"RichToyBox" wrote in
news:Z5t8b.427355$Ho3.68612@sccrnsc03:

You could try the idea below. I have tried it, but I cannot tell if it
makes any difference as during the winter I normally disconnect my pumps
from the waterfalls and filter and run them both flat out through
standpipes that are about 18 inches above the pond. This keeps the water
moving and keeps the O2 levels up. Unfortunately, it did not work last
year when water got in the pump electrical circuit and both pumps were
disabled; the pond froze completely, killing all my fish and damaging the
liner. I had not dropped the water level as I had not been able to
winterize as I was laid up with a bad back.

Allow a layer of ice to form, about 2 inches thick, and the drop the
water level creating a 1 - 2 inch air gap. The air gap would act as an
insulating blanket that might keep the water below from freezing. If you
run a pump to circulate the water, there is a small heating effect that
keeps the water a little above freezing.

You should make a hole in the ice to allow any toxic gases to escape. The
best way of making a hole is to melt one using a pan filled with hot
water. DO NOT make one by breaking the ice as the shock wave through the
water might injure your fish. Add a bubbler to keep the oxygen levels up.

I only suggest this as the result of an article I read some time back. I
do not remember what the article was about nor do I have a reference, I
have a feeling that it was something to do with beavers.

Anybody got any comments on the idea, good or bad.
AXO

--
"Outside of a dog, a book is Man's best friend. And inside of a dog, it's
too dark to read."
-- Groucho Marx