My backyard overhaul journal

[The Guy]

Originally Posted by mike31154

How do you keep the pond from freezing solid during the long Edmonton winters? I lived in the Cold Lake area for many years and the lake ice would be several feet thick! Seems to me your 24" depth could easily freeze all the way down during a cold snap? Even though the koi hibernate as Kien mentions, don't they still need O2, especially considering the size of some of those bad boys?

Ya I guess that was my concern with the fish in a pond 24" deep, that they could be caught in the ice, or do you run your pump all winter with a heat source?

[mike31154]

Originally Posted by The Guy

Ya I guess that was my concern with the fish in a pond 24" deep, that they could be caught in the ice, or do you run your pump all winter with a heat source?

I don't have a pond yet, it's on the to do list and it's interesting to see what other folks have done/are doing. I was going to go deeper when I dig it, but now I'm wondering if the City of Vernon has similar rules with depth, pool permits etc. Sigh, nothing's ever very straight forward in a city, rules, codes, higher taxes..... Tempted to move out into the boonies somewhere, where I can do pretty much what I want, but it's nice to be able to walk to the Village Market 2 blocks away for groceries too....

[kien]

Originally Posted by mike31154

How do you keep the pond from freezing solid during the long Edmonton winters? I lived in the Cold Lake area for many years and the lake ice would be several feet thick! Seems to me your 24" depth could easily freeze all the way down during a cold snap? Even though the koi hibernate as Kien mentions, don't they still need O2, especially considering the size of some of those bad boys?

You need to keep the water surface agitated, for several reasons:

1. Provides oxygen
2. Helps keep a hole in the ice so that gas can escape
3. Helps keep the pond from freezing solid.

You can achieve this several ways. Either with a pump as MMAX suggested or do what Dez does and just run an air stone all winter.

[Seriak]

When I had my in ground pond (I have an above ground pond now) I would still bring my fish inside. Although I recognize the hassle, it was worth it, as if my heater / airstone / whatever stopped working for a couple of days in the middle of winter, everyone of my fish would be done for. It just wasn't worth the risk as I see technology fail all the time.

[Dez]

I have a lighted extension chord that my airstones/heaters are plugged into so that I can look outside and know that there is power to them. Also I plug each heater onto 2 different circuits just in case. And it's quite obvious if the 2 airstones are going cause you can see bubbles. That's regime.

[lastlight]

did any of those babies you had a while back grow up?

[Dez]

Brett. I brought them in from the cold, then I wanted to acclimate them slowly to the warm inside water for the winter, I did a 4 hr acclimation for them in a bucket, but I wasn't even thinking about oxygen. So I lost all but 6 I think during the acclimation to the warm water. Silly me. So out of the 6 that survived acclimation, all 6 of them got eaten by the bigger koi (I tried bringing in 4 bigger koi indoors to see how that would go). But one survived the big pond outside that I didn't even know about until after winter was over. So I still have that one and it's about 5" now.

[Timbits]

Wow this just blew me away. Hands down the nicest pond I have ever seen. I want a pond now!!! Is it hard to do/maintain?

[Timbits]

Originally Posted by Dez

This guy is by far my favourite fish. He's not flashy or bright, but he's got the best personality. He always rushes for food and will let my pet his head. He is a noisy eater. The kids named him clownie cause he's kinda got clown fish colours.

Sooo cute!!!!!! Love the name

"He always rushes for food and will let my pet his head." That feeling must be wonderful, makes it all worth it.

[Dez]

A few lily pads have reached the water surface already.