Pond Closing Tips & Tricks
Feeding
It’s been a great pond season but with colder weather around the corner we need to prepare our fish for the season. As the water temperature cools the metabolism of the fish slows in preparation for the winter. It’s time to switch to Spring & Autumn Food and monitor your pond water temperature. We watch the Average Weekly Water Temperature Supplies (AWWT) and adjust feeding per the chart below. Use the average temperature as a sunny day might make the air temperature warmer but the water temperature will not likely change much.
Between 60-55 degrees
Feed sparingly 2 times per week
Between 55-50 degrees
Feed sparingly 1 time per week
Below 50 degrees stop feeding.
Keep the leaves out.
While some leaves can be toxic to the fish, others simply create a mess. Use a pond net to cover the pond and keep the leaves out. Pond nets should be tight across the pond and the leaves should be cleared off regularly. Rotting leaves create a bad environment for the fish and keeping them out might help avoid a major cleanout in the spring.
Switch to a Cool Water Bacteria
Adding healthy bacteria to your pond will reduce organic buildup, which will reduce algae and make your pond cleaner and healthier. Eddie’s has special blends of bacteria useful for these cooler water temperatures. Rotting organic debris and leaves should be minimized on the bottom of the pond. This debris consumes valuable oxygen that your pond fish need. All bacteria products work better with highly oxygenated water.
When should I remove pumps and filters?
If you have netted your pond you should be able to keeps your pumps and filters running until the end of October depending on how mother nature is acting.
Keep a hole open in the ice!
It is critical to maintain an opening in the ice throughout the cold weather. Once Pumps and filters are removed, bubblers, heaters or other deicing units should be installed. We are highly in favor of using an aerating bubbler to oxygenate your pond and keep a hole open in the ice throughout the winter. Bubblers are much more economical to operate, and the added benefit of the oxygen is amazing. Floating pond heaters have been the norm in the past, however the cost of operating them is high and no aeration is provided.
Pond Size
Model Number
Wattage Consumed
Price
Up to 1000 gallon
Pond Air 2
Up to 2000 gallon
Pond Air 4
8 watts .20 per month
99.99
Pond Aerators and deicers
Our prices should match internet pricing plus you get customer rewards (every $300. Earns you $10. In store credit) and support a local business. In many cases we also offer free shipping. If you find the identical item at a lower price let us know. Email us at ed@eddiesaqua.com
Eddies recommends using both a heater and an aerator for best results.
Pond Size
Model Type
Energy Cost
Price
Up to 1000 Gallon
Pond Air 2
4 watts/.20 per month
$79.99
Up to 2000 Gallon
Pond Air 4
8 watts/.40 per month
$109.99
1000-4000 Gallons
Koi Air Mini
17 watts/ .85 per month
$239.99
2000-8000 Gallons
Koi Air 1
17 watts/.85 per month
$299.99
8000-16000 Gallons
Koi Air 2
35 watts/1.70 per month
$499.99
1000 to 3000 Gallons
Pond Master 120 floating Deicer
300 watts/3-6.00 per month
Thermostatic controlled
$114.99
Up to 2000 Gallons
FI Gloating Deicer
1250 watts/62.50 per month
$69.99
What about the plants?
Winter hardy plants bog plants should be cut back to allow the net to sit over the pond properly. Most hardy water lilies are starting to become dormant and could be cut back at any time. Tropical plants will not winter over outside so they should be discarded, or provisions can be made to winter them over inside or in a greenhouse.
What about wintering fish over inside?
Consider setting up an aquarium for keeping you fish inside. Eddie’s can help with the proper equipment selection to keep your fish happy and healthy over the winter. Large pond fish require a substantial sized aquarium and adequate filtration.
Boarding you fish?
We do offer indoor fish boarding at our facility. The cost is approximately $90. Per month for a 2x2x2.5’ bin. Most of our space is already committed but please inquire by emailing Ed at ed@eddiesaqua.com
We hope this has been helpful. If you have further questions give us a call 518-783-3474 or email us.