"Gareee©" wrote in
:

"Hal" wrote in message
news
I have ice on the hot tub pond this morning and the fish are almost
still. They can be seen through the very thin ice that is almost
clear in one spot. I have a picture.

The in ground pond with three filter barrels in the ground is still
ice free and had a water temp of 41F this morning. The fish were in
a better mood than I, as I scooped out the leaves the wind had
brought in the past couple days. I shouldn't mind a few days of
cold, but I really do and am ready for spring, warm days and green
things. Happy New Year!


You DO know you should have air bubblers in the ponds to keep the tops
from being sealed by ice, don't you?

My old one died the other day, but I had a spare aquarium pump and
airstone bar I dropped in the pond right away to keep a hole open.

I had tapped a 3 foot hole in the ice, but it froe over in a few hours
time, so I figured I'd better find a solution pronto.



You have to be careful about 'tapping' a hole in the ice. You can cause
concussion damage to the fish.

Where I live, the ice is more powerful than a pump or air bubbles. In
fact, some will warn against air bubbles, even though it can keep a
portion of the pond ice free. The concern is moving the warmer, deeper
water to the colder surface can cause problems also. I use a Thermo-Pond
De-Icer (around $45), which only uses 100 watts of power. This keeps a 1
ft diameter hole in the ice, enough for the gas exchange required for my
size pond.

Shalom!