- Location
- long island, ny
Getting ready for my first winterr with koi/shunbunkin what deicer and aerator should i go with!
de-icer and aerator question for pond experts
- Thread starter doma25
- Start date
- Location
- long island, ny
also my pond is probably 350 gallons and 3 feet deep at most
- Location
- Staten Island
when I had my pond. This is the one I used.
http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=21114.
and I never did aeration in the winter, The fish go adornment.
http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=21114.
and I never did aeration in the winter, The fish go adornment.
I have one of these to keep an opening in my ice..only 100w, so it is reasonable to run all winter long.
http://www.google.com/products/cata...a=X&ei=w8WcTua1BKfu0gHrkdGWCQ&ved=0CH4Q8wIwAQ
You can either purchase a bubbler...oddly I have a nebulizer running on my pond as an aerator and (knock wood) it's been on there for about 2 years without ever shutting it off
It does a fantastic job. My pond is larger than yours, so one of these might be overkill, but the point is to keep the water moving a bit for gas exchange. Depending on the size of your pond you may be able to get away with a large FW air pump with no airstone on the end of the tubing - just make sure the tube goes to the bottom of the pond.
How many fish are in your pond and have you stopped feeding yet?
A pic would be nice too
http://www.google.com/products/cata...a=X&ei=w8WcTua1BKfu0gHrkdGWCQ&ved=0CH4Q8wIwAQ
You can either purchase a bubbler...oddly I have a nebulizer running on my pond as an aerator and (knock wood) it's been on there for about 2 years without ever shutting it off
It does a fantastic job. My pond is larger than yours, so one of these might be overkill, but the point is to keep the water moving a bit for gas exchange. Depending on the size of your pond you may be able to get away with a large FW air pump with no airstone on the end of the tubing - just make sure the tube goes to the bottom of the pond.How many fish are in your pond and have you stopped feeding yet?
A pic would be nice too
- Location
- long island, ny
i have this as my build no updated pics... but it looks great! fish grew already!
http://www.manhattanreefs.com/forum/freshwater/101645-pond-renevation-need-advice-3.html
http://www.manhattanreefs.com/forum/freshwater/101645-pond-renevation-need-advice-3.html
Very nice job!! ..and that Frog definitely likes you ..lol
Where on LI are you?
Ok, you do NOT need a heater (per se) in a pond in the wintertime, you only need a device like the one linked above to keep an opening in the ice for gas exchange, so get a heater like the one I posted (on line is much cheaper than local stores for this item!!)
Likely the pond will not freeze all the way to the bottom at the depth you have yours (mine is even more shallow although it is about 2,000 gallons and (knock wood) I have lost no fish over the past umpteen winters on the South Shore.
Do you have a thermometer in there? You need to stop feeding your fish when the water temp reaches about 50 degrees as they cannot digest below those temps. Do NOT resume feeding them again until Springtime when the water warms to about 45 + degrees on a consistent basis...not even for a day! They will stay fairly motionless for the winter and will stay at the lower depths of the pond.
IF your heater ever fails to keep an opening in the ice - do NOT break the ice - the shock will kill your fish! Instead use hot water to melt a new opening (place a pot of near boiling water on the ice until it melts through - don't drop that water into the pond...) and replace your heater. Best to take a peek at the pond each day to make sure everything is going ok over the winter
You also can take your filter off line for the winter as any of the beneficial bacteria in there will not stay alive in the cold temps. You also do not want to circulate the water as the point is - the water at the lowest depths will be the warmest (the fish can deal with it!)..and then every few inches (for example) the water temp drops a little until it reaches just under the ice..and then the ice itself..and we know what the temp is there! Circulating the water will only make the water colder all the way to the bottom of the pond..and you don't want that.
Did I over answer your question? lol
:fish:
Where on LI are you?
Ok, you do NOT need a heater (per se) in a pond in the wintertime, you only need a device like the one linked above to keep an opening in the ice for gas exchange, so get a heater like the one I posted (on line is much cheaper than local stores for this item!!)
Likely the pond will not freeze all the way to the bottom at the depth you have yours (mine is even more shallow although it is about 2,000 gallons and (knock wood) I have lost no fish over the past umpteen winters on the South Shore.
Do you have a thermometer in there? You need to stop feeding your fish when the water temp reaches about 50 degrees as they cannot digest below those temps. Do NOT resume feeding them again until Springtime when the water warms to about 45 + degrees on a consistent basis...not even for a day! They will stay fairly motionless for the winter and will stay at the lower depths of the pond.
IF your heater ever fails to keep an opening in the ice - do NOT break the ice - the shock will kill your fish! Instead use hot water to melt a new opening (place a pot of near boiling water on the ice until it melts through - don't drop that water into the pond...) and replace your heater. Best to take a peek at the pond each day to make sure everything is going ok over the winter
You also can take your filter off line for the winter as any of the beneficial bacteria in there will not stay alive in the cold temps. You also do not want to circulate the water as the point is - the water at the lowest depths will be the warmest (the fish can deal with it!)..and then every few inches (for example) the water temp drops a little until it reaches just under the ice..and then the ice itself..and we know what the temp is there! Circulating the water will only make the water colder all the way to the bottom of the pond..and you don't want that.
Did I over answer your question? lol
:fish:
- Location
- long island, ny
that was such a great answer! Thank You so much... I live out in oyster bay.
I just get stressed out and wantt to plan ahead.... i am at college right now... so i'd like to order the stuff now so when needed my dad can install it if needed He is keeping my reef alive as well!
I just get stressed out and wantt to plan ahead.... i am at college right now... so i'd like to order the stuff now so when needed my dad can install it if needed He is keeping my reef alive as well!
- Location
- long island, ny
it's nice to get such a long answer that really answers everything, so thorough! I only have 4 fish in the pond 2 shunbunkin, 2 koi...
are koi/shunbunkin dimorphic or hetersexual like clowns.. where male can become female etc
are koi/shunbunkin dimorphic or hetersexual like clowns.. where male can become female etc
- Location
- Flushing NY 11355
be ready to see babies next spring. Remember not to circulate the water when it's freezing so that the bottom will stay liquid.
Do let us know if you have other questions - there are quite a few pond keepers here on MR
Koi cannot change sexes, they are what they are.
Yours are probably too young yet to try and figure out, but take a look at this:
http://www.nishikigoi-info.com/koi-care/sexing-koi.html
or this one - sexing info is near the bottom of the page
http://www.bonniesplants.com/scalation.htm
- Location
- Wheatley Heights, NY (long island)
I just stick the halloween cornstalks into the pond and that is it!! The cornstalks prevents the pond from freezing completely over. I had my pond for over 20 years and everything is fine in the spring(no deaths).
- Location
- long island, ny
thanks so much for all the feedback!
Should i stop feeding yet?!
Should i stop feeding yet?!
- Location
- long island, ny
when should i take out the filter and fountain and just put in a de-icer and aerator
and which aerator do you guys suggest?
and which aerator do you guys suggest?
- Location
- long island, ny
Bump
You can leave the filter in for now, it will be average temps after this nonsense today.
I would stop feeding the fish though. Best to check your water temp. If it is about 50 degrees, it is ok to stop feeding.
As long as you have the filter/fountain running the fish are still getting plenty of air, so no need to change that yet. Disconnect it (and EMPTY THE FILTER!!) just before we get our first freeze.
You can use a regular air pump (like they use in FW, but you want one of the larger sized ones) as an aerator for the winter as your pond isn't that large. You would not use an airstone - just use long enough air tubing and tie it onto something you can sink in the pond and let the big bubbles come up to the surface. I keep my aerator under an old salt bucket (and on top of a few flat rocks to keep it off the ground) to keep it out of water/snow/ the elements.
The heater doesn't get added until we start getting low enough temps for the pond to freeze over.
I would stop feeding the fish though. Best to check your water temp. If it is about 50 degrees, it is ok to stop feeding.
As long as you have the filter/fountain running the fish are still getting plenty of air, so no need to change that yet. Disconnect it (and EMPTY THE FILTER!!) just before we get our first freeze.
You can use a regular air pump (like they use in FW, but you want one of the larger sized ones) as an aerator for the winter as your pond isn't that large. You would not use an airstone - just use long enough air tubing and tie it onto something you can sink in the pond and let the big bubbles come up to the surface. I keep my aerator under an old salt bucket (and on top of a few flat rocks to keep it off the ground) to keep it out of water/snow/ the elements.
The heater doesn't get added until we start getting low enough temps for the pond to freeze over.
- Location
- long island, ny
Ok thanks!! Why do we not use the big airstone that comes with the airpump?
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