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We’ve had a mild winter so far, does this affect the dormancy of my fish? | Decorative Ponds & Water Gardens Q & A

Posted on January 26, 2012 by thepondguy

We’ve had a mild winter so far, does this affect the dormancy of my fish?

We’ve had a mild winter so far, does this affect the dormancy of my fish? 

Ivy – Schaumburg, IL

We may be having a mild winter, but a mild winter for humans doesn’t really mean the same for your fish. During the winter months, fish living in outdoor ponds will go “dormant,” slowing down all their systems and responses in order to conserve energy during cold temperatures. Monitoring your pond’s temperature is easy – we recommend this handy Pond Logic® Floating Thermometer.

The signs your fish are ready for dormancy are relatively easy to pick out – colder temperatures will mean less food, to which your fish will react to naturally. Their metabolism and digestion will slow down, as will their movement in general, while they conserve energy. Don’t be alarmed if your fish appear “lazy” or don’t have any appetite – this is all normal. It’s also a good idea to wait until spring, or whenever it is consistently warm, to start feeding your fish again regularly. Do remember that your fish will require a couple days to digest their food and even if they become more active on a warm day you won’t want them returning to a dormant state while still digesting.

However, if Old Man Winter does sneak up on you, don’t wait until the first freeze to make sure your fish have enough oxygen and aeration to keep the water from freezing over. We recommend using these Pond Logic® PondAir™ Aeration Systems to keep your pond, and your fish, in good stable condition for the winter.

Some people like to leave their aeration system running year ‘round, so feel free to do so as well, we’re sure your fish won’t mind!

Pond Logic Floating Pond Thermometer

Filed under: Aeration - WG, Fish Population, Koi & Goldfish, Pond Accessories, Seasonal Care, Water Gardens & Features, WG-Winterizing | Tagged: , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Should I put catfish in my pond? | Ponds & Lakes Q&A

Posted on January 26, 2012 by thepondguy

Should I put catfish in my pond?

Should I put catfish in my pond?
Steven – Middlebrook, VA

Catfish are some of the most diverse fish on the planet, both in behavior and appearance, and inhabit just about every continent except Antarctica. They live in shallow, freshwater environments, which can make them ideal for pond life here in North America. We generally only recommend channel catfish for ponds since they are the most common, but it will largely depend on your pond type and temperature. Catfish generally prefer warmer water (60-70 degrees Fahrenheit) with little to no currents, and since they are bottom feeders, they are drawn to darker areas.

They are also known to make for good fishing, and in warm environments they can be easy to farm and/or eat, and are very tasty if cooked properly. Fisherman and pond owners alike can use these Porcupine Fish Attractors to help improve fishing conditions and to provide an adequate habitat for Catfish to spawn and grow. In addition we also recommend using this Game Grower Fish Food to guarantee your fish have food and to increase their overall size.

Catfish have little effect on the predator-prey relationship in freshwater environments comparative to predators like bass or prey like bluegills. They also pose no threat to humans, unless you’re planning on doing any swimming in eastern Europe, where there have been rare instances of large catfish (the 6 foot, 200 pound kind) attacking humans. Their only relative drawback is that they tend to kick up a lot of bottom debris, which can lead to cloudy, murky pond water.

In the end, putting catfish in your pond comes down to personal preference, rather than something that should or should not be done. They are well suited for pond life and will have little (if any) negative impact on the ecosystem already in place. It also doesn’t hurt that they can be pretty good to eat and easy to farm.

Porcupine Fish Attractor Spheres

Filed under: Catfish, Fish, Fish Accessories, Fish Care, Fish Habitat, Fish Stocking, Game Fish Food, Pond & Lake | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

New Year, New Look For The Pond Guy®

Posted on January 20, 2012 by thepondguy

Our Gift To You?

New Year, New Look!

The Pond Guy® has been working diligently to improve the way we deliver products and information to you, our valued customers. Whether you’re shopping online or browsing through our 2012 catalog you’ll notice handy new call-outs, learning zones and color coded sections that guide you to important tips & information. Go ahead, take a peek and as always, let us know what you think! If you like what you see you can request a FREE catalog online! Click here to request one today!

-Sincerely
The Pond Guy® Staff

Filed under: Pond & Lake, Uncategorized, Water Gardens & Features | Tagged: , , | Leave a Comment »

Have A Question? The Pond Guy® Is Here To Help!

Posted on January 13, 2012 by thepondguy

Our Gift To You?

Ask The Pond Guy®

Thanks to you, our loyal customers, our pond Q & A Blog continues to be a great success. Designed to be a valuable learning tool, our number one goal is and always has been to provide relevant information to help you better understand and enjoy your pond. If you haven’t found an article or received a Q&A newsletter that best answers you pond related questions we’d love to hear from you. Simply fill out the Ask The Pond Guy® Form to submit a question.

-Sincerely
The Pond Guy® Staff

Filed under: Pond & Lake, Uncategorized, Water Gardens & Features | Tagged: , , | Leave a Comment »

Q&A: Are there any tips to making sure the ice on my pond is safe to stand on?

Posted on January 6, 2012 by lisaansteth

Are there any tips to making sure the ice on my pond is safe to stand on?

Are there any tips to making sure the ice on my pond is safe to stand on?
Nicki – Sandusky, OH

Winter brings not only cold weather and snow to your pond or lake but a perfect layer of ice for skating, ice fishing, snowmobiling and other fun as well. While you may be eager to get out on the ice this season, it is important that you know how to distinguish the difference between safe strong ice and a potential hazard.

There are a lot of different factors that determine the ice thickness on a water body. Temperature has a large part in ice formation of course but water currents, wind and snow coverage also play a role in how water freezes. You should see a satisfactory layer of ice form on your pond after two to three weeks of freezing temperatures. Once temperatures stabilize and the ice has time to thicken you can venture onto the surface and perform an inspection.

You can visually determine the quality of ice by looking for bubbles, trapped snow, cracks and color. A clear solid blue layer of ice is stronger than a white brittle formation caused by air pockets and other flaws. Keep in mind that a pond with a running aeration system will have air pockets and should not be used for recreation in the winter. Naturally new ice is stronger than old ice as there are less chances of warm weather thawing and re-freezing. Once you have inspected the surface of the ice you can drill or cut samples to verify thickness. Since a water body will not always freeze evenly you will want to take samples in multiple locations as you work your way out towards the center. A layer of ice less than 3 inches is unsatisfactory for most people to walk out onto. It may be able to hold up lighter people or small animals but can easily crack. If you plan on having a group of people on the pond or want to take your snowmobile out on your lake an ice formation of 6-8 inches minimum is ideal. Click over to our blog on Ice Formation for more information regarding ice thickness and formation.

Be patient this winter and exercise extreme caution when venturing onto the ice. Taking the extra time out to visually inspect your ice and take samples can mean all the difference between a fun day outdoors or potential injury. Always make sure there is a floatation device within reach in case of a fall-through and always use common sense when venturing out on the ice.

Pond Talk: How do you determine when it is safe to venture out onto your pond or lake in the winter?

keep your pond safe at all times with a life ring!

Filed under: Aeration, Benefits of Owning, Pond & Lake, Season-Long Control, Winterizing | Tagged: , , , , | 2 Comments »

Didn’t Get What You Wanted This Christmas?

Posted on December 30, 2011 by tonymolaroni

Our Gift To You?

Didn’t Get What You Wanted This Christmas?

Whether Santa left you hanging this year or you’re eager to put your newly acquired gift cards to good use, it’s not too late to give your pond some holiday cheer. As a thank you for another amazing year, we’ve extended our $30 off $150 promotion through January 2nd. We hope you are enjoying the holidays and wish you the best for the New Year.

-Sincerely
The Pond Guy® Staff

Filed under: Pond & Lake, Uncategorized, Water Gardens & Features | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Happy Holidays From The Pond Guy®

Posted on December 23, 2011 by tonymolaroni

If I chose to bring my fish indoors for the winter what should I do?

Happy Holidays From The Pond Guy®

Happy Holidays fellow pond owners! We are finally settling into our new building and eagerly preparing our catalog for the coming spring.

A special thanks to you, our customers, for being patient during our transition. Our larger warehouse will allow us to have more product on hand and our new call center will soon be filled with more friendly pond techs ready to answer all your pond questions this coming season. Stay posted for updates regarding our Service Department and new Retail Store.

Also, please note our new contact information:

Orders and Tech Support
Toll Free: 866-PONDHELP (866-766-3435)pondhelp@thepondguy.com
Monday-Friday 8am-6pm eastern standard time

We will be closed on Monday December 26th and Monday January 2nd

All of us at The Pond Guy® want to thank you for another great ponding season and can’t wait to hear from you in the New Year!

Filed under: Pond Netting, Pressurized Filtration, Pump, Seasonal Care, Water Gardens & Features, WG-Winterizing | Tagged: , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Will snails survive the winter in my pond? | Decorative Ponds & Water Gardens Q & A

Posted on December 16, 2011 by thepondguy

When should I remove the fountain from my pond?

Will snails survive the winter in my pond?
Cody – Falling Spring, VA

While your fish and some of your aquatic plants remain safe and sound during their winter dormancy you may wonder if your snails will be as successful. Your pond snails are amazingly resilient in cold weather and will do just fine given their habitat is suitable.

Your pond depth will play a major role in the success of all of the living creatures in your pond. Your plants, fish and snails can survive in cold water but they won’t fair too well if frozen into a solid block of ice. The ice that forms on the top of your pond varies in thickness depending on where you live but the general rule of thumb is to build your pond to be around 20”-30” in depth. This ensures there is an ample layer of water at the bottom of the pond that is left unexposed to the elements which will provide a safe haven for all of your pets and plants.

You won’t have to worry too much about your snails finding a safe place to hide over the winter as they come equipped with a strong shell which provides adequate shelter. They can hide amongst the rocks and plant remains in the pond as well during the winter but as your fish are in dormancy there is not an overwhelming need for additional habitat. As water temperatures drop and bacteria begin to dwindle a lot of pond owners tend to rely on algaecides to keep their ponds free from algae. If you are using an algaecide in your water garden review the product label thoroughly to ensure it is safe to use with your snails. When your pond comes back to life in the spring your snails will flourish amongst the new plant growth.

Pond Talk: Do you do anything special to provide safety for your snails in the winter?

Filed under: Water Gardens & Features, WG-Winterizing | Tagged: , , , | 1 Comment »

How does ice form on a pond? | Ponds & Lakes Q&A

Posted on December 16, 2011 by thepondguy

How does ice form on a pond?

How does ice form on a pond?
Jonathan – Denver, CO

You look forward to and enjoy the ice formations that appear on your pond each winter but have you ever wondered how it begins? Why is it that the ice in your pond expands when it freezes instead of shrinking and why does ice float?

Unlike those horror flashbacks of falling asleep in science class we’ll keep this as simple and interesting as possible. As the air cools off outside your water looses heat and becomes heavier. This cool and heavy water sinks to the bottom of the pond as the lighter warmer water rises to the top to cool. This process continues until the pond water reaches about 4 degrees Celsius or 39 degrees Fahrenheit and the water cools enough to freeze. Water is unique in the fact that as is it freezes its molecules form crystals that are spaced farther apart causing ice to expand and take up more space. Once the water in your pond begins to form these crystals and expand it actually becomes lighter than warmer unfrozen water and once again begins to rise to the surface of your pond where it begins to form a sheet of ice. If this all seems a bit too wordy or confusing to you visualize a glass of water with ice cubes in it. The spaced out, crystallized, water molecules of the ice cubes make them lighter than the water in the glass and cause them to float at the surface of the water. The water in the glass that is cooled by the ice cube (but not cold enough to freeze) becomes more dense and sinks to the bottom of the glass and the warmest water rises to the top where it is cooled by the floating ice cubes.

The layer of ice formed by this crystallized frozen water can become fairly strong as it becomes thicker. An inch of ice can be strong enough to hold a small animal without cracking. 3 inches of ice typically is enough to bear the weight of the average person and once a pond freezes to 6 to 8 inches thick it is ready to play host to a hockey game or hold up a snowmobile. Some have even taken their cars out on the ice! While we don’t recommend you give it a try, 8 to 12 inches of ice can support a slowly moving vehicle.

Pond Talk: What do you use your pond for in the winter? Do you skate? Ice fish?

Filed under: Pond & Lake | Tagged: , , | Leave a Comment »

Can sidewalk salt be used to melt the ice off my pond? | Decorative Ponds & Water Gardens Q & A

Posted on December 8, 2011 by thepondguy

Can sidewalk salt be used to melt the ice off my pond?

Can sidewalk salt be used to melt the ice off my pond?

Wayne – Independence, OH

Sidewalk salt is made for one simple purpose: to melt ice on your sidewalk. And while it theoretically could be used to melt pond ice, it’s most definitely not the right product for the job. While some sidewalk salt products are made up of pure rock salt, others contain additives like chloride – and neither substance is particularly fish- or plant-friendly. Because of the harm they can do to your aquatic environment, we strongly discourage the use of sidewalk melt products on your pond.

Fortunately, there are several good, chemical-free alternatives. The first – and arguably most effective – is the year-round use of a Pond Logic® PondAir™ Aeration System. Through the constant flow of air through the water, and the consequent movement of the water, ice can’t form, and a steady supply of life-sustaining oxygen is assured.

For a lower-tech solution, we also recommend our Pondmaster Floating Pond De-Icer/Heater and our Farm Innovators Floating Pond De-Icer/Heater. These two products are designed with heating elements that keep a vent hole clear in even the coldest weather, allowing hazardous decomposition gases to escape. Through the use of these elegantly simple devices, fish can weather the winter safely, and emerge from the ice ready to thrive for another season.

Pond Talk: Do you bring your fish in for the winter? How do you provide an indoor home for them?

Pond Logic Aeration Kits

Filed under: Aeration - WG, Deicer, Fish Population, Pond Salt, Seasonal Care, Water Gardens & Features, WG-Winterizing | Tagged: , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

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