I put my pond heater in yesterday since it seems like temperatures are going to be staying down near the freezing mark. My net is still on the pond because the leaves on the tree directly above it haven't all fallen yet. (We built our two-tier pond around an existing tree because I thought it would look really cool-this time of year my husband wishes I never came up with the idea!) Anyway, right now there are tons of leaves on the lower pond and the net is no longer stretched tightly above the water. This is exactly what happened two years ago when all of our koi died. The surface water of the pond was frozen and we never cleared away all the leaves on top of the pond. Leaves were packed around the edges of the pond and prevented the exchange of oxygen and the toxins in the water. The ice on the pond will freeze and thaw slightly providing a small opening around the edge of the pond for this exchange. We lost ever koi we had. We always tell our customers at Aquatic Connections to put a pond heater in the pond, just to keep an opening in the ice. That year, not only did we not follow our own advise; we didn't remove the leaves and it caused a very lethal problem. So my advice is to blow the leaves off the pond net or scoop them out of the water now before they get stuck in the ice.
1 comment:
I have also had the problem of the net falling into the water, and then same problem occurred as you described. The solution is to purchase a few "pool pillows", depending on the size of your pond (I have 3 in my pond). The "Pillows" I have are 3' by 3', and once blown up raise the net 1-2 feet off the surface if the pond, creating a tent affect. It works, and keeps the net off the water. Try it, it works!
Post a Comment