Emergency Winter Tips:
Never use any type of object to beat on the ice to open a hole in the Pond. The resulting sound waves can kill your fish!
Fill some used plastic soda bottles with hot water out of the faucet instead. Leave some room at the top, put on the lid and lay them on their side on the ice and let them melt it. You may have to repeat a few times if the ice is very thick. (If they roll, use a small pebble to brace them). DO NOT step on the ice, you could break through! The hole can be close to the edge. Place the bottle(s) where you can easily reach them while standing firmly on the side of the Pond!
The edges of a Pond can be hard to see when covered with ice and snow. Mark the perimeter with sand, cold ashes from the fireplace, bird seed or some other harmless, colorful substance to prevent someone from accidentally trying to walk across it and potentially falling through the ice.
The coldest part of winter is just starting! If you do not have a heater/de-icer or air pump yet...get one now!
2 comments:
do you ever have to de-ice in Florida? My daughter's in Tampa and I was thinking of making her a pond (I'm in Virginia myself). I'd like to make myself a pond but we live on a rocky hill where digging in would require expensive machinery and since we have a "real pond" my husband thinks a garden pond is overkill!
Hi Lee! I think in general it is not necessary to de-ice in Tampa. I live here in Florida myself and my pond has never frozen completely, even in that long cold spell two years ago. If it ever gets close just throw a milk jug filled only half with hot water in there before going to bed and it will keep a hole open. If it does freeze to the jug, then pull it out in the morning and VOILA! a hole! (This method would not work anywhere but here (central to south FLorida)
Post a Comment