Robin R wrote:
buckets of hot water recently and picked up a lot of ice (with water
gloves). I'm tired of it!

I agree a stock tank heater can really help, especially with goldfish, they
will park themselves around it like orange submarines at a docking station.

My screens managed to hold up with 14" of snow and then rain on top to make
it good and heavy, in one place I can see the screen hitting the water, as
water level is quite high. Otherwise, all was looking good as far as ice
free. Water temp is up to 37F today, as we go thru a thaw, but we've yet to
get hit 40F since the big freeze, so I was surprised at the temp.

Unfortunately, one of my weaker fish, who I was treating for fin rot prior
to the down turn in temps this fall, succumbed and I found floating this
morning. I had to move snow back to lift the screen, but at least she
wasn't stuck in ice where I would have had to wait or risk disturbing the
other fish to get her out. I hope she is my only causality, but we still
have a lot of winter to go and critical spring to go through. I can only
hope the snow we have will melt off and I can pull the screens tight and
reset before another snowy system, if we get one, comes in.

Sorry about your woes Robin, is work at least going better? ~ jan