water heater for tropicals
by Joan Hess
(Penryn, CA, USA)
We'd like to use a little pond heater in our 3x4x8 fiberglass tub outdoors to overwinter our tropicals. Our temperatures bottom out in the thirties, but not for prolonged periods. We built a greenhouse cover over our Terrie Dunns last year, and that saved a few, but it seems like a little heat wouldn't hurt.
Any suggestions? If it's feasible, where should we look for such a heater?
Thanks,
Joanie Hess
Doug says he wouldn't do it in his northern garden but if you want to spend the money in CA, then I'd start with a spa supply store and see if that fits your budget. No regular pond or water "heater" is going to keep the water warm enough through a 30F spell.
Winter de-icing
by Jan-David
(Orange, CT)
What is an appropriate bubbler for winter de-icing?
Doug says if you're only trying to keep a small section of ice open then you have two options.
The first is any decent sized aquarium bubbler system. Plug it in and weight the plastic line to the bottom of the pond and allow it to run (no nozzle or anything on the end of the air line) constantly. This will easily work with small ponds.
A bigger pond will benefit from taking the pond pump out of the filter system - turning the outlet nozzle towards the side of the pond and turning it on. The flow of water will hit the side of the pond and roil upwards to keep an area of the pond free from ice in almost any climate. (well, if you get down to USDA zone 2-3 - all bets are off) :-) In CT you should be fine with either of these systems.
The pump has been used successfully in USDA 4 in 12-18 inch deep ponds (20'wide) to keep a hole clear all winter.
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pond heater
by Marg
(Peterborough Ontario)
Do I need to keep the pond heater on all the time-I have been told it costs a lot for the electicity-Can I just turn it on for a few hours a day or when it is really cold. I have 23 fish winterizing this year. It just froze over yesterday but not thick ice yet. Thank you for your help...Marg
Doug says that running a pond heater is determined by whether the ice freezes over or not. If the ice freezes - then the purpose of a pond heater is to keep an area open. If the area ices over, then you had better get that heater going. You're going to have to adjust it based on how much ice around the heater you're willing to tolerate and how much you want to spend on keeping that area clear. And without knowing how shallow your water is or big your pond is - and what the fish load is as a result, then there's no way I can say you need this or that area.
Because yes, this is an expensive way to keep a pond space clear. It is far less expensive to run pumps and bubblers than it is to melt ice. There are instructions on the overwintering areas for doing the pump and bubblers.
SHOULD I PUT A HEATER IN MY POND
by Patricia
(Ft. Lauderdale, FL)
Hello, I have had a small pond for a couple of years and just recently added some fish. The temperature has recently dropped and I am afraid for the fish. At what temperature should I use heater. I would rather not if they cant with stand the temp but will if I have to. It's under 700 gal and already have a filter and pump. Thanks for the help
Doug says that you don't say what the fish are or what the water temperatures are. If they're goldfish or koi, then there's no problem. If a tropical fish - then the easiest way is to do a search on the fish name and look for aquarium information about the water temperature range they need. If your pond is below that water temperature, you need to do something. If not, you can relax