The Citizen, 2008-05-08, Page 21Continued from page 20
“The key to over-wintering fish is
to leave a bubbler going to create
oxygen along with a hole in the ice.”
The hole allows for toxic gas, created
by the decomposition of waste, to
escape.
Rogers said that another option is to
keep the waterfall running, however,
he doesn’t recommend this for people
who winter away from home.
“I’ve had my pond for 10 years and
have never turned it off. You get
beautiful ice formations. However,
you have to run 2,000 gallons an hour
or more to keep it running in the
winter. And in a cold winter be
prepared to add water so if you’re
leaving for a few months, I’d
recommend a bubbler.”
“Keep in mind that a pond is not a
swimming pool. You are actually
creating an eco-system.”
With a pondless waterfall, there is
no reason to keep it running past
December as it will get covered with
snow.
In the fall, to protect the feature
from leaves, Rogers recommends
placing a net over, then remove it
before the ice forms. “You’ll have less
clean-up in the spring.”
If you’re not keeping the waterfall
running, Rogers said to take the pump
out and place it in water so the seals
don’t dry. If there’s a pond, scoop out
the leaves that the net didn’t catch.
Stop feeding the fish when the water
temperature drops to below 55°F.
Any water plants that are placed in
pots are taken out and put in the
pond’s deep end.
“Or if you have a pond like mine,
with the plants growing in the pea
stone, you don’t have to do a thing.”
Water plants, he said, should be
treated like any perennial as far as
trimming.
In the spring, Rogers recommends a
clean out of the pond which will run
in the neighbourhood of $100-$140.
He said any clean out should
involve removing the water and fish,
then de-chlorification. “If there is a
lot of chlorine in your system, run the
waterfall for awhile before you put
the fish back in.”
The spring cleaning could easily be
learned by an industrious pond owner,
said Rogers. “There is lots of
information available,” he said,
cautioning, to be wary because not all
of the information is good. “There is a
lot of bad information out there.”
For a pondless waterfall, Rogers
said, “Take the pump out of the
reservoir, put it in place and away you
go.”
Prior to adding any type of feature
to your yard, Rogers said to talk to
people who have a pond, who have
been in business for awhile, or attend
seminars.
One important fact to consider is
how much you want to pay on hydro.
“For every foot of width, you need
1,000 gallons of water to get a perfect
sheet of water. A 4,500 gallon an hour
waterfall pump will probably increase
your bill by $40, while a 10,000
gallon pump will be about $90.”
Location is also something to
consider before starting. “The old
way was finding a back, under-used
corner. But if the beer fride, wine
coolers and deck are at the house, you
may find you visit the pond for a
month then stop. We encourage
people to place the pond close to
where they spend their time.
THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 8, 2008. PAGE 21.
An aquatic life
Key to over-wintering fish is a bubbler to create oxygen (Bonnie Gropp photo)
Keep fish over winter with waterfall or bubblerSpring Home and Garden
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