Pond Weather Problems

POND WEATHER PROBLEMS

We sure have had some awful weather in parts of the U.S. Here in St. Louis we have had snow about every third day for a couple of weeks and no end in sight.

That reminded me to list some of the do's and don'ts of winter weather for the garden pond:

1) If your pond is covered by snow and ice, sweep off some of the snow. The snow on top of the ice keeps the pond dark and any plants (algae is a plant) will start taking oxygen out of the water and can deprive your fish of it! !! Observe all necessary precautions not to fall in the pond!!

2) Be sure the pond is not completely frozen for any length of time (how long varies with pond size and fish population). We do not let our ponds freeze completely at all, opting instead to use de-icers to keep them open.

3) Do not beat on the ice to break it. The resulting sound waves can harm and/or kill the fish!

4) Sometimes we get sudden, very warm days. This can be a problem if the water is heated to quickly by the sun. Koi in particular are very sensitive to sudden temperature changes. If possible start a pump to help keep the water evenly heated at all layers. The pump should be about midway in the depth of the water (for example, if the pond is 3 feet deep, submerse the pump intake at about 1 1/2 feet).

Seasonal Pond Supplies

Ponds in Winter --- Southern, Northern

Ponds in Winter --- Southern, Northern

Brrr, the weather in most parts of the country has been absolutely horrid! We have had a little bit of everything: cold, snow, rain, fog... Can't wait for spring! In the meantime, though, here are some cautions for your pond until the weather gets better.

** Southern Ponds:

Since winters in the southern states tend to be much milder, many ponds hover right around the 50 degree water temperature mark. This is hard on the fish, because it keeps them right on the edge of dormancy and hunger. Exercise care when feeding! Only easily digestible cool weather food should be fed that contains mostly vegetable matter. Beneficial bacteria tend to multiply much slower and if the fish are active enough to feed they do - of course - produce waste. Care must be taken that enough bacteria exist to digest the waste. Microbe Lift Fall/Winter Prep is a very good cool weather bacteria. All necessary products can be found in the "Seasonal Supplies" department (many at Grand Opening Prices of 20% off) at Pond Market On-Line Store

** Northern Ponds:

Chances are, everything is pretty much dormant in the pond in our colder states right now. There are, however, a few cautions to observe even here: Fish cannot go very long without oxygen. A vent hole must be kept in the ice on top of the pond either with a pump or a pond de-icer. If there are a lot of decomposing leaves in the pond the oxygen situation can get especially precipitous in the later weeks of the winter. Microbe Lift OX is a great product to help with that situation: it immediately makes more oxygen available to the fish and also for the beneficial bacteria to help their reduced numbers deal with the decomposing matter in the pond. All these products can of course be found at (many at Grand Opening Prices of 20% off) Pond Market On-Line Store