Winter pond temperatures can remain very cold for months in
our climate. Pond life needs oxygen even during hibernation. If ice covers the surface of
the pond oxygen can't get in and toxic gasses can't get out.
If you live in an area where the pond will be covered over by ice,
then it may be necessary to install a pond
de-icer.
A pond de-icer will keep an
open hole in a frozen pond allowing trapped gases to escape, Without this opening the fish
and decaying plant material will consume all the available oxygen and your fish will
suffocate and die. This is commonly known as "winter kill" The best defense is a
thermostatically controlled pond de-icer that
automatically turns on and off as the temperature fluctuates, protecting your investment.
Air bubblers can be used
to keep small areas ice free, but do not allow them to mix the lower layer of warmer water
with the colder top layers. Bubblers cost less to run than de-icers but do not work when
the air temperature drops below the teens for long periods of time. De-icers are not meant
to warm the pond but to keep a small area free from ice cover.
If the pond freezes over use hot water pots to melt a
larger hole. Never break the ice by pounding a hole, you could kill your fish.
