EXTREME COLD KOI POND - Koi survival in very cold conditions!
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- čas přidán 28. 12. 2021
- This video is an extension of my series on koi pond maintenance in a cold climate. In this video, we talk about EXTREME cold conditions, and some of the particulars of keeping your koi healthy and happy. Please enjoy, and please subscribe!
Other koi pond videos in this series:
Cold Climate Koi Pond Part 1 - Early Spring ( • Cold Climate KOI POND ... )
Cold Climate Koi Pond Part 2 - Late Spring ( • Cold Climate KOI POND ... )
Cold Climate Koi Pond Part 3 - Peak Season ( • SCIENCEMAN'S KOI POND ... )
wow.... that is impressive... I live in Regina and was wondering if anybody has a cold water pond.... thanks!
Thanks for sharing your vlogs you've answered so many of my questions
Great video!
There are many factors including depth of pond, if the pond is in the ground (the ground stores warmth it transfers to the pond and also provides insulation from the freezing air), and how many consecutive days/nights at freezing temperatures with no sun--climate zone. Lots of variables. This guy is in Canada, definitely best to use heater if pond is not many feet deep into the ground.
Great video! I live in the GTA with plans to move to Saskatoon area, and hope to be able to continue pond keeping. Thinking of a structure over the pond vs stock tanks in the garage for the winter vs heating like you. Extra challenges and work for sure. Your koi look so healthy! :)
Thanks for your kind comments and best of luck with your move to Saskabush!
Tanks for sharing your experience! We are in the same area. Designing a new pond and debating to try to have them overwinter outside. Those heaters are getting pretty expensive now, as is power. But thinking of going 6 feet deep and partially cover. That might help to not have to run the heater all the time. Beautiful Koi❤
Oh yes, the power bills 🙄 - that's a real concern. I am toying with the idea of a couple of solar panels on my shed to help offset the pond power draw. Thank you for your comment and best of luck with the new pond!
is 6ft deep is the minimum depth? (we have -40celcius degree in Montreal)
Great video. Super helpful. My wife wants to put a pond in our yard in Winnipeg. We haven't done anything yet so I'm just doing research at this point. I thought it was a ridiculous idea but it looks like it may be possible!
Good luck with your research! The pond is a lot of work, but very rewarding. You won't regret it!
I was so pleased to find this CZcams channel. We live in South Dakota where the temps will also drop to 25 below (F) or even 30 below for a few days each winter. We have a 1200 gal pond and I learn something new each year. Unfortunately it's only 18" deep, which is much too shallow of course, but it's highly impractical to dig it deeper, so we just heat the pond to compensate. Two questions if you have a minute: (1) we also use livestock watering tank heaters, but I find they only last one season and then get crusty and slime-covered and don't put out as much heat. I clean them periodically (when I can pull them up through the ice) but they still get very weak by spring and have to buy new ones each fall. Do you have that problem? And then (2) this spring we lost three very large koi because I couldn't clear the leaves under the ice until it melted. We use two bubblers year round but I assume the heavy leaf load just cut the oxygen level too low. Do you use a net in the fall to keep the leaves out? Thanks very much for posting the videos, very helpful.
Hello Karl, thanks for your questions! Yes, I generally replace my pond heater every year, although on occasion I have gotten 2 year out of them. I find they are built quite cheaply, so I generally don't trust them for more than one season. I usually get them for $25 on sale, so it's no big deal. As for the leaves, also yes, I clear out all the organic debris as much as possible.... great minds think alike, I also supplement oxygen in the winter with a bubbler, that's a great idea. Best of luck with your pond! 🙂
I keep a “window screen” cover over my 1000 gallon stock pool. Here in Louisiana. When there are storms or leaf falling. Mostly covered all winter. Extra visqueen or double tarps when temps drop below 40s. I cover the bog too. It’s not too long. About 10ft length 3ft wide along 1/4 of round pool. It’s 9ft across. I found 2 rolls 4’ x 25 ft length window screen at hardware store. Folded it in half. sewed 4 sections together. Works great.
@@Science_Manwhat is a bubbler?? Small pump?
I love researching ponds, and live in Calgary... I have a wild idea and can't find anything online, maybe you can answer a question. Can a person use integral heat mats and an indoor thermostat to keep a pond open during the cold months? Would this be a clean application and cost effective? I got the idea from a simple kit we installed under the tile in an add-on boot room. Although it's not outdoors, it stays quite cozy in winter, even cut off from the main heat. We insulated the floor underneath and I'm imagining a cement basin, surrounded by styrene... I realize that heat is lost through the surface, but what do you think? Thanks for the video, enjoyed it a lot!
Hello fellow Albertan! Glad you liked the video! That's a very interesting idea, whether it would work or not I can't be sure. The first concern is efficiency which goes to your question about cost effectiveness... I'm assuming the mat would go under the cement, which means you are not heating the water directly, you're heating it indirectly... would that mean more energy needed to heat the cement which in turn heats the water? The second concern is the ability to heat... while a heat mat can certainly take the edge off the cold in a small building (I'm thinking like a heat mat in a doghouse), I'm concerned that it wouldn't have the ability to deliver enough heat for a full pond of water. Even large entry way heat mats for melting snow in retail shops are usually less than 500 W, whereas a floating trough heater is 1500 W. The last concern is expense. I get trough heaters on sale for $25. Large heating mats are a lot more expensive than that. Thanks for giving me something very interesting to think about!
I'll watch you other videos, I'm interested in Canadian input. I've been keeping fish for about 12 years. I'm in PEI, Canada. We enjoy average -10C routinely through our winter months, but we can have "cold spells" of -20 or more although not for extended periods (maybe 4-5 days) in stretches. I've been running an aerator with two air stones and a 40W heater for the last four years. I run the waterfall all winter and keep a pump running in the bottom of the pond simply for circulation. Fish load is currently about 30 fish ranging from about 6 x 1' koi to diminishing sizes of koi and Shubunkins etc. About 80% of the fish load is "born & bred in the pond". I do not feed at all after water temp hits about 8-10* C. I've lost about 4-6 fish in the last couple years, almost exclusively from them getting into the skimmer and not being able to get out. I've recently developed a leak that cannot be addressed until spring. I'm looking into an RV style heated hose for the winter (on demand heat) because I will likely have to top the pond every couple days for 40 minutes or so. Do you have any experience for winter "top ups" on water?. I'll send you a pic if that's permitted of the current set-up.
That's a great question, I wish I would have addressed it in the video. Our winters are extremely dry, which makes sense because cold air hold less water. I certainly top-up several times during the winter - this is a must, as evaporation to the dry air constantly lowers the pond level. Stability is the key, and if one wants to keep the oxygenation and temperature levels constant, the water level must be kept relatively constant as well. Thanks for your comment, and good luck with your experiment with the RV hose heating, that sounds like a very interesting idea!
Thanks for the update. It is very interesting that there is one that reacts differently to the cold. I forgot now but do you run any pumps during winter?
Oh yes, I certainly do. I have a pump running the filter... I recommend that the outflow of the pump is directed so that it agitates the surface of the water (even just a little is good) - this supplies necessary aeration. If you don't have anything disturbing the surface of the water, you might consider adding an air pump to provide aeration.
@@Science_Man Thank you. I think a water pump would be more efficient as it will also heat up the water even if just a little bit. No wasted energy.
Great video! I live in Finland and from what I understand, most people here don't heat Koi ponds at all. If the pond deep enough, they just just keep small open spot and let the rest freeze. How much colder is the average winter temperature there and how deep your pond is?
Hello Finland, great to hear from you! You are correct, for many people with large, deep ponds it is not necessary to heat, and it would be impractical anyway. With a deep enough pond, the koi can go dormant under the ice without risk of running low on oxygen. While my pond is fairly deep (1 metre), is too small for me to allow it to just ice over, as the fish would likely run out of oxygen. As it happens, tonight (Jan 13) is going to be our coldest night of the year so far (-45˚C) 🥶. We get cold enough here in Northern Alberta (sometimes long periods of -20˚C) that small ponds like mine would probably freeze right down to the bottom. Take care, and thanks for the question, it is my dream to visit Finland one day!
Very nice video. We live in similar climate as you. I have a question. I have an Amish Pioneer Princess cook stove with hot water capability (coil system). What do you think about that to heat water in winter? Obvious potential problems are filtration for system (solved I believe) and a separate chamber for the steaming hot water, which the fish could not get into, so as not to burn them. What does your experience say? We cook on it twice a day (in garage annex kitchen); could we add another function and do you think this would work? Thank you.
Thanks for the feedback! Interesting question. So the trough heater I use really just takes the edge off the cold and prevents freezing, I can't but help wonder how difficult it might be gauge the hot water from the stove so that it doesn't overheat the pond. I suppose you have a method to control the flow? Also, if you are constantly adding water, I assume you have a pond level regulation of some sort to prevent it from flooding? But the key thing to keep in mind is that it is likely to take more hot water than you think to change the pond temperature (size of your pond is crucial) - you'll need to test to see if it's practical. Good luck!
Great video…What is the water temp that you run over winter?
Great question. To be honest, I've never used a thermometer. I just put the trough heater in when the weather starts getting cold, and I don't worry about it unless I get severe cold weather, where I start watching for the water icing over or the fish getting too sluggish. If that happens I add a supplemental heater.
Hi, I live in edmonton and doing research to prep up for my first winter with the pond. What’s the pump brand that you’re using? And any problem with it clogging over the winter? If so, how often do you check it/clean it during the winter months?
Hello, sorry for the slow reply. I have a Laguna brand pump that exclusively runs the filter and runs all winter. It is an amazing pump that is over a decade old, keeps on humming. It does not get clogged because the intake is connected to filter as shown in my early spring video (czcams.com/video/CtpSVfMSTkU/video.htmlsi=zZL5ZATh-iJz2ga5&t=321) - the fish don't produce much waste during the winter, so I can usually get away with one cleaning of the filter during the winter months.
Hey, what do you do about winter filtration. Obviously the fish produce less waste, do you run your filtration to account for the minimal to none waste that they do make? Or do you figure that just airstones is sufficient. If you do run filtration, how do you keep the water lines from freezing?
Hello! I run the same filtration unit in winter as I do all year. It’s completely submerged in the pond, so there are no “water lines” to worry about. Since the fish metabolism is lower, I only clean the filter once or twice during the winter, which is simply a process of pulling the filter out and rinsing/replacing all the filter media.
I live in Buffalo and it gets fairly cold, I have my koi out a bit early this year it’s been getting down to 35 F but I have no heater. I read different things so much I don’t know what to believe!
Hey, if they are doing fine, then you're good!
@@Science_Man I bring mine into a 150 gallon stock tank but I would much rather leave them out, I’m too nervous tho!
Do you have links to buy your heaters? Also, do you know of any solar powered options?
I've just started researching solar options so watch my channel for a future video on that. As for the simple trough heater I use, I buy that at my local agricultural supply store (in Canada... Peavey Mart) - they sell them on sale for $25. Amazon sells them too, but the price is ridiculous: www.amazon.ca/Allied-Precision-7621-1000-Watt-Floating/dp/B000VKYR8K/
I have coya fish Matthew goldfish you're fresh but I have stopped feeding them but I was wondering if I am making a mistake by not feeding them And Have to treat the Pond and what type of treatment should I give them through the Winter thank you
It's a bit tough answering these questions without knowing the exact conditions the fish are being kept under. Generally, no special water treatment is required. I recommend adding aeration in smaller ponds where there is little to know water movement (such as ponds that are completely frozen over). As for not feeding your fish in winter, again, that depends... fish can go LONG periods of time without food, especially when the water temperature is very cold, because their metabolism is very slow. But if you are heating the water, and the fish are at all active, it would probably be good to occasionally feed them. A simple solution for occasional feeding is to add one or more of those dissolving "vacation" feeding blocks... they will sink to the bottom of the pond and give the fish a few morsels of food they can nibble on as needed.
I would love to see your electric bill I can't imagine it being cheap I know here in the States
Yeah. And it's getting worse, in 2023 are electric rates here in Alberta have more than doubled. It's gonna be painful.