Lydia,

You really need to make sure you keep a Hole in ice for the
exchange of gases... think of it as letting your fish breathe.

Buy a small air pump - KMart usually has them for about $8.00.
Attach an air hose with a 4 inch airstone. Then put the airstone
about 2 or 3 inches down in your pond. This will keep the hole
open in Seattle's winters.
Almost forgot - do cover the air pump with
a bucket. It is not weather proof and needs protection from the
rain and snow. I have mine nailed to an upright on the deck then I
covered it with a baggie.

Nedra
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pines/4836
http://community.webshots.com/user/nedra118
"Lydia" wrote in message
...
The pond is 2 feet deep ~ 500gal. I put about 15-20 mosquito fish in it
this fall. It's a new pond so I don't have anything else in it yet.

Usually our low temps. this season in Seattle are around 40-45F degrees,
but
we've been having cold snaps where the pond has had a layer of ice on it
for
a few days at a time during about 3 different weeks since October. One of
those weeks is this week. Overnight temps are mid 20's. Ice on the top
of
the pond again.

The feeling I get from what I read is that the mosquito fish will still be
there in the spring. Really? Honestly? Is that true? It just seems so
amazing to me that I can believe it.

Or are they most likely all dead by now? Should I do something for them
like dump hot water in or break a hole in the ice even though it'll
probably
be gone in no more than a week?

Thanks!
Lydia