frozen and what to do?

[Mike Mazur]

Well the cold snap is here and it is a good one. Zero yesterday, four this morning. This year I have a backup plan for gas exchange... An air pump. Normally this pump would be running into my kaldnes chamber but that is all put away for the winter. The recent cold has surprisingly stopped the flow from a two inch pipe flowing approx. 6,000 gal per hour. I took the water pump inside to geep it from freezing solid and cracking- not too difficult as it is an out of water pump. My air pump came out and I ran a line through the ice to bubble up and keep the gas exchange going. Hopefully I can get a thaw next week and run the waterpump again with a shortened run dropping back in near the end of my falls. I did this last year and still had to chip the ice daily from the pipe as it would freeze a solid tube around the fast moving water. anyone else facing similar cold troubles? Lee I know you won't have this happen!

[MCA]

Mike,

At least send the koi south for the winter!


Can you put a floating stock tank heater in the pond? That should keep a 1 foot circle (more or less) free of ice.

Heck, I though it was cold in Atlanta!!!!


MCA

[MikeM]

UGH! Too cold for me. Makes me curious though. What are your water temps?

[Mike Mazur]

top layer is a solid 32 and bottom is about 40. This is one of the reasons that your state"s population grows in the winter and shrinks in the summer. For now the fish just hang on the bottom waiting for spring to arrive and wake them. I know they don't sleep but they sure slow down. As for the trough heater Idea they use way too much electric. I have high efficiency pond pumps both air and water to keep cost down and I am not going to run a 1500 watt heater all winter, I would rather save the money to buy a new fish in the spring.

[MikeM]

Well, we are having a "cold spell" too. The camellias like it. Lots of white, red and pink blooms this week. The rosy red & pink & white Betty Sheffield Supreme is a favorite & doing better this year than she has for a couple of years. "Silver Etching" is a soft pink with literally dozens of blooms just opening ... has a very faint fragrance that attracts honeybees. This morning I took the pond's temp before feeding ... 62F at 8am. The air temp was in low 40s, so I was colder than the fish as I sat pondside giving them breakfast. But too chilly for me to do much in the yard today. Just trimmed the bougainvillia at the front door a little, and spread oak leaves that were raked up earlier in the week over some garden beds to keep down weeds, watered the pots of pansies around the back walk. ...... If you like what your hearing, move on down!!! Our economy depends on bad winters in the North causing forgetfulness about 5 months of temps in mid-90s and 98% humidity, where you break into a sweat just stepping out the door from the A/C. Gators in the lakes, snakes in the garden, lizards everywhere ... you'll get used to it in just one winter ... our best time of year. But, tough getting 4 seasons for the koi when you go straight from Fall to Spring.

Now, I'm going to go sit by the pond bundled in a sweater and enjoy the sunshine. p.s. Wish I could do something about your ice, but I don't know nothin' 'bout no ice.

[Mike Mazur]

Ah yes but how can you expect to stand on the middle of your pond with a three finger hot toddie and say to the fish No I am not coming swimming with you today.

[Brady Brandwood]

Hi the Mikes & MCA,

We're having a cold "spell" here too. These pics are from Friday, several nice 15 minute snow showers throughout the day. The Koi still asking me for food. MCA likely got some of this too. Some "crunchy" ground, but not bad. Last weekend the temps were 72 F.

Best Wishes,
Brady Brandwood (2 pics)

[Mike Mazur]

this is what it looked like last year after an early snow. now it is a solid falls with no movement.

[shiromujigirl]

YOU HAVE BETTY SHEFFIELDS?

My pond is 55F to placate JR and the two fish princesses are 72F to placate them.

I have an experiment going. Do chilled unfed females exposed to males have bigger eggy bellies than warmed fed feamles living like nuns with no males? So far its the two nuns who are by far most slim.

[shiromujigirl]

Mr. Mazur, that millhouse is a totally charming way to explain where the water is coming from. So many people just heap up some rocks in the middle of a flat place and run the filtered water from it. It looks so STOOPID.