well. I kept my koi pond at 50-55oF all winter except one month, jan 15- feb 15.
dont know if this would be a normal year or not. first time I did it. I used a 500
watt aquarium heater = (5) - 100 watt light bulbs. I am in zone 5, Wisconsin. The
pond was covered with plastic, it is partially above ground, partially below AND the
walls of the pond are insulated but not the bottom.
now...... the ground here is 55oF. I dont know how much it would take to heat the
pond above the ground temp. the heater was set to 55oF.
trop water lilies, yes. but I wouldnt depend on a heater and electricity to keep a
fish alive. if the temp drops and they die, I wouldnt do it. Ingrid

Charles wrote:
Without being really smart, or trying it, is there a way to guess what
wattage would be needed to keep water at some elevated temperature?
Mine is warm enough for normal goldfish survival. we didn't have much
cold here for the last two years, but i have thought about keeping
more demanding fish or tropical water lilies over winter. I'm in
southern california, that's why it's warm.

thanks



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