Comments for The Pond Guy's Blog

Comment on What Is A Winter Fish Kill & Why Do They Happen? | Ponds & Lakes Q&A by Lillian norton

Lillian norton — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 18:41:39 +0000

We have about 40 two pound rainbow trout in what was a 30,000 swimming pool. It has a source of fresh creek water supplying it year round. We have continued to feed the trout about twice a week all winter as they eat readily. Is this the thing to do or should we stop feeding them. There is some algae in the pond, not much but I notice they do eat on it. We had hoped they would control the algae. It is hard to use anything for the algae as fresh water pours in and runs out constantly.

Comment on Should I put catfish in my pond? | Ponds & Lakes Q&A by dennis kile

dennis kile — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:59:17 +0000

Have introduced silver channel catfish 6-7″ in 2011 and they grew to 12-14″..maybe 2-3 lbs..and 2010 introduced koi and israeli carp..for algae control which has been a problem lately. Note from catfish hatchery, install breeding containers so male can protect the eggs

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

dennis kile — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:43:27 +0000

I have been feeding my koi on warm days and they are hungry..never had had done this in 20 years..wow..only what they can eat in 5 minutes

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

Dottie — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:56:56 +0000

Send the kids out on the ice first…..just kidding!

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

pelagicbldr — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 03:13:02 +0000

2 inches of ice is the fisherman’s bets rule.

Comment on How Do I Get Rid of this Terrible Odor Around My Pond? – Pond & Lake Q & A by King

King — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 14:25:15 +0000

aeration is the best solution. Potassium permanganate may be one of methods to reduce odor.

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

Cheryl — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 00:28:30 +0000

I have snails live even in a block of ice. They live in a tub garden. We scoop out as many as we can but their are always a few remaining.The tub freezed and they stay put throughout the winter.Once the ice thaws they come out of their dormant state. Pretty resilent creatures.

Comment on My pond isn’t frozen yet, but I can’t see my fish. Are they okay? | Ponds & Lakes Q&A by tonymolaroni

tonymolaroni — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 17:32:22 +0000

That is a great question Sue. You win the debate on this one. while super-cooling is uncommon, placing your aeration plates at the absolute bottom of you pond in extreme hot or cold temperatures eliminates any possibility for your fish to escape to friendlier water as you are circulating the entire pond. In extreme weather it is ideal to drag your plates to shallower areas (or in your case cut airflow to your deepest plate) to provide a small thermocline for your fish to retreat to if need be. Running your shallower plate will still keep a hole open in surface forming ice for proper air-exchange and, while you are not aerating the entire pond, there should still be plenty of oxygen being added to get them through to spring when you can turn both plates on again.

Comment on I’ve always been told to use lava rock in my waterfall filter, is this the best media to use? | Decorative Ponds & Watergardens Q&A by kathiethueme

kathiethueme — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 15:06:09 +0000

Hi Teresa,

The location of the filter system depends on the type of filter. If the filter is not completely sealed where pressure from the pump could build up then the filter will need to be above the level of the pond so the gravity will allow the water to flow through. You will want to push water into the filter at the top and drain the water at the bottom back into the pond to ensure the water is passing through the filter media. A sealed pressurized filter system can be placed anywhere outside the pond. Having the outlet larger then the inlet just ensures that the water is able to easily leave the filter system.

Comment on During the summer, I run my aeration system all the time. Can I just run it part-time during the winter so the pond will freeze for skating? | Ponds & Lakes Q&A by Troy

Troy — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 01:24:30 +0000

We have a ~1/4 acre pond in central WI that is stocked with fish and it is also used for recreational activities year-round. We have been aerating it continuously until the weather stays well below freezing. This holds the pond open during the transient weather of late fall. In about the last week of November when the weather looks like it will be calm for a couple days we shut down the aerator for the winter. At that point the pond freezes very quickly and we can usually build a smooth dense ice thickness in 7-10 days that is safe to use. In the early spring when the weather makes the ice unsalvageable we put the aerator back in service with the standard start process and the pond opens up completely in a relatively short periord of time.