should i turn my waterfalls pump to my fish pond off or leave it on this winter?

Question

hi do i leave my waterfalls pump on this winter or leave it on to keep an opening in the water so my fish wont suffocate i cant bring them in this winter they are to big

Answer 1

You should turn it off when the weather gets to the point that you would stop feeding the fish. Reason being that in a pond the water at the bottom will be significantly warmer than at the surface (in this case heat does not rise!). It is down near the bottom that, in the colder weather, the fish will stay and semi hibernate (more a torpa where the metabolic rate drops right down). By doing this they will survive the Winters cold and virtually zero food. If you leave the pump on then that will circulate the water (which at any other time of the year would be what you would want) and lift the warmer water up to the surface and cool it down. You may get away with this some milder Winters, as it would appear some other people have who have answered this question, but if you have a really cold few days it will kill off your less hardy fish. If you dont want to turn it off then an alternative would be to raise the pump from the bottom (or near bottom) of the pond to near the top. This will mean all the agitation/circulation will be confined to the upper water and allow the lower depths to warm up. The benefit of this is that it will stop the water freezing. Having said that I would switch it off and remove it. Use the Winter as the time to clean and service it.

Answer 2

I always leave my pump on over winter, it helps to stop the water freezing. its unlikely that it will freeze in the filter or pipes as its moving water, that is unless it get exceptionally cold.if this happens you will have to turn it off for a while. I have known of people that float a ball in the pond to keep an area from freezing over and allow oxygen in, they turn the ball daily.its worth a try but never done it myself.

Answer 3

my dad keeps it on all the time it stops the water from freezing over and keeps good air circulation.you could add another pump with air stones attached to it they bubble the water and stop it from freezing and add air to the pond. the water in the tube shouldnt freeze over though if it is continuasily running

Answer 4

Often times what happens when you leave it on is the water will freeze in the tube, blocking flow, causing the pump to break.
Instead what you can do is get one of the floating de-icers(heater). They melt a hole in the ice, letting gasses escape.

Answer 5

Leave it on. The running water will continue to aerate the water and keep oxygen in it for the fish. As long as the water doesn't freeze solid, they should be okay. And don't forget to feed them once in a while!

Answer 6

off or the water will freze in the tube we have one and we turn it off every winter