It is true: Summer 2016 is behind us. The great "Pond Shutdown" -so to say. The temperatures both inside and outside the pond continues to drop and the tree leaves have fallen as the aquatic plants have died back. Our pond fish in Central Pennsylvania are beginning to go into their own states of torpor and are not eating anymore.
At this time of year, Dreamscapes always gets a increase in calls inquiring about proper actions to be taken during Winter for ponds and the fish that live in them in Central Pennsylvania.
Some of the top questions/statements we hear are as follows:
Do I need a Deicer/Heater in my Lebanon County, Pennsylvania pond?
What can happen if I don’t have a pond deicer?
I never used a Pond Deicer and my fish were always fine.
My neighbor does not use a Pond Deicer and their fish always survive.
At this time of year, Dreamscapes always gets a increase in calls inquiring about proper actions to be taken during Winter for ponds and the fish that live in them in Central Pennsylvania.
Some of the top questions/statements we hear are as follows:
Do I need a Deicer/Heater in my Lebanon County, Pennsylvania pond?
What can happen if I don’t have a pond deicer?
I never used a Pond Deicer and my fish were always fine.
My neighbor does not use a Pond Deicer and their fish always survive.
What is a "Pond Deicer"?
A pond deicer, also referred to as a pond heater, is a piece of equipment that is designed to maintain a hole in the water during the Winter months, when water typically freezes. But why? Simply put, even though your pond is dormant in the winter, there is still biological activity occurring. Specifically, fish are obviously still breathing, using up oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide. This natural occurrence means that the metabolic processes continue to occur, meaning that your fish still poop! The process to break down fish poop and other dead organic matter contributes to the toxic gasses being released under the ice in your pond. If you are not familiar with the how a pond's nitrogen cycle works, please read this article!
Why is this important to know?
If these gasses remained trapped under the ice and are not released to the atmosphere, the supply of dissolved oxygen in your pond will continue to decrease and carbon dioxide will increase, creating a toxic environment. Fish and other inhabitants (frogs and turtles) will not be able to survive in the toxic conditions such as this because they will essentially be suffocating underneath of the ice.
By maintaining an open hole in your ice, you not only allow these gasses to escape, but you also allow more dissolved oxygen to be held by the pond, allowing your fish to breathe.
Thus, the bigger your fish get, the more oxygen they need, the more they poop and the more they contribute to the toxic gases that will need released from underneath that ice. Believe it or not, the bigger the fish gets, the more care they need to ensure they are smiling at you come Spring. If your fish were fine last year, but they grew, they might not have the same outcome this year.
It has always been true that no two ponds are alike. Let me repeat that: No two ponds are alike. Therefore you can not rely on friends and neighbors for what worked for their pond when determining what will work for yours. There are so many factors that contribute to the balance of an ecosystem -- what type of filtration you use, how many fish you have, how much/often you feed your fish, when your last pond cleaning was, how many plants you have, how routinely you add beneficial bacteria to your pond, if at all, etc. It all matters!
By maintaining an open hole in your ice, you not only allow these gasses to escape, but you also allow more dissolved oxygen to be held by the pond, allowing your fish to breathe.
Thus, the bigger your fish get, the more oxygen they need, the more they poop and the more they contribute to the toxic gases that will need released from underneath that ice. Believe it or not, the bigger the fish gets, the more care they need to ensure they are smiling at you come Spring. If your fish were fine last year, but they grew, they might not have the same outcome this year.
It has always been true that no two ponds are alike. Let me repeat that: No two ponds are alike. Therefore you can not rely on friends and neighbors for what worked for their pond when determining what will work for yours. There are so many factors that contribute to the balance of an ecosystem -- what type of filtration you use, how many fish you have, how much/often you feed your fish, when your last pond cleaning was, how many plants you have, how routinely you add beneficial bacteria to your pond, if at all, etc. It all matters!
Pond Deicer Misconception
Many misconceptions about Deicers/Heaters is that the deicer is designed to HEAT THE POND.
This is untrue. The purpose of a de-icer is ONLY to keep a hole open in the ice on your pond, not to heat the entire pond. As long as you can see water around (and under) your deicer, it is functioning properly.
It is important to note that the pond heaters that Dreamscapes Watergardens carries are THERMOSTATICALLY controlled. This means that the pond deicers only turn on when the water temperature hits 32 degrees or below. This saves costs of operating the pond deicer and lengthens the life span of the deicer as well. It does take some awareness on the pond owner's part to check that your deicer/heater is working when the time comes. Please do not just set it and forget it.
This is untrue. The purpose of a de-icer is ONLY to keep a hole open in the ice on your pond, not to heat the entire pond. As long as you can see water around (and under) your deicer, it is functioning properly.
It is important to note that the pond heaters that Dreamscapes Watergardens carries are THERMOSTATICALLY controlled. This means that the pond deicers only turn on when the water temperature hits 32 degrees or below. This saves costs of operating the pond deicer and lengthens the life span of the deicer as well. It does take some awareness on the pond owner's part to check that your deicer/heater is working when the time comes. Please do not just set it and forget it.
Finally, a word of caution…
In the event that your pond does freeze completely over, you NEVER want to try to manually break the ice a part. Whenever you smash the ice, it sends out pressure waves through the water that could absolutely cause harm to your fish. Fish are very sensitive and get more sensitive the bigger they get.
If you find your pond has frozen all across the top, you can consider sprinkling “Pond Salt” on the place where your deicer is currently trapped underneath, or where you intend to put your Deicer. Pond Salt acts in the same way road salt does during the Winter, while maintaining a safe approach to protecting your fish.
If you find your pond has frozen all across the top, you can consider sprinkling “Pond Salt” on the place where your deicer is currently trapped underneath, or where you intend to put your Deicer. Pond Salt acts in the same way road salt does during the Winter, while maintaining a safe approach to protecting your fish.
Visit/Contact Dreamscapes Watergardens!!
To purchase a pond deicer/heater at Dreamscapes Watergardens, please stop out during our regular operating hours.
Retail Hours: April 5th-October 27th 2018:
Monday-Wednesday: By Appt
Thursday-Friday: 10am-5pm
Saturday: 9am-12pm
October 28th-April 2019: HOURS BY APPT
Contact Us
2155 State Route 343, Lebanon Pa | 717-272-6555 | [email protected]
Dreamscapes Watergardens is located at 2155 State Route 343 in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. Please note that your GPS is ending you at the correct address, as some GPS devices do NOT recognize State 343 as an address. Some GPS recognize this street as South Pinegrove Road and others recognize it as North 7th Street.
Retail Hours: April 5th-October 27th 2018:
Monday-Wednesday: By Appt
Thursday-Friday: 10am-5pm
Saturday: 9am-12pm
October 28th-April 2019: HOURS BY APPT
Contact Us
2155 State Route 343, Lebanon Pa | 717-272-6555 | [email protected]
Dreamscapes Watergardens is located at 2155 State Route 343 in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. Please note that your GPS is ending you at the correct address, as some GPS devices do NOT recognize State 343 as an address. Some GPS recognize this street as South Pinegrove Road and others recognize it as North 7th Street.
City of Lebanon, Lancaster, Harrisburg, Mechanicsburg, Camp Hill, Cleona, Cornwall, Fredericksburg, Indiantown Gap, Jonestown, Kleinfeltersville, Mount Gretna, Myerstown, Newmanstown Palmyra, Quentin, Reistville, Richland, Schaefferstown
Also...Serving, Dauphin County, Lebanon County, Perry County
Cumberland County, Berks County , Lancaster County, Franklin County
Adams County, & York County.
Also...Serving, Dauphin County, Lebanon County, Perry County
Cumberland County, Berks County , Lancaster County, Franklin County
Adams County, & York County.
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