Pond Algae Solutions Blog

Winter Ponds Can Be Dangerous

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Sometimes I find myself questioning if certain topics are worth talking about. Standing on thin ice would be one of those but in truth, it’s a very important thing to talk about.

The proof in this is the various news reports you see every winter, where people, pets, or even wildlife end up falling through the ice and either get rescued (which is a good thing, but there are risks to the rescuer’s too) or they end up freezing to death (and that’s just not a good outcome).

So with that in mind, here’s some helpful advice from the Penn State Extension service.

Always know the strength and thickness of the ice on the farm pond before doing any activity on the ice. Because ice is a complex formation no ice is completely safe. Newly frozen ice is typically stronger than old ice. Ice that has thawed and refrozen can be weak and potentially dangerous. Temperature, precipitation (e.g., snow, sleet, rain), age of ice, water depth, and water quality are all factors involved in the strength and thickness of ice. Just because ice may be several inches to a foot or more thick does not guarantee its strength.

Before attempting to cross a frozen pond, conduct an inspection to determine the ice’s thickness by drilling a hole through and chipping at the ice every 10 feet out from the shore. Examine the ice for thickness and color. High density ice is present if the ice comes off in chunks when it is being chipped. Low density and deteriorating ice is present when the ice comes off in flakes or thin layers. Inspect the ice conditions every time you go onto the ice because condition, strength, and stability of ice can change quickly depending on the temperature, weather, and sunlight. Ice that has been exposed to air temperatures above freezing (32 F) for six hours over a 24-hour period can rapidly lose strength and stability. The following table outlines the type of ice and its potential stability.

You’ll find a very useful reference table on the PSE site as well as some other safety tips (year round) that might really be helpful to you. The fact is, people and animals do drown in ponds every year, and unfortunately many of the victims are children.

But with the right mindset, training, and awareness, many of these tragedies can be avoided.

Disclaimer: No that is not me in the picture standing by the “thin ice” sign. Personally I wouldn’t do anything that crazy (or insert other word as required) and I hope this fellow remained above the water line. – MW

There’s More Than Just Water In Your Pond

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This amazing video shows a side of our ponds that we would rarely see, at least without the aid of a microscope.

In truth, ponds are home to more than just fish, snails, turtles and the like.

Much smaller and more inconspicuous are the many tiny animals that make up an aquatic kingdom.

You’ll see water fleas, bryozoans, water mites, mayfly nymphs, ostracods, and, of course, hydras throughout the video.

The average size of most of them is less than 1 mm.

The One-Two Punch For The Coldest Conditions – And A Video With Great Winter Pond Tips

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It’s amazing when you stop and think about it.

How much your pond goes through.

And your fish too.

They have to deal with the hottest of summer extremes and every now and then, the coldest of bitter winters.

It’s the second one I want to talk about today.

Ice is not your friend, unless maybe your Dorothy Hammill or Wayne Gretzke.

Most certainly, your fish won’t benefit from it much.

So we’re in a battle against the ice. Last year, it might have won the war.

Except for a few pond owners who fought it off.

For big pond owners, you’ve got one tool, and that’s pond aeration. It does a pond good.

For small ponders though you’ve got a few tricks up your sleeve and in the video above you’ll see that when you combine these tools together you can win against even the coldest temperatures.

I’d urge you to watch this short video because it has some awesome tips on winter pond management.

If you don’t have much time though, with the holiday thing going on and all, just know this…

For a smaller pond, a good deicer and aerator can be combined for amazing results!

For aerators, I’m biased a bit because I know how good the one’s we offer are, and they’re some of the best around.

They’re proven year after year and we’ve been working with some of them for nearly a decade now.

You can view them all right here.

And on the deicer suggestion.

I have only one and frankly it’s hard to get.

But it’s the most durable and reliable one I’ve found. It’s not cheap but it’s great at keeping some water open, and honestly, my fish are worth that.


Check out my most highly recommended pond deicer here.

With either one of these great tools (or both together) you’ll have what you need to protect your fish through the winter chills!

Until next time, keep your spirits up and your fish happy and healthy!

A Goldfish Story With A Happy Ending

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I came across this article and video recently and wanted to share it with you all here. Ultimately it’s a happy story, of George the Goldfish.

George is about 10 years old and is owned by a lady in Australia who became rather attached to her fish. Many of us can attest that she’s not alone in that regard.

But George developed a pretty good sized tumor on his head and a very kind vet offered to help. Through a very interesting process, surgery was performed successfully to remove the growth and now George is back in the pond and doing well.

Along with the story though, there’s some good advice and information found in this article.

Here’s a few that stood out to me.

  • Research now shows conclusively that fish feel pain.
  • Fish have excellent long term memories.
  • They have various emotions, anger for example, when confined in small, barren spaces.
  • They communicate with one another through various signals and sounds.
  • And when they’re cared for properly, they can leave several decades.

Now I’ll grant you that if you spend much time with fish at all, you probably know most of these things already but it’s nice to see that this information is being shared to a broader audience.

Another very good point of the article is the fact that many people look upon fish as “throw away” pets. They can be easily discarded through various means. One of which is to simple relocate them to a nearby pond.

But as we mentioned recently about invasive aquatic plants and the problems they are causing, non-native fish release can cause problems too. Ideally the best option of all is to find a proper home for the fish where it can be well cared for.

And speaking of care, you’ll find some other helpful tips on managing a fish pond in the article and there’s some additional information on finding an experienced fish vet in your area.

To learn more visit Mercola Healthy Pets, and for additional information on veterinary services go to fishvets.com.

Don’t Do This When Winterizing Your Small Pond

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For the water garden or small pond owner, plants, meaning desirable plants can be a very good thing.

They’re natural of course, and along with adding a natural appearance to a pond, they also do a lot of other good things. If you want to ward off algae, certain plants like lilies or hyacinths can be one of your best friends.

Other types of aquatic vegetation are used too, and some of these are even used in aquarium settings. Curly leaf pond weed, Hyrdilla, and even common Duckweed come to mind.

As a responsible pond owner however you should keep in mind that one person’s perfect plant, is another person’s (or community’s) nightmare.

This reminder from the Michigan State University Extension Service provides a good rundown on how to dispose of unwanted plants at seasons end. The one thing you don’t want to do is to “release” them into native waters where they may prove invasive. This goes for aquatic wildlife too.

Currently, around various parts of the country, and in may states, invasive species are causing a lot of problems on ponds, lakes, and streams. The type of plant will vary a bit depending on the location and climate, but nevertheless, the simple truth is most of these problems could be avoided by simply following the Extension’s advice on proper disposal methods and containment.

If one desires to be an environmentally conscious steward of the land, it’s the least we can do as pond owners.

Here’s an additional list from the USDA with more information on invasive aquatic species.

The Battle With Ice

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It was a long, cold winter for most of us last year. It seems like so long ago, but now that the deep chill is drifting in again from the north, my thoughts have gone back to the spring when we found countless fish and other wildlife floating around as casualties of the ice.

Many pond owners experienced the same thing, but a few others weathered the cold in pretty good shape. Those folks happened to have the right defenses in place.

And the breakdown was pretty simple.

If someone kept just a little bit of ice open, they didn’t lose too many fish. For those that did not, the losses could be significant.

One community in Western Illinois lost around 9,000 pounds of fish.

So what’s in store for us this winter?

Well, in truth, no one really knows for sure, but as we head into mid-November things are already getting cold here in the upper Midwest, so now would be a good time to do a quick rundown on how you can win this seasonal battle with the ice.

The most important thing to remember is you don’t have to keep an entire pond or like completely ice-free. All that’s really necessary is small opening for smaller ponds, or in larger waters, several small open areas, that remain ice-free throughout the winter.

These open holes allow for oxygen to come in from the air above, and gasses, which normally might get trapped under ice, can escape or be vented.

There a few good tools that can help with this effort.

The Pond DeIcer

For a smaller backyard pond, a decent deicer will often to a lot of good. These will normally only heat up when the ice starts to form, and will turn off if you have warmer weather come along. You’ll find various wattages available but in general anything around 300 watts should be sufficient for most ponds.

Aeration – Subsurface

Pond aerators can be used in small and large ponds of all sizes and do a good job of keeping ice open under most conditions. The aerators we use actually release air bubbles from the bottom of the pond and these rise up rapidly to create a bit of agitation on the surface. The bubbling and ripples will keep ice from forming in all but the absolute coldest conditions.

Ideally these aerators would be electrically powered for constant operation. Windmills can be very intermittent based on wind speeds and may not provide around the clock coverage.

Pond Circulator

Another useful device for large ponds is a pond circulator. These use a motor driven propeller to circulate the water near the surface. They work great around boat docks, ramps, and other areas where keeping ice away is important.

Normally a circulator will create a larger opening than aeration might. They can also be controlled by a timer or temperature sensor so they will only need to run when the conditions are cold enough for ice to develop.

Preparation Is The Key

As with most things related to pond care, being prepared is the key to success, and this fits in well with winter protection too. Where the weather is concerned it’s always a bit of a roll of the dice in terms of just how bad things might get, and this goes for the high heat of summer, or the cold days of winter.

As you can see though, you (or your fish) don’t have to get beat up by the after affects of a long, frigid winter. And be sure to keep the faith…spring will be here again before you know it.