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Winter Care For Your Pond Pond
Management Tips from
Lilypons Water Gardens
- Clean the pond if necessary
- When the water temperature drops below 50 degrees F, shut off
all pumps, UV sterilizers/clarifiers, fountains, and waterfalls.
- Drain and thoroughly clean all external filters, if applicable,
and leave drainage valves (if equipped) open.
- Cut back all hardy water lilies and bog plants except cattail
varieties and submerge them to the deepest part of the pond (3
feet or more).
- If desired, bring tropical water lilies and bog plants inside
for the winter and treat them as house plants. The water lilies
will need to be submerged. Otherwise discard them.
WATER QUALITY
If the pond is in an area prone to freezing, the use of a de-icer
to keep an area of the pond ice-free may be required.
FISH CARE
- Continue to decrease feedings until the pond's water temperature
falls to 50 degrees F. Below this temperature stop feeding
entirely. Use a pond thermometer to measure water temperature.
- As the temperature of the water drops, fish metabolism slows and
the beneficial bacterial colonies die off or go dormant. With
nothing in the water to break down the fish waste, ammonia can
quickly build up to a toxic level, causing serious health
problems. It is therefore imperative that the fish NOT be fed
during the winter. There is a school of thought, which says that
heating the water is best, and the fish can eat all winter; but
in reality, those fish are more likely to suffer from ill
health. Heating the pond is costly and energy inefficient and
the pond may not remain warm enough to make too much difference
anyway. (Ever lose electricity in the winter?)
- Instead of heating the pond, we suggest the use of a de-icer,
which, although sometimes costly to operate, are a much more
economical alternative to replacing expensive fish year after
year. Most are designed to operate within a certain range of
temperatures and will usually last for 3-5 years or more if
maintained properly. Remember, it's not the cold water that
kills the fish - it's the lack of oxygen in the water when it
freezes over which does them in. Always be sure there is an
adequate supply of fresh air to a pond in the winter, whether it
is from a hole created by a de-icer, or by an air pump/air stone
combination. A hole in the ice will allow fresh oxygen to enter
the pond and toxic carbon dioxide to escape.
SPECIAL HINT
Another good reason to turn off pumps in the winter...yes
waterfalls look "cool" when covered in ice... but remember that
electricity can and usually does go out when it is least
convenient. Usually this isn't a problem when it's cold, but if
the electricity is off for an extended period, the water in the
lines to and from a pump or waterfall can freeze solid. If it
thaws out quickly, that may not be a problem, but more often
than not, the pump suddenly "kicking on" at full power may
rupture the water lines, draining the pond, or possible burn out
the pump motor.
©2009 Lilypons Water
Gardens.
Reproduced with permission. |
