I currently have a small, modest water feature in the one part of my
garden not overgrown by trees or the need to maintain a lawn for the
kiddies to play in.....Because of the way that the drainage is dealt
with by the house it is one of the few areas where I can dig deep enough
to get below the frost line......

Right now it has a small water feature - a reservoir that goes up an
artificial hill (the garden is flat) and then comes back down again and
feeds up again etc. etc......the reservoir at the bottom is around 2 ft
6" deep.....the whole thing is pretty close to the house....

We've had some severe weather recently for this part of the UK.....so I
decided to find out how frozen the reservoir had got....OK it is covered
by a grill with rocks that will give some degree of protection.....the
ice was less than 1/8 inch thick.....now could I risk extending this
with a shallower pond and using this as my maximum depth (as it is
already dug out)?.....or should I be adding a bit more for
comfort?.....If my max depth is maybe 3 foot in this area (which would
be around 18" circumfrance (sp)) would this give sufficient protection
for goldfish (not Koi) to be able to over winter without any loss?

TIA
Gill

On Sun, 11 Feb 2007 00:36:48 +0000, Gill Passman
wrote:

I currently have a small, modest water feature in the one part of my
garden not overgrown by trees or the need to maintain a lawn for the
kiddies to play in.....Because of the way that the drainage is dealt
with by the house it is one of the few areas where I can dig deep enough
to get below the frost line......

Right now it has a small water feature - a reservoir that goes up an
artificial hill (the garden is flat) and then comes back down again and
feeds up again etc. etc......the reservoir at the bottom is around 2 ft
6" deep.....the whole thing is pretty close to the house....

We've had some severe weather recently for this part of the UK.....so I
decided to find out how frozen the reservoir had got....OK it is covered
by a grill with rocks that will give some degree of protection.....the
ice was less than 1/8 inch thick.....now could I risk extending this
with a shallower pond and using this as my maximum depth (as it is
already dug out)?.....or should I be adding a bit more for
comfort?.....If my max depth is maybe 3 foot in this area (which would
be around 18" circumfrance (sp)) would this give sufficient protection
for goldfish (not Koi) to be able to over winter without any loss?

TIA
Gill

Absolutely. My 2 foot deep lily pond has done well this winter with a 100
watt pond heater and air bubbler.... okay, I have checked to see if any of
the moor fry have survived out there. I do know the coldest the temp it got
was about 35F and that was some distance from the heater. It did freeze
over, but I assume not where the heater and bubbler are. I keep shade cloth
over it to keep out any wind blown debris. I have a wireless thermometer in
it, and can track the temp from inside the house. This was an exceptionally
cold winter for us, weeks below freezing at times with no snow cover.

Shubunkins and wakings would do wonderfully. In a perfect world, where I
could have a bigger pond for my koi, my koi ponds would become ponds for
such goldfish. ~ jan

~ janj wrote:



Absolutely. My 2 foot deep lily pond has done well this winter with a 100
watt pond heater and air bubbler.... okay, I have checked to see if any of
the moor fry have survived out there. I do know the coldest the temp it got
was about 35F and that was some distance from the heater. It did freeze
over, but I assume not where the heater and bubbler are. I keep shade cloth
over it to keep out any wind blown debris. I have a wireless thermometer in
it, and can track the temp from inside the house. This was an exceptionally
cold winter for us, weeks below freezing at times with no snow cover.

Shubunkins and wakings would do wonderfully. In a perfect world, where I
could have a bigger pond for my koi, my koi ponds would become ponds for
such goldfish. ~ jan


I have a great area for the eventual Koi pond....just have to wait til
the kiddies grow old enough to give up their rather large play
area...some is under trees so I will have to net it.....if usenet
allowed photos I'd share the area.....but it is sufficiently large
without the restrictions I have elsewhere.....35F is warm right now over
here.....

I want to get something going on the pond front again.....I miss my
strolls up to the top of the garden to my ill-fated pond I had 6 years
ago.....even just the fact that the fish didn't do to well but the frogs
and newts did....the marginal plants in the bog part were awesome....I
built the pond up the top of the garden with little real
planning....because the place, when we bought it was such a mess, I just
wanted something special....

I will get the spade out and build my little puddle this year......it is
close to the house and power is not an issue.....I can hardly wait......

Gill

I have a great area for the eventual Koi pond....just have to wait til
the kiddies grow old enough to give up their rather large play
area...

My kiddies willingly gave up their play area (where my koi ponds are) after
seeing pictures of ponds. They were 12, 9 & 5 at the time. How old are
yours?

I will get the spade out and build my little puddle this year......it is
close to the house and power is not an issue.....I can hardly wait......

Cool. :-) ~ jan

Question

Is that a typo or is it a "100" watt heater? Seems to me a 100 watt
heater in even a 5 gal bucket of water in freezing weather would
amount to trying to heat the house in sub zero weather with a bic
lighter. I could see 1000 watts more than 100. 100 watts struggles to
keep a decent sized aquarium up to temp in a AC environment.

Just curious


On Sun, 11 Feb 2007 01:17:43 GMT, ~ janj
wrote:

On Sun, 11 Feb 2007 00:36:48 +0000, Gill Passman
wrote:

I currently have a small, modest water feature in the one part of my
garden not overgrown by trees or the need to maintain a lawn for the
kiddies to play in.....Because of the way that the drainage is dealt
with by the house it is one of the few areas where I can dig deep enough
to get below the frost line......

Right now it has a small water feature - a reservoir that goes up an
artificial hill (the garden is flat) and then comes back down again and
feeds up again etc. etc......the reservoir at the bottom is around 2 ft
6" deep.....the whole thing is pretty close to the house....

We've had some severe weather recently for this part of the UK.....so I
decided to find out how frozen the reservoir had got....OK it is covered
by a grill with rocks that will give some degree of protection.....the
ice was less than 1/8 inch thick.....now could I risk extending this
with a shallower pond and using this as my maximum depth (as it is
already dug out)?.....or should I be adding a bit more for
comfort?.....If my max depth is maybe 3 foot in this area (which would
be around 18" circumfrance (sp)) would this give sufficient protection
for goldfish (not Koi) to be able to over winter without any loss?

TIA
Gill

Absolutely. My 2 foot deep lily pond has done well this winter with a 100
watt pond heater and air bubbler.... okay, I have checked to see if any of
the moor fry have survived out there. I do know the coldest the temp it got
was about 35F and that was some distance from the heater. It did freeze
over, but I assume not where the heater and bubbler are. I keep shade cloth
over it to keep out any wind blown debris. I have a wireless thermometer in
it, and can track the temp from inside the house. This was an exceptionally
cold winter for us, weeks below freezing at times with no snow cover.

Shubunkins and wakings would do wonderfully. In a perfect world, where I
could have a bigger pond for my koi, my koi ponds would become ponds for
such goldfish. ~ jan



-------
I forgot more about ponds and koi than I'll ever know!

I'd gladly help you dig it if you lived closer!




-------
I forgot more about ponds and koi than I'll ever know!

wow, thats strange. I hit reply on a specific post and it pulls up a
totally different post to rely to....anyhow!

They make a jam up super filter right there in GB...Hozelock
Bio-Force.

You can get it with or without UVC. I have been buying and installing
thes eunits on allof the wifes individual preforms, along with a water
fall and all this past year for how how., sunny and bright it was
outside all her ponds were gin clear. They are a pressure type, but
piece of cake to clean and maintain, plus canister is able to be
buried for the most part out of sight.

And do not pay any attention to this same exact reply in another
thread.......pertaining with being blindsided.




-------
I forgot more about ponds and koi than I'll ever know!

On Sun, 11 Feb 2007 08:14:01 -0600, Tristan wrote:

Question

Is that a typo or is it a "100" watt heater? Seems to me a 100 watt
heater in even a 5 gal bucket of water in freezing weather would
amount to trying to heat the house in sub zero weather with a bic
lighter. I could see 1000 watts more than 100. 100 watts struggles to
keep a decent sized aquarium up to temp in a AC environment.

Just curious

Breaking my code... but it is on-topic. ;-) Yes, 100 watt. It's in a
special black container pictured he
http://backyardbirdwatcher.safeshopp...05/274.htm?581

~ jan

~ janj wrote:


Breaking my code... but it is on-topic. ;-) Yes, 100 watt. It's in a
special black container pictured he
http://backyardbirdwatcher.safeshopp...05/274.htm?581

~ jan

Looks interesting.....I've bookmarked it for future
reference......certainly in terms of power usage it looks like a good
investment in terms of protecting the livestock.....I'll need to check
if it is available in the UK

Thanks
Gill

Tristan wrote:

They make a jam up super filter right there in GB...Hozelock
Bio-Force.

My LFS stock Hozelock stuff.....I'll take a gander next time I'm there.....

Gill

Yep, Hozelock is some good stuff, lots better than Lucas lighting
products ;-)...........I have been buying the Bio_Force 1000 systems
for the wifes tropical fish preforms. I have had one pump quit
working. All it took was a phone call and within 3 days I had a new
pump delivered all without a single hassle...Their pump cage / guard
that fits arond their Titan andother sries pumps does great at keeping
smaller fry etc out of the pump. They have a name for it but I do not
remember it and I am too lazy to go and look it up, but its adjustable
down to a 2mm opening all around the guard, and it still maintains
a good flow output.


On Wed, 14 Feb 2007 14:29:14 +0000, Gill Passman
wrote:

Tristan wrote:

They make a jam up super filter right there in GB...Hozelock
Bio-Force.

My LFS stock Hozelock stuff.....I'll take a gander next time I'm there.....

Gill



-------
I forgot more about ponds and koi than I'll ever know!

The pump on the little water feature that will get replaced is a
Hozelock....it has put up with all sorts of abuse over the last 5 years
and still keeps going....

Gill