SeaRobin wrote So, you're saying if I can just keep the water from freezing
over, it
won't matter how cold the water will get, the fish should survive?

I live in a zone 7 area and I use an air pump and bubbler.
Keeping a hole open in the ice is what you want to do in the winter. Our ponds
are pretty fish heavy compared to Mother Nature's ponds. The hole in the ice
allows gasses from decomposing matter to exit the pond.
The fish will do fine at low water temperatures. Their metabolism slows way
down and they just kind of hang out. They don't need to be fed until the water
temp. reaches about 55 degrees and is going to stay there sometime in the
spring.
I bet springtime in Alabama is something to see!


kathy :-)
3000 gallon pond
800 gallon frog bog
home of the watergardening labradors
zone 7 SE WA state