Koi Pond Heating

[rockman]

I am new to Koi, this is my first season since I build my pond, and I am planning to trying out heating my Koi pond.

I was curious if others here have any thoughts or suggestions of this topic.

I have about a 2000 gal pond, it is very sheltered by bushes and trees (not much direct wind).

I am going to try a 6000 W electric heater (3 x 2000 Watts) to start. I have a waterfall feature which I would like to have going all winter (although I realize that this will cause a lot of heat transfer).

I live in the Pacific Northwest, winters are relatively mold, average about 42 - 48 F from Nov to March, with maybe 15 days over this period expected to be below 32 F.

I am told the heaters can be placed on the bottom of the pond, but I am considering some other ideas about how to set up the heaters in my pond, possible involing some sort of a parital covering.

My goal is at least to try and keep my fish 50 F - 60 F if I can, but I wont know until I set up my systems and the weather starts getting colder.

Any thoughts appreciated in advance regarding heating and/or covering for the winter.

[dick benbow]

Moneypit lives in the pacific northwest and has done some interesting stuff with heating his pond from his profession. Hopefully we can get him to chime in...he needs to tell his story...kinda interesting.

The first thing I suggest is to figure out how to by pass the waterfall and return water to pond. In the winter time a waterfall is really a chilling tower
and you don't want it working against you. If there is anyway to build a conestoga wagon looking greenhouse over the top of your pond to help protect from heatloss you should do it. The trick is to make sure it can easily be vented so the escaping gases don't condense on the roof and drip back into the pond.

I have a 2000 gallon inside pond that I heat with a tiny inline spa heater that plugs into standard electricity ( it's not 220 ) and it does a good job of keeping my pond in the low 50's.

[rockman]

Dick,

Thanks, I send a message to see moneypit and a link to this thread. I have not seen any others respond, and with winter coming I thought this would be a timely thread.

I have heard from several folks that my waterfall will be an issue.

CUrrently I have a Savio skimmerfitler with a 2800 gph pump which feeds a Dolphin HydroVortex waterfall filter. Since may people never heard of this unit, here is a web site to decsribe it.

http://www.russellwatergardens.com/b...calfilters.htm

I have a ball valve in line right after the skimmerfilter, which I use to regulate the flow (which can be quite deafening!). I also have a bubbler in the middle of the pond.

I am thinking about making a new connection from the ball valve and either adding a brand new biological filter outside the pond (which I would need to purchase and any recommendation suitable for a 2000 gal pond would be appreciated), and then returning to it (and maybe I can insulate the vessel somehow), or I might consider pumping the water back into a submerged Pondmaster filter (I happen to have an extra one). This way I can at least keep the Savio skimmer going and keep stuff off the pond surface, and maybe replace the biological filtration lsot from my water by adding another filter. If I do this, should I completely drain my watefall filter? Should I keep the media in it? When I start it back up in the spring, should I treat it first or something (I would expect I should at least clean it out thoughly)?

Bottom line is if I turn off my waterfall, I supose I lose the biological fitlration arising from the Dolphin unit. In addition to the waterfrall filter I also have a Pondmaster floating skimmer which works well to skim the top off one corner of my pond that ended up being like a dead zone that was not drawn off well by the Savio skimmer. So far with the two skimmers, I have had good success keeping very low levels (usually zero, sometimes 0.25 ppm) of NH4/NH3 and NO2-. If I stop my waterfall and do not add a replacement filtration somehow, I think I would lose about half of my filtration capacity.

Anyway, sorry about babling on about my system and showing my inexperience here, but any advice would be appreciated.

[mitten]

Howdy Rockman-

What I've learned here about feeding schedules for cooler temps has been helpful in my heated and non heated ponds. Heating without good equipment is $$$$, and just maintaining 50F can cost a lot. 50F is a good place to keep temps as a bottom line for winter, but fish are not being fed then, right, and most of the bacterial filtration we encourage is not working then.

So, in the barn I keep the heat at 50F, and as soon as the water temp in those tanks has dropped to just that with no daily rise above 50F by the effects of air temp or sunlight, then I don't feed again until spring temps rise, pumping and filtration remain unchanged, the fish are slightly active all winter, though unfed for 2 months at least.

Outside the ponds get covered, possibly a bit more gracefully than a conestoga, and the fish wait for spring. No pumping of air or water is used. I don't drain filters or plumbing but everything is underground and well cleaned. Below 50 the fish slow, but will still come to see you for a while until they figure out that you are not going to feed them and then they ignore you. Water temps will go right down to 32F at the water surface in my covered, unheated ponds, the fish lay still, sometimes I see only the middle ray of one pec flipped up at me when I enter the hoop, but no ice forms and with careful handling in the spring the fish come back into vitality trouble free.

So, recommendations?
-Forget keeping the pond going full speed all year.
-Forget trying to feed all year.
-Design a cover. Remember wind and snow and ice too.
-If you have 2000w submersible heaters use them submersed. Use a small pump to slowly circulate the heat , 250gph? 500gph?
-Rinse whatever you can from the skimmer and the waterfall and be prepared to shut them down for a good while, mid December to mid March? Dunno, mild winters are something I can't relate to very well.
-Money pit and others have efficient systems to heat their ponds. Learn from then. You will find that you need depth and gravity flow systems for achieving your goals.
-Move to Florida. Or Hawaii. Or Malaysia.

Mickey the windowman

[Danjols]

If you're return line surfaces at a point where the waterfall begins you might consider installing a flexible return pipe. You can attach (same size) snake it down the spillway (or stream). It will enclose you're filtered water and act as a return, hence you have by-passed super cooling waterfall by enclosing the waterfall for winter. As Dick explained a cover will make all the difference in the world for keeping in heat.

Another idea, air from the bottom of the pond will help circulate water, keep the surface from freezing over and help with the earths 55 degree ambient temp (if you're at least five feet deep, seven feet is better) Air pump in an enclosed insulated box if outside or indoors, air also helps with some additional heat. A small electric spa heater will do the job for you for keeping water warm enough if you follow these other suggestions.

How do I know, live in Spokane, Anderson in Hayden Lake, both of us deal with harsh cold winters and have been through the routine, it works.

[rockman]

Mickey and Danjols,

Thanks for your thoughts. My heater is coming in the next few days or so. This gives me some chance to play around with how effective it can be for the next month or so until it gets really cold here (my water temp is still about 63 right now).

I will work on a covering as well, and it sounds like I better take everyone's advice and plan on shutting my waterfall down, but I think I can keep it going for maybe another month or so until it gets cold.

I will let you know how it all works out!

[rockman]

I have finally set up my heater, so far it seems to be working, I will fiddle with this over the weekend and see just how well it works, so far the fish seem to like the increased temperature.

[farne230]

What heater did you purchase Rockman?

[rockman]

farne230,

My pond heater is a 6000 W "octipower"

http://www.clepco.com/a_octipower.htm

It is working well (except for the week before christmas, when I lost power for 8 days and I only had a 5000 W generator for power so I could turn it on, but that is a whole separate story...)

We ahve had an unusally brutal winter here in the northwest, i fact, we just got 4 inches of snow last night and it is below freezing now...nothing like seeing that steam rise up above my koi pond, it is a balmy 60 F, no problem!

Well, I am off to go feed my koi again, catch you later!

[MCA]

Here in Atlanta I don't heat. But this year I got a 16mil solar pool cover to lay over the pond and hang down to the ground (pond is semiraised). I keep the air pumps running on the Nexuses and also on the BD airdomes. The air pumps use the air they pump to cool themselves. So many days that constantly refreshed layer of air under the pond cover is several degrees warmer than outside air.

This is a very low tech...and low cost approach to winter. I may not be enough further north.