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HOW
TO CARE FOR YOUR POND IN WINTER
This page is here to give you advice on how best to care
for your pond and its inhabitants during the winter months.
 Leaf
Fall
Leaves and other plant material will, if allowed to accumulate,
poison a pond (particularly small ones) as toxins are
released as part of the process of decay. It is essential
to fit a pond net to prevent leaves from falling into
the pond during the autumn months. (See – ‘Pond
Vacuums’ & ‘Pond
Cover Nets’ sales areas on this website.)
 Pond
Plants
Marginal plants should be cut back as the foliage deteriorates
and failing lily leaves should be removed. This will prevent
pollution of the pond as in ''Leaf Fall'' above. Pond
and bog plants sensitive to frost should be protected
with straw or fleece, or removed to a frost free area
such as a greenhouse to over-winter. Certain types of
plants may need specific treatment (e.g. bog Cannas which
should be lifted, taken to a frost free area and allowed
to dry out completely until re-potting and fertilising
in early spring).
 Feeding
Fish
When the average water temperature reaches 55F (10C) you
should stop feeding your fish with their usual food and
switch to a low protein or, ideally, a vegetable based
food supply. This is because it is difficult for fish
to digest proteins at lower temperatures. The most commonly
used winter feeds are wheatgerm based in either a stick
or pellet form. Some pond foods, such as the Phoenix range,
are vegetable based and can be fed the whole year round.
When the temperature reaches 45F (7C) you should stop
feeding your fish completely as even low temperature feeds
cannot be digested at temperatures lower than this.
Caution: Feeding your usual food to fish at temperatures
below 55F (10C) can result in intestinal or stomach ulceration
as the food sits undigested. (See – ‘Pond
Winter Food’ sales area on this website.)
 Fish
Disease Prevention
During the autumn and early winter months, (as temperatures
drop from late September to October - UK calendar), the
immune systems of pond fish become repressed as their
metabolic rate slows. This leaves them susceptible
to attack or damage from disease causing pathogens present
in the pond.
To help the fish through this period we recommend addition
to the pond of a broad based chemical treatment to keep
the levels of these disease-causing organisms low so protecting
the fish. Apply such treatments for about four to
six weeks from when the temperatures drop. (See –
‘Pond
Treatments - Fish Disease’ sales area on this
website.)
Filter Maintenance
When the water temperature reaches around 50F (10C) the
biological activity in a pond filter reduces considerably.
This is the time to strip and clean filters and ultra
violet sterilisers and disconnect them until the temperature
rises in early spring. (See - 'Information
Helping you to Choose a Pond Filter' and 'Information
Helping you to Choose an Ultra Violet Steriliser'
for more details.)
 Ice
On The Pond
If the pond becomes completely covered with a layer of
ice for any amount of time this can have serious consequences
for the fish it contains. Gases are trapped in the water
by the ice layer and oxygen is depleted and this drives
the fish towards the surface as they attempt breathe.
They can then become trapped in the thickening ice layer
with fatal results. Fitting of a pond heater which can
be considered a temporary installation for when the weather
is particularly severe will keep a small area free of
ice and allow the essential gaseous exchange. Pond heaters
use only about as much power as a house light bulb and
are fairly inexpensive.
There are also available devices which do not use electricity.
(See Pond
Winter Anti Ice Devices sales area on this website.)
Leaving a football in the water does not work and cannot
be recommended. Never hit the ice to break it as this
will send shock waves through the water which can kill
the fish.
General Recommendations
As a general rule it is best not to run aggressive waterfalls,
fountains, etc., during the cold winter months. This is
because a warm layer of water forms at the bottom of the
pond generated by heat from the underlying ground. At
the coldest times fish become semi torpid and sit almost
motionless in this slightly warmer layer helping them
to get through the worst of the winter. Aggressive circulation
mixes the colder surface layers with this haven of warmth
and can reduce the prospect of the fish surviving the
winter.
Certain types of pond pumps if not run during the winter
will require removing, stripping and greasing. Please
refer to manufacturer's recommendations.
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