Pond Winterization

It sure has been getting cooler at night. Yesterday morning I had to break out the ice scraper to clear the windshield. That was a good reminder that winter is on its way. Watching the weather, I saw that there is another snow storm out west, with a chance for some flurries to get to our area later this week or over the weekend. It won't last though, right?

With the coming of winter, you need to decide once again if you want to keep your pond running all winter, or shut it down? Either way, you will want to get as much organic matter as possible out of the pond (leaves, sticks, etc.), cut back your pond plants - marginals should be cut back to about one inch above the water level, and your lilies (hardy) should have their pads and remaining blossoms cut back close to the tuber. If possible, you should cover your pond with a protective netting to keep the leaves and other flying debris from blowing into your pond. The netting can be removed after your leaves and your neighbors have dropped and have been cleaned up. Some people leave the net on all winter. Be sure to support the net so it does not droop into the pond.

You should stop feeding your fish when the water temperature drops to 50 degrees F and below.

You will want to have a smaller pump available for when you shut your main pump off for the season, the one that runs your stream, waterfall, and keeps the biological filtration operational. The smaller pump will be used to agitate the water throughout the winter. You can use the main pump you use throughout the season, but it may be too large/powerful for this purpose. This is done to increase the gas exchange between the water and the air. Be sure to set the pump on a shelf, rather than the bottom of the pond. This is done to minimize the risk of supercooling the water in the pond. Furthermore, the water coming out of the pump should be directed to the surface, but only so that it disturbs, but doesn't break, the surface. If the water breaks the surface of the pond, you could end up with an interesting ice sculpture when the freezing temperature comes to stay.

In addition to a smaller pump on a shelf, you will want to have a de-icer. A de-icer is a small heater type of device that will maintain an opening in the ice for gas exchange between the water and the air. When used in conjunction with the smaller pump, you can rest assured that one or the other will be operating for you throughout the winter. The de-icer will be place away from the pump. Placing it to close to the pump could force the de-icer to run more than it need to and cause it to burn out before the winter is over. De-icers come in various sizes, colors, shapes, etc. Be sure to select one that is the right one for your pond. We have a few different styles/strengths in stock. We have 100-watt, 200-watt, and 1250-watt options in stock to choose from. Each one is thermostatically controlled so it will only operate when necessary. This saves electricity and money, but will still ensure an opening in the ice for your fish.

If you have an Aquascape system, or other system that relies on biological filtration with filter pads, biomedia, and such, you can remove and clean these items and store them in a dry location for the winter. Your pump should be stored submerged in a container of water in a location where it will not freeze. This is to help prevent the seals from cracking, until you start your system up again in the spring.

You may need to blow the water out of the pipes if they were not installed to allow them to drain when the pump was turned off/removed. Leaving water in the pipes over winter will likely result in split/destroyed pipes that need to be replaced in the spring. Believe me, it's no fun replacing those.

As always, this is just a brief discussion on some of the things that can be done to winterize your pond. Every manufacturer will have their own specific maintenance procedures to follow. The main thing is to protect your fish so they will be around to greet you again in the spring.

Please contact us with any questions or post a comment or two for all to read.

Thank you once again for visiting our Blog, and if you would like us to cover any particular topic, please let us know.

Shawn