Proper Winter Care for Your Fish Pond Outdoors

Fishes can be wintered either outdoors or indoors.
This will depend on the construction of the entire
pond according to the inclination of the owner. This
article will focus about things that a hobbyist can do
to properly protect and care for his fishes during
winter if his pond is situated outdoors.

If you’re living in a country where winter is the most
prominent season of the year, better build a pond
wherein a portion of it is about 30-45 inches deep.
This will protect the fishes from long periods of cold
spells. Even more drastic than cold water is the
building up of gasses which are toxic in a pond that
is iced over completely for a certain amount of time.
Therefore, it is mandatory that a part of the ponds
surface is kept open to enable the pond to circulate
air that results to the disposal of deadly gasses and
adds oxygen. You can accomplish this by:

a. Aerator. This is a large air stone that is operated
by an aquarium air pump which can constantly create a
small opening inside the ice. Unfortunately, placement
is quite critical and hard to be arranged precisely.
Ideally, the aerator should be placed halfway
measuring from the deepest part of the entire pond and
should be monitored frequently. Chances are, if the
aerator is placed too near from the surface, it has a
tendency to freeze, if placed deeper, it can chill the
entire pond.

b. De-Icer or Heater. There are different kinds of
de-icers that can be safely used for performed ponds,
liner or even in concrete. Out of the use of
electricity, a puncture can be made through the iced
pond where it serves as breathing hole for fishes.
Sometimes, the most efficient de-icers or heaters can
produce an ice-free pond even if the winter weather is
overwhelming.

b. Water pump. Same limitations to an aerator, a water
pump can provide an opening on the surface of the pond
but with several conditions. One condition is that the
pump must be mounted on the deepest part yet should be
far enough from the bottom to avoid water circulation
and far enough from the surface so that it wouldnt
solidly freeze. Regularly inspect the pump because it
can freeze solid or run dry, these can destroy the
integrity of the pump.

Covering the pond can be helpful for the fishes and
the devices used. It can protect the pond from extreme
coldness and will reduce the amount of electricity
that your heater needs. Although, the cover must
always be raised to enable gas exchange and prevent
toxic substances to reside in the pond. The structure
would turn out like a wooden frame is built over the
pond at its surface then it will be covered with
plywood. Insulating materials can follow. The covering
must possess sturdiness to withstand the long days of
snow accumulation.

Last concern is feeding your fish. Actually, you can
drop this idea for even if your pets seem to be quite
interested, they will just ignore the food that youll
give. This is because during cold days, metabolism can
be quite sluggish. Although, to prevent starvation,
you can supplement them food that can easily be
digested like the ones that are made from wheat germ.

Proper care of your pond fishes during winter can be
crucial to your pets especially when it is located
outdoors.