Scott wrote Should I disconnect my filter for the winter, or keep it running?
I was
planning to keep it, until I read the statement above.

You'll find a lot of people do different things ;-)

The bio bugs won't be 'working' in cold water and the fish won't be producing
much, if any, waste so there is no need to filter a winter pond. Everybody kind
of goes into a stupor for the winter.

Keeping water running, as in a waterfall or fountain, can sometimes be dicey.
If things start to freeze sometimes the water can freeze in such a way as to
direct water away from the pond. More so in a waterfall than a fountain.

Another theory to keep the pump off is that the water movement from the pump to
the fountain or waterfall, there and back again, is making a current for the
fish to swim against when they'd rather just lay there, slowly finning their
fins. Water movement makes them work harder and use up energy they'd rather put
to keeping some weight on them over the winter.

But, all that said, there are rec.ponders who keep their pump running and their
waterfall going all winter. And all goes well, no problems.

Here in zone 7a, mild winters with a couple of weeks in the zero to 20 range, I
use an air pump and air stone. I strap the air pump to the pole that my
electrical stuff is on and cover it all with a galvanized bucket so it stays
dry. The resulting hole in the ice allows noxious gasses to escape from the
pond and as a bonus gives the birds a place to drink during the winter.


k30a
and the watergardening labradors
http://www.geocities.com/watergarden...dors/home.html