scubadiverld wrote:

Derek Broughton Wrote:

(wow, that was an age old post - I don't remember when I wrote it, but I bet
it was last winter).

In S. Ontario, with temperatures down to -25C, I could keep a hole open
with
a 15W aquarium air pump and one of the long (6") air stones, suspended
6-12" below the waterline.

I just created a pond (rather late in the season) in Hamilton ON.
How do you keep your air pump from getting wet?

I just kept it under an upturned bucket. The biggest problem is keeping
water out of the air line. Keep the hose straight, and preferably sloping
downwards all the way from the pump.

My max depth of my
pond is about 4 1/2 feet. Will 6-12" below the water line be sufficient
for me too?

Should be. I was outside St. Thomas. You might be slightly warmer -
depending whereabouts in the Hamilton area you are.

I was looking at the pond de-icers and I am hesitant about running it
with the cost of electricity these days if I don't need to. I have
about 30 gold fish between 3-5 inches.

With 4 1/2' depth you don't even _have_ to have a hole in the ice. You've
got a lot of water for only 30 fish, so I'm confident that the bubbler will
do the job for you.
--
derek