Putting your pond to bed for winter doesn’t need to be an arduous process. Sure, it’s sad to say goodbye to your finned friends for a few months, but following a few simple tips will ensure that your fish joyfully greet you again in the spring.

1. Install pond netting

Putting a pond net over your water feature before leaves start falling from trees is the easiest way to contain and manage leaf control. Once all the leaves have fallen, simply roll up the net, discard the leaves, and put the net away until the next time it’s needed.

2. Remove leaves and debris

If you didn’t install netting, you’ll probably have a build up of leaves and debris that need to be removed. A long-handled pond net makes an easy job of scooping the debris from the bottom of the pond. If you leave the debris on the bottom of the pond, it will decay over the winter and you’ll experience a bigger mess to face in the spring.

3. Clean the skimmer basket

Check the skimmer basket every few days and remove any debris. Once all the leaves have fallen, you won’t need to check it as frequently.

4. Trim dead or dying foliage

Trimming dead foliage helps remove excessive organic debris that would otherwise decompose in the water. Cut back hardy marginal plants and leave them in the pond. Remove tropical plants and add them to your compost pile.

5. Prepare waterlilies for winter

Trim hardy waterlilies to two inches above the crown and move them to a deep part of the pond, preferably two feet deep or more. Tropical waterlilies can be added to your compost pile. You can try to over-winter them inside the house with a grow light, but they may not survive.

6. Add cold water bacteria

Add Aquascape Cold Water Beneficial Bacteria to help keep pond water clean and clear. Cold Water Beneficial Bacteria contains concentrated strains of beneficial bacteria designed to work in water temperatures as low as 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Regular use of Aquascape Cold Water Beneficial Bacteria will help maintain water quality and clarity, as well as dramatically reduce spring maintenance by digesting debris that may accumulate over the winter months.

7. If you leave your pond running

Operating your pond and waterfalls during the winter will provide beautiful ice formations for you to enjoy throughout the frosty season. Keep in mind, there will be a bit of maintenance required this time of year, such as topping off the pond due to evaporation. Also, you’ll need to make sure ice formations don’t create dams that can cause unnecessary water loss over the edge of the stream. During extreme cold snaps, the surface of your pond might completely freeze over, even with the waterfall running. Keep a hole in the ice with an aerator or in-pond pump. You might need to add a pond de-icer in times of brutally cold weather, but otherwise an aerator will prove sufficient.

8. If you shut down the pond

Many homeowners in northern climes choose to shut down the pond for the winter months. If you choose this option, remember to:

Remove the pump from your pond and store it in a warm place like the garage or the basement. Protection from the cold lengthens the life of your pump.

Drain the water out of the plumbing. This prevents standing water from freezing and expanding, potentially cracking the pipes that connect your filtration system.

Remove and clean the filter media and spray them thoroughly with a garden hose. Store them in the garage or the basement along with the pump.

Oxygenate the water by placing a small re-circulating pump, such as the AquaForce® on the top shelf of your pond. Oxygenating the water is not only for the sake of your fish, but it also helps keep a hole open in the ice when the surface of your pond starts freezing. This hole allows harmful gasses to escape, and oxygen to get in.

If it gets really cold where you live, you may consider adding the Aquascape 300 Watt Pond De-Icer. At extremely low temperatures, the oxygenation of the water may not be sufficient to keep a hole open in the ice.

9. Ensure healthy fish before winter

A well-balanced diet creates healthy, happy fish. You want to make sure your fish are in good condition before they go into hibernation. When the water temperature falls below 60 degrees, the metabolism and digestion of your fish begins to slow down. Aquascape Premium Cold Water Fish Food Pellets is scientifically formulated to properly nourish your fish during these lower temperatures. Be sure to stop feeding your fish when water temperature falls below 50 degrees.

Taking a little time and effort to prepare your pond for winter not only helps your fish survive their winter slumber, but makes your spring maintenance much easier. Be sure to follow these winter guidelines so you can experience the greatest joy from your pond when spring rolls around once again.

If you have questions about winterizing your pond, please call our office at (510) 733-5553 or Email Us @ conniespond@gmail.com

Short Answer

If you simply make sure that your pond is at least two feet deep, the proximity of the earth to the pond’s surface will not allow the latter to freeze any deeper than 8”. That leaves 16” for the fish to lounge around and basically hibernate over the winter. You do need to keep a hole in the ice (using a “floating heater”) to allow for the exchange of gasses (like oxygen). But other than that your fish will do just fine in the pond, all year round. Supplemental oxygen can also be supplied by running your waterfalls, adding a bubbler, or using the pump to churn the water near the surface.

Long Answer

Goldfish and koi hate wintertime more than we do. Neither species of fish are indigenous to North America, so in our colder climates, they merely “survive” winter. They don't flourish in it.

In the southern part of our country, the winters are pretty balmy and very little ice appears on the ponds. However, winter's effects on the fish seem to be the same whether the pond is merely icy, or completely iced over. Some important wintertime facts will help you guide your fish through winter and into a safe and healthy springtime.

Wintertime “Factoids”

There are certain things you should realize about winter so you can properly interpret certain events and conditions come spring.

Important Factoid #1

During the winter, the fish’s immune system is in a predominantly non-functional condition. In other words, their immune system is in hibernation.

Important Factoid #2

Temperature swings within the pond of 20° F or more are very stressful for the fish and moving water through a thin phase aids it in the gain or loss of heat. This is a simple statement with a lot of meaning. When you pour a cup of hot soup back and forth from one cup to another, you can rapidly cool it. In the same way, a waterfall can dissipate or pick up heat from the pond’s water.

In certain climates, such as in the Sierra Nevadas and other desert areas, air temperatures can be very warm by day and ice cold at night. This matters because if your waterfall runs around the clock, you could be warming the water by day, and super cooling it by night. Again, this is a geographical phenomenon, and may not apply to you but a simple pond thermometer could tell you for sure. The stress caused by fluctuating water temperatures makes the fish more vulnerable to infection.

To avoid this problem, some people run their waterfalls during the day to pick up valuable free heat, and turn the falls off (making sure to have some other form of submerged pond circulation for aeration) at night to spare that free energy and avoid super-cooling.

Important Factoid #3

Turning off your waterfall may spare heat loss at night, but it can also deprive fish of oxygen and circulation. It is important, especially if water temperatures are climbing, to always have some circulation in the pond to maintain sufficient aeration or oxygen exchange for the fish.

Important Factoid #4

Fish cannot freeze into a block of ice and survive. This is a wintertime factoid that should be destroyed once and for all. Many people see their fish in small ponds, “frozen” under a solid layer of ice. The fish are utterly motionless due to the cold. They perceive that the fish are frozen in the ice and so they say, “My fish were frozen solid and lived!” but this is not the case.

Important Factoid #5

Another common myth in this hobby is that fish are safer from parasites and pathogens, like bacterial infections, in the dead of winter because these “bugs” slow down, or even stop, in icy water. However, the opposite is true.

Parasites do not necessarily slow down in ice-cold water. In fact, certain species of flukes are actually more active in the icy water of winter, and species of ich, trichodina, and costia are also busy at work in icy water. It’s an important fact that the fish can be more heavily infected with parasites in winter than any other time of the year.

Becoming familiar with these facts will give you the understanding to help your fish have a restful winter and a healthy and active spring next year!

To shut your pondless waterfall down, first unplug your pump and pull it out of the water along with the check valve. Clean the scale and debris from the pump. Next, store the pump in a frost-free location, submerged in a bucket of water.

You can also choose to keep the waterfall running. This will require a little babysitting to make sure ice dams do not form, which could cause water to run off of the waterfall. You will also need to add water regularly to ensure the pump will function properly. This extra effort during the winter will reward you with the most beautiful ice formations and patterns around the falls and streambeds.

To shut your pond down, first unplug your pump and pull it out of the water along with the check valve. Clean the scale and debris from the pump. Next, store the pump in a frost-free location, submerged in a bucket of water.

If you have fish, a small re-circulating pump that bubbles at the water surface is necessary to oxygenate the water. It is important to place the pump on an upper-shelf of the pond, and not at the very bottom. In all but extremely low temperatures, the bubbling of the pump will also keep a hole open in the ice to allow for a gas exchange, keeping your fish alive.

If your area experiences long periods of extremely cold weather, you should add a floating de-icer. Controlled by a thermostat, the unit only runs when the water temperature is at or below freezing, heats the water to just above that, and then shuts off again.

If you use a floating de-icer and a bubbler, keep them near eachother but not stacked on top of one another as the movement of the cold water will make the deicer run longer than necessary.

You can also choose to keep the waterfall running. This will require a little babysitting to make sure an ice dam does not form which could cause water to run off of the waterfall. You will also need to add water regularly to ensure the pump will function properly. This extra effort during the winter will reward you with the most beautiful ice formations and patterns around the falls and streambeds.

Not all water features require an annual cleanout. If there is a layer of “crud” at the bottom of the pond and the water is dark in color, it would be a good idea to do a full clean-out. If there is just a small amount of debris that you can stir up and capture with a net and the water looks clear, a little tidying up and small water change is all that’s in order.

The best time to perform a pond clean-out is before the water temperature in the pond creeps above 55º F. If a clean-out is performed when the water is warmer, after bacteria colonies form, the balance of the ecosystem will again be thrown off.

Here’s what you’ll need to get started:

A clean-out pump with approximately 25 ft. of discharge hose.

A high-pressure nozzle for your garden hose, or a power washer.

Garden shears for trimming plants.

A large Tupperware bin or even a child’s swimming pool or a similar sized container to hold fish and any other critters you find during the clean-out.

A net or something similar to place over the fish container to keep them from jumping out.

Buckets to collect leaves and debris

A fish net.

Aquascape Pond Detoxifier™ Plus water conditioner to remove chlorine and chloramines prior to putting fish back.

And Aquascape fertilizer tabs.

The first step is to drain the Pond or Pondless® Waterfall

Place the clean-out pump in the deepest point of the pond or in the Pondless® Waterfall Vault or Snorkel in order to remove the water.

Drain the water into the surrounding landscape. Be sure to relocate the pipe two or three times to allow the water to seep into the ground and not flood the yard.

If you have fish, use some of this pond water to fill up the holding pool. The fish can be removed from the pond using a net once the water is around knee-high so you can easily catch them.

Don’t keep the fish in the holding pool for more than several hours. Keep them in a shady spot with a net over the top of the pool to prevent them from jumping out. If your have a winter aerator or bubbler, you can use it in the holding pool to help oxygenate the water.

Don’t Overdo the Cleaning

Rinse the inside of the pond. You can also use a pressure washer to help remove debris from the rocks and gravel.

Don’t try to scrub all of the algae away. Some algae on the rocks will prove beneficial in developing your ecosystem.

Use the gentle stream from a garden hose to rinse the rocks and gravel. Start at the top and work your way down to the bottom. Periodically turn the clean-out pump on to remove the dirty water. You can discontinue the periodic pumping once the water rinsing down to the bottom begins to look clear. Remove the pump and begin filling the pond with the garden hose.

Cleaning the Filters

Remove any debris from the bottom of the skimmer or Pondless Vault. This can be done by hand or by using the cleanout pump.

Remove the media nets and filter pads from the BioFalls® filter, and rinse them off so they are free of debris.

Finally you can Put Your Fish Back Into Their Clean Home

Your pond clean-out is now done and it’s time to put your fish back into their home. Once your pond is half full, you can perform these steps to safely place your fish back in the pond:

If you’re on city water, it’s imperative that you add Pond Detoxifer to the water so it is safe for fish.

Dip a five-gallon bucket, or similar sized container, in the holding tank and fill it with water.

After you’ve caught a fish, place it in the bucket and set the buckets in the clean water.

After about 15 minutes, periodically begin splashing some pond water into the bucket.

By now, the temperature of the pond and the bucket water should be close to the same. You are ready to spill the fish into their spring-cleaned home.

Warm water has a low capacity for holding oxygen, so you may start to see your fish gasping for air close to the water’s surface, or especially close to a fountain or waterfall. As your fish struggle for oxygen, they’ll become increasingly stressed. And stressed fish are more likely to develop diseases … a scenario you want to avoid.

To optimize fish health during extreme heat, you’ll want to ensure your fish have the best pond environment possible. It all starts with a well-designed water feature. Depth, plant coverage, shade, and circulation should all be considered when building a pond. A minimum depth of two feet is suggested so the bottom can remain cooler.

You’ll also want to stock your pond with a lot of plants to provide shade for the fish. A good rule of thumb is to provide plant coverage of approximately 1/3 to 1/2 of the pond’s surface area. Waterlily pads provide great coverage, but if your pond lacks the proper amount, you can easily add floating plants such as water lettuce until the waterlilies fill in.

During these hot days of summer, try some of these tips to keep your pond performing optimally:

Add oxygen to your pond by placing an aerator or AquaForce® pump in your pond. You can also install a fountain with a pump if your pond doesn’t have a waterfall or stream built in.

If you feed your fish, feed them in the morning and be careful not to overfeed. Uneaten food decays faster in warmer water and can pollute the pond.

Be sure to remove dying leaves and flowers before they have a chance to decay in the warmer water.

Be extra cautious when using algaecides in warmer temperatures as the sudden death of algae will consume a large amount of available oxygen.

The following are recommended tips for preparing a pond for the Fall seasons.

There may be an increasing numbers of dead or brown leaves this time of year, so prune them off all of your plants. Your lilies – tropical and hardy – should still be going strong, at least until the first heavy frost.

Stop fertilizing when the weather becomes cooler. This lets the plants know the season is coming to an end.

As the evening temperatures begin to fall, this is a good time to transition to cold water fish food. When the water temperature is around 55 F° (10° C), stop feeding your fish. Continuing to feed them could cause health problems or death for them, since their digestive systems are beginning to slow down for the winter.

As leaves on trees begin to turn those beautiful fall colors, it’s time to put a pond net over your water feature. This will prevent you from having to empty the debris net every day to keep up with the influx of leaves. Some of them may sneak by and sink to the bottom, so try to remove as many as you can as fast as you can.

If you leave too much organic matter in your pond, like leaves, the water may turn brown. If this happens, remove the excess debris and add activated carbon to clear the water.

As it gets colder, your aquatic plants will have all but died for the season. Now you can cut back the dead plant material and remove the tropicals. Cut back the cattails above the water level, or better yet, leave them up to see how magnificent they look in the winter.

If you live up north, where the surface of the pond freezes, you’ll need to prepare for winter by deciding whether you want to keep your pond running or shut it down. Click here for winterization instructions.