am afraid I will end up in
the pond.   ;-)

david

I also cover my pond with a top....I rigged a pvc frame and drape a tarp over
the frame
It works great and easy to take off and on at any time...it is loose so air get
in fine.
Larry

--- In pondkeepers@yahoogroups.com, Sam Palermo <skywavebe@...> wrote:
>
> Hi David,
> I did the same thing not with the weed burner but a Tarp a couple of
> years ago and as long as a left a little space for air to get in but
> stopped all the
> additional evaporation, the temperature did stay higher than the frozen
> bird baths and other. I have since constructed a pond cover using H frame
> type structure to place over my pond for winter with 5 foot by 48"
> Polycarbonate panels that act as a greenhouse but there is yet to be proper
> insulation to the sides so temp is not lost that way. I have some
> pictures of my structure if you want them. The tarp is the easy and
> simple way to do this.
>
> Sam, in Chicago
>
> david wrote:
> >
> >
> > We live about 40 miles south of Seattle WA. It has been in the low 20s
> > & upper teens with one night of single digits.
> >
> > I was finally able to get a pond heater <1500 watts> and installed it
> > yesterday afternoon.
> >
> > However, the temps were 17 last night & the pump is almost stopped.
> > Would spreading a tarp over part of the pond help? It is sunny outside.
> >
> > I wanted to get the weed burner out and heat the pond surface. But I
> > had back surgery last month and do not walk well. I am afraid I will
> > end up in the pond. ;-)
> >
> > david
> >
> >
>

 

We live about 40 miles south of Seattle WA. It has been in the low 20s & upper teens with one night of single digits.

I was finally able to get a pond heater <1500 watts> and installed it yesterday afternoon.

However, the temps were 17 last night & the pump is almost stopped. Would spreading a tarp over part of the pond help? It is sunny outside.

I wanted to get the weed burner out and heat the pond surface. But I had back surgery last month and do not walk well. I am afraid I will end up in the pond. ;-)

david

We live about 40 miles south of Seattle WA.  It has been in the low 20s & upper
teens with one night of single digits.

I was finally able to get a pond heater <1500 watts> and installed it yesterday
afternoon.

However, the temps were 17 last night & the pump is almost stopped.  Would
spreading a tarp over part of the pond help?  It is sunny outside.

I wanted to get the weed burner out and heat the pond surface.  But I had back
surgery last month and do not walk well.   I am afraid I will end up in the
pond.   ;-)

david

I WISH THIS KOIFACE SPAMMER WOULD END UP IN A CESS POOL SOMEWHERE. :-D

It won't be much longer before all the spam filters pick up their emails for
what they are.  I know I keep reporting it as spam with my Gmail account and
Microsoft so it shouldn't be long. ;-)

Maybe I'll head over to the site and start spamming the crap out of them.
LOL

Lenny Vasbinder
Fish Blog - http://GoldLenny.blogspot.com
(Links to any articles referenced in above reply are listed on the right
side, alphabetically under Labels and also under Archives by Year, Month)


-----Original Message-----
From: pondkeepers@yahoogroups.com [mailto:pondkeepers@yahoogroups.com] On
Behalf Of koiface@...
Sent: Sunday, December 06, 2009 10:35 AM
To: pondkeepers@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [pondkeepers] Join the Koiface Social Network for Koi, Goldfish &
Water Garden Enthusiasts

Do you have any water tests?  Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH and also GH and
KH if you have them?

Remember that over time, as the fish grow and breed, the things that worked
the previous year will not work the next year.

What are your water temps like... first thing in the morning, mid-day and
nighttime?  What area do you live in?  Is pond in-ground or above-ground?
At what water temperature did you stop feeding the fish?

What size pond and how many fish and what kind?  How long has pond been set
up?

Lenny Vasbinder
Fish Blog - http://GoldLenny.blogspot.com
(Links to any articles referenced in above reply are listed on the right
side, alphabetically under Labels and also under Archives by Year, Month)


-----Original Message-----
From: pondkeepers@yahoogroups.com [mailto:pondkeepers@yahoogroups.com] On
Behalf Of woodyk60707
Sent: Tuesday, November 24, 2009 7:41 AM
To: pondkeepers@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [pondkeepers] fish or water problems

having a problem i have never had. my fish are all at the top almost like
sucking air. they are off feeding and just hang at the surface mouths half
in and out.
i have shut down the pump system for the winter and that has ended
filtration however this has been done yearly without this result.
when going into winter mode i add a air stone and pump to cover oxygen loss,
the air is pumping.
i just returned from deer camp and found a floater. unusual however only one
and this morning i see large clusters of bubbles on the water.

about 2 weeks ago i recycled water in and out thinking it might be due to
pollution by the fish but no change in behavior. any ideas??
thanks.



------------------------------------

PondkeepersYahoo! Groups Links

having a problem i have never had. my fish are all at the top almost like
sucking air. they are off feeding and just hang at the surface mouths half in
and out.
i have shut down the pump system for the winter and that has ended filtration
however this has been done yearly without this result.
when going into winter mode i add a air stone and pump to cover oxygen loss, the
air is pumping.
i just returned from deer camp and found a floater. unusual however only one and
this morning i see large clusters of bubbles on the water.

about 2 weeks ago i recycled water in and out thinking it might be due to
pollution by the fish but no change in behavior. any ideas??
thanks.

Neil....very nice site.....I am in California and we had a company called
Pondsrus install a Aquscape pond...with a small water fall...I wish we had it
made deeper as it is 3 ft deep at the deepest end.
Larry


--- In pondkeepers@yahoogroups.com, "murkitt" <murkitt@...> wrote:
>
>  Hi my name is Neil and I am the owner of waterfeaturedesign.co.uk I am often
shown pictures of features by potential clients as a way of communicating what
their ideal water feature or pond might look like. waterfeaturedesign.co.uk has
put together online slide show http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjtSujQVOtQ We
hope that it might provide some ideas or inspiration to people and promote water
feature design as a specialist landscape trade.
>

Hi my name is Neil and I am the owner of waterfeaturedesign.co.uk I am often
shown pictures of features by potential clients as a way of communicating what
their ideal water feature or pond might look like. waterfeaturedesign.co.uk has
put together online slide show http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjtSujQVOtQ We
hope that it might provide some ideas or inspiration to people and promote water
feature design as a specialist landscape trade.

Besides the detailed replies you'll get from members of the group, here's a
list of several over-wintering articles that will provide other general
information on preparing your pond and fish for the over-wintering process.

http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/ponds/index.html (scroll down to the
section called "The Seasons" and you'll see the over-wintering articles)

Lenny Vasbinder
Fish Blog - http://GoldLenny.blogspot.com
(Links to any articles referenced in above reply are listed on the right
side, alphabetically under Labels and also under Archives by Year, Month)


-----Original Message-----
From: pondkeepers@yahoogroups.com [mailto:pondkeepers@yahoogroups.com] On
Behalf Of mgcomber
Sent: Saturday, October 03, 2009 6:09 PM
To: pondkeepers@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [pondkeepers] Getting ready for winter

This is the first year of ponding for us - our 2000 gal pond was started up
in the springs.  Now we're facing our first pond winter here in N.E. Ohio
and we're looking for tips regarding over-wintering our pond plants.  We
have 6 or 7 water lilies in gallon pots at various levels below the water
surface. We also have a number of perimeter plants, which we were told were
hardy: Blue Pickerel Ruch, Papyrus, Society Garlic, Bogbean, Red Water
Hisbiscus, some type of water canna, and Black Gamecock.  They all did much
better than I was expecting for their first summer, and I would hate to lose
them over the winter.

Early in the year we added 50 bunches of Hornwort, which thrived and
multiplied with a vengeance (had to thin it out several times to prevent
pond getting totally clogged up).  Will this survive the winter?

This is the first year of ponding for us - our 2000 gal pond was started up in
the springs.  Now we're facing our first pond winter here in N.E. Ohio and we're
looking for tips regarding over-wintering our pond plants.  We have 6 or 7 water
lilies in gallon pots at various levels below the water surface. We also have a
number of perimeter plants, which we were told were hardy: Blue Pickerel Ruch,
Papyrus, Society Garlic, Bogbean, Red Water Hisbiscus, some type of water canna,
and Black Gamecock.  They all did much better than I was expecting for their
first summer, and I would hate to lose them over the winter.

Early in the year we added 50 bunches of Hornwort, which thrived and multiplied
with a vengeance (had to thin it out several times to prevent pond getting
totally clogged up).  Will this survive the winter?

On Wed, 30 Sep 2009 13:14:18 -0000, you wrote:


> use a Pondmaster 950 mag drive pump -
-snip--
> I notice the flow slowing down considerably.
> I shut everything down, pulled the pump out and took it apart -
-snip-
> The solution for now has been to simply pull the power to the pump
> (unplug from the GFI receptacle), wait about 30 seconds and plug it
> back in and we're back in business.  At first I thought that maybe
> something was clogging the water line running from the bottom to
> the top, and by unplugging it I created enough back flow to clear. it.

I think your first instinct was correct.     Really let it flow- maybe
give it a blast with the shop vac on 'blow'.

Is it a straight run to the upper pond?   Any elbows, valves, or
couplers would be likely places for goop to accumulate.    [I use
fernco couplers on mine so I can pop them off and on at will]

Jim

 

Fellow Ponders,

Here's my dilema - I have two small ponds, connected by a little downhill stream. Top pond is maybe 250 gal, bottom one is even smaller, maybe 100 gal. The stream between is about 30 ft and drops about 6 ft. I use a Pondmaster 950 mag drive pump - it's been in there for about 3 years now. About 2 months ago, I notice the flow slowing down considerably. I shut everything down, pulled the pump out and took it apart - thought my impeller might need to be replaced. Impeller looks fine. Put it back together and started everything back up again, and low and behold, I had my original flow volume back again. Didn't give it too much thought because - hey, it was working again. Well, ever since then, I start getting low flow again after several days. Started out to be about once a week, now it happens after just a couple of days. The solution for now has been to simply pull the power to the pump (unplug from the GFI receptacle), wait about 30 seconds and plug it back in and we're back in business. At first I thought that maybe something was clogging the water line running from the bottom to the top, and by unplugging it I created enough back flow to clear. it. Now, I'm not so sure - I don't really see any significant debris coming out during the backflow. So now I'm wondering, is my pump wearing out - slowing down after a couple of days and by restarting, it runs fine for a short while until it begins to slow down again? Would that be characteristic of a failing pump, and after only 3 years?

Thanks for any input

Joe