"Peter Breed" wrote in message
news
My first winter was last winter, with a similar setup 550 gallons in
Leics. I took my filter out once the water temp was below 8 C which was
about late october. The bacteria don't work cold anyway. I drained it and
stuck it in the shed for the winter. Last year I left the water fall in
place and switched it on - on warm days. This was probably a mistake and I
plan on draining this of residual water this year. I bought a deicer and
stuck it on when the weather forecast predict air temps below freezing. I
didn't loose any fish last winter, fingers crossed for this one.
I am sure there are people with vastly more experience out there if the
trolls haven't chased them away.
Peter
===============
The main thing is keeping the water from freezing solid and killing the
fish - and - keeping an opening in the ice to allow gasses to escape. Ponds
of any size shouldn't go into winter with a deep layer of mulm on the bottom
as unhealthy gasses can form, or so some people claim. I net out as much of
the leaves that fall through the nets as possible and the debris from the
pond plants. We seldom lose a fish over the winter and I'm in zone 6.
--
McKoi.... frugal ponding since 1995...
My Pond Page http://tinyurl.com/cuq5b
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http://www.hyphenologist.co.uk/killf..._troll_faq.htm