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Backyard
wildlife sanctuaries with ponds
require a little “winterization” to continue attracting
wildlife, allow stocked fish to survive,
and protect the pond structure. |
Winterize
your backyard pond
Backyard wildlife
sanctuaries with ponds require a little “winterization” to
continue attracting wildlife, allow stocked fish to survive, and protect
the pond structure.
During freezing weather,
keep some open water for wildlife drinking and bathing and to prevent
ice expansion damage to concrete surfaces.
There are a number
of ways, from high to low technology, to keep your pond from icing over
completely:
- Use a thermostatically
controlled submersible heater, such as a birdbath de-icer or a stock
tank heater available at farm supply stores, to keep the pond water
just above freezing.
- If the pond is
equipped with a fountain or filter pump, keep it on through the winter
to keep water moving. Raise the inlet to within a foot of the surface
to avoid recycling the warmer water at the pond bottom, where fish overwinter.
- Use a small, inexpensive
aquarium pump designed to oxygenate water in a fish tank to create air
bubbles. House the pump in a convenient shed, run a length of plastic
piping to the pond, and fix the end about one foot below the water surface.
Air bubbles will keep just enough of the surface clear of ice to let
gases escape that can suffocate fish, and to provide a couple of birds
a place for a bath.
- Float some small
black rubber balls, pieces of dark wood, or dark-colored styrofoam on
the pond water. Black objects like these will absorb more heat and help
keep the water open. In-water objects may also help prevent ice-expansion
damage to concrete pond walls.
- Cover part of
the pond with either plywood or plastic, leaving areas open for air
circulation, or leaves or straw.
If you have fish in
your pond, they can survive the winter months by living at the bottom
of the pond. There is nearly always room beneath ice where fish can hibernate.
The potential although
rare problem is not that fish will freeze, but that the ice may trap toxic
gases so that the fish suffocate. You can cut a hole in the ice of a frozen
pond to release gases and let oxygen in. In doing so, don’t bang
on the ice -- the sharp sound may give fish a concussion and kill them.
Use an ice auger to cut a hole.
Keep snow brushed
off an iced over pond to allow light to reach pond plants.
For the most part,
avoid disturbing the hibernating life forms in and around your pond during
the winter.
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