wrote in message
. com...
On Thu, 6 Dec 2007 22:01:24 CST, "Bill Stock" wrote:

I left the fish in their indoor pond after the outdoor pond renovations,
as
it was too cool to move them back outdoors. But since the pond is in a
cool
part of the basement (entryway), the water is down to 52° now. Making the
room warmer is not really an option, at least not in the short term. So I
plan to use their outdoor heater (newly replaced) to keep them at 68° or
so.
But I was thinking that a hot tub blanket might make this more feasible
and
reduce my heating costs.

I was looking at this one:
http://www.spadepot.com/shop/Floatin...kets-C637.aspx

But this presents a minor problem for filter return and feeding. If I
leave
a large hole for the filter return to drain into will this be sufficient
aeration? Any chance these blankets are treated with bactericide?

the cooler you keep the fish, the less upkeep you will need to perform.
the cooler,
the less feeding, the less waste.
that "blanket" should not be on top of the water, it can be above the pond
and will
definitely keep the heat in. yes, it will stop aeration and maybe it is
bactericidal, you need to ask. I am sending DH for cheap bubble wrap from
Uhaul
today for a second layer over the first layer of plastic. Ingrid


Yes, it too cold for them to eat now, that's why I'd like to warm them up. I
was considering some kind of tarp with bungee cords on top of the stock
tank, which would solve my aeration problem, but may not hlp much with
insulation. The heater is fighting a losing battle at the moment, so I'll be
turning it off until I find a better solution.