What happens to pond fish in the winter? |
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The needs of pond fish over the winter depend on where you live and the type of fish you have in your pond. Certain fish species like Koi, Comets, Carps and Goldfish can survive harsh winters provided certain conditions are met, but tropical fish need to be taken inside during winter. If the temperature goes below 40 degrees fish will hibernate, especially if the water freezes over. |
Do I move my fish indoors in winter? |
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You should take all the tropical fish indoors by mid-October or when the temperature goes below 40 degrees, whichever comes first. |
Do I feed my fish in winter? |
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No, you should not feed your fish during the winter as they will be in hibernation. Hibernation is a sleep-like state which will end naturally when the weather warms up. When fish hibernate their metabolism is very low and they can not digest food. You should not feed your fish again until the weather warms up in the spring. If the weather warms up for a few days in the winter, it may be tempting to feed your fish as you may see them "wake up" but you should refrain from feeding your fish until the water temperature increases for the spring, and is consistently over 40 degrees. |
How deep should my pond be? |
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The pond depth necessary for winter survival of fish depends on how cold the winter is in your area. If your winters dip below the freezing point, your pond should have areas which are at least 30 inches deep. Though the surface of these deep spots may freeze over, there will still be unfrozen water at the bottom of the pond where the fish will gather to avoid freezing themselves. Even though you may have heard stories about fish surviving after being frozen solid it is not something you want your fish to go through. |
What do I have to do to keep the fish healthy in winter? |
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When a pond freezes over, it is very important to maintain air circulation: The oxygen level of the water beneath the ice has to be kept at a healthy level and the best way to do this is to have a small opening in the ice to let in fresh air. The best way to do this is to invest in a pond heater. Pond heaters use little electricity and will keep a small area on the surface of your pond free of ice. Keep in mind that you should never break the ice with a hammer as the shockwaves this creates will probably injure or kill your fish. In an emergency, if your heater is broken and it will take a few days to get a replacement, you can pour hot water over the ice to create an opening. |
What type of heater should I use? |
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The goal of using a pond heater during winter is to maintain an opening in the ice to allow air to circulate; you are not trying to heat up the entire pond. Therefore, the heater does not need to be very strong.
There are two types of heaters that are commonly used for heating ponds during the winter: |
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a.) Livestock pond heaters: Livestock pond heaters are used to enable livestock on farms to drink from ponds in the winter. These heaters are effective and easy to maintain but consume a lot of energy. Livestock pond heaters are usually much cheaper than general pond heaters (described below) but consume about $20-30 of energy a month. However, if you can afford this monthly expense, livestock heaters are the best option for your pond as they are very reliable, even after a snowstorm. Beware that some livestock heaters don't have insulated heating coils. If your pond has a rubber liner you should make sure that the heater coil doesn't touch the liner.
b.) Pond Heaters: Pond heaters are specifically designed to be used in small residential water features and are available in most garden shops and some hardware stores. Pond heaters are the most energy efficient way to maintain the air circulation of your pond: They consume only $5-10 of energy a month. Generally pond heaters are an adequate solution for residential ponds, but since they only heat a small area on the surface of the pond, they may be inadequate in and after heavy snowstorms. In this case, the entire surface of the pond may freeze over, and you will need to pour hot water on the ice to create a hole until the pond heater is able to resume its duties. |
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