You've got about 180 gallons, Jacque, and the best reason
to get the rocks out would be as a way of getting rid of
the sludge trapped between them and
reducing the organic and anaerobic load on your pond.
The most efficient way of over-wintering
your pond would be to erect a greenhouse over it, and putting
an electric radiator inside.(Not in the water!) This will
keep the wind off and the winter crud out. The in-water
deicers are energy hogs and can be dangerous
if they corrode and short out. An air pump is a great idea.
Your filter won't do you any biological good at water temperatures
below 45 degrees, but may well keep particulate crud to
a minimum. Remember that a filter that is kept running needs
to be serviced. It also needs to be watched closely as air
temperatures get below freezing. Water does not freeze in
any predictable pattern, and random splash can form ice
dams that can divert the entire volume of your pond into
your yard in short order. Better to shut things down and
drain the pipes as the water temp approaches 40 degrees.
If you move your fish into the garage,
you'll still need to heat the area to keep the vat from
freezing. You are better off with the greenhouse, where
you can
get help from the sun.
When you enlarge, use your current (live)
filter and that 100 gallon vat as temporary storage. Resist
the temptation to do the "connected pond" thing.
That stream connection is a classic leak point and the area
in front of the stream will become a dead spot. If you are
dead set on two ponds connected by a stream, use the upper,
smaller pond as a bog pond to augment your filters. Don't
try to keep koi in it.
Thanks a million for getting back to
me. The pond is built in an irregular shape and surrounded
by large rocks which will make it difficult to erect a greenhouse
and have it sealed enough. Would putting a piece of plexiglass
over the top with an aerator work or at that stage would
it be better to just get them out of the pond altogether
and put them in the horse trough in the garage. We keep
our barn cat in the garage all winter and his water bowl
seldom freezes over so the garage normally stays above 20.
Since the horse trough is deeper than
the pond are not the chances of it freezing solid if an
aerator is running slim? I'm just afraid I can't get the
baby fish out of the pond - they are frisky little devils
and while two are friendly enough to come and eat from my
fingers the younger ones dart from one end of the pond to
the other. I also have some wonderful frogs that I will
want to try and keep. I know I can sink a flower pot full
of sand in the bottom of the pond and they will bury for
the winter - if the pond freezes over will they be okay
or should I put them in the horse trough, too I'm full of
questions aren't I?
Second thought - if we expanded our current pond (rebuilt
the existing to be deeper and larger) can we immediately
establish the pond's ecosystem and put the koi back into
the new pond for the winter or would this stress them too
much. I'm between rebuilding the pond this fall or rebuilding
it in the spring - what would be best for my little guys?
They are really healthy and absolutely beautiful with long
sweeping tails - black and red over silver and white. The
babies already have the same color as the parents - it appears
two or three made it from each of two different breedings
because two are much larger than the other three. The ponds
balance is perfect - ammonia, nitrates, nitrites, salt are
right where they belong - PH in our area is always high
so we are running a 9 but the fish and plants seem to have
adjusted just fine. A pond place in our area told me that
all ponds in Livingston County (where we live) run a PH
of 9 or above. We have taken all plants out of the pond
except for our water lily since the need for 60% coverage
at this time of the year has decreased.
Your advice is really appreciated and I need all the help
I can get. The pond lady we have been consulting says I
am worrying way too much and that the koi will be just fine
because the aerator won't allow the water to freeze - moving
water can't freeze but I worry about a power shortage and
the fact the pond is relatively shallow.
Jacque
Hi again, Jacque!
Trust me,
the greenhouse project is the cheapest and safest alternative,
and does not have to be a perfect seal around the bottom.
Just build it wide enough to go around the outside of
the rock margins, and anchor it well. The frogs and fish
will thank you, and the greenhouse effect and wind protection
(plus the help of the $30 Home Depot electric radiator)
will keep your water from freezing. A high-capacity air
pump and
airstone will complete the package. For helpful hints,
see the September issue of Koi USA.
Any new pond
will have "new pond syndrome". An established
pond emerging from winter has a resident, dormant population
of beneficial filtering bacteria that just has to wake
up and get working to be effective. A newly constructed
pond has to develop an entire ecosystem from scratch.
Better to protect the pond you have now with fish, frogs
and plants still resident (even though it's deeper, that
vat in your garage is half the volume and bereft of sun,
and won't help your frogs at all) under the greenhouse,
and build out in the spring. Remember that the Third Law
of Ponding warns that "there is never enough water",
so you'll want to dig deeper and wider than you originally
planned. Five to six feet deep is considered optimal for
koi. Find and join your local water gardening club. They'll
be a huge help.
