GardenBanter.co.uk - View Single Post

05-09-2003, 10:12 PM

ESPMER (K30a) wrote in
:

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.

Hi there, nice to see you back K30a.

I am not sure what zone I am in, Colour coded maps are not much use to
somebody whose colour blind. I am in Mississauga, just west of Toronto,
so I think I am in zone 5 (5a). In the past I have disconnected from the
waterfalls and redirected the flow to a standpipe over the pond, this
keeps an opening in the ice, adds oxygen and provides the local wildlife
a source of water in the winter.
However, I wonder if this is the best approach, I keep seeing people
recommending a bubbler, I tried this one winter but the air pump died
within 2 weeks. What depth should the air-stone be set to?

TIA
AXO