# Pond Question (waterfall)



## iaviksfan (Dec 27, 2007)

ok, so its like Antarctica weather here in iowa now and will be here for awhile anyway. My waterfall has/had a ice tent on it. I broke it up with a hammer today. But then was thinking, maybe I should have left it? or not? I only say that because I don't want the water to mist/splash up on the inside and flow out, back behind the rocks. Keep open or let freeze over like a tent. I do have the ice heater to keep a spot open.


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## Dale W (Jan 5, 2008)

Yes, it's possible with a frozen waterfall to have water diverted and flow where you don't want it. I pull the pump in late November and store in a pail of water where it doesn't freeze. I run an air pump with air diffuser about 18 inches below the surface to keep small area open for gas escape. An air pump normally uses less current than a heater. This is only necessary of course if you have fish. However I have a second pond where electricity is not available so freezes over every winter and the population of goldfish come through fine. However I would not expect koi to survive a total ice cover. 
Dale


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## Scottychaos (Jan 2, 2008)

If you have fish, you should never hit the ice with a hammer.. 
it creates shock waves that can harm or kill the fish.. 
if the pond freezes over, you have to create a new opening with hot water.. 
a good method is to take a pot filled with boiling water, sit it on the ice, and it will melt a hole through.. 
replenish hot water if necessary.. 

if you dont have any fish, then bang away!  

Scot


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## iaviksfan (Dec 27, 2007)

I do have fish. and see I learned something new today...


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## Madstang (Jan 4, 2008)

I have left my pump in my fountain and my pond every year and maybe luck or what ever I have replaced the pump in BOTH only 1 time so i got 10 years, approx out of BOTH pumps, and they were the cheapest of the cheap...lucky I guess...
I am going on 3 years on both again...so far.....never drained, or pulled them out.....


Did not know that about fish, seems those I have killed in the past..maybe it was not placing a hole in the ice...dunno.....

WHAT I seem to get back EVERY friggin year is froggs! BOY are they noisy!!! Seems I can't kill those off...hehehehe

Bubba


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## Dale W (Jan 5, 2008)

If the pump is below the freeze level it is not necessary to pull it. In fact I don't pull it in my smallest pond as top of pump is well below the freeze line. One reason I pull the pump in the koi pond is this pump has a check value and by removing the pump the weir and the tube connecting to it drain completely. Manufacturer says tube will flex sufficiently to prevent damage if frozen but installer recommend draining to prevent possible freeze damage to weir and tube. The pump for the small pond does not have a check value so water can drain through pump when power is shut off. 
Removing or reinstalling the pump is about a 5 minute easy job. 

Dale


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## iaviksfan (Dec 27, 2007)

I left it on last year, but was never this cold........they are saying -60 here on Monday.


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## Dale W (Jan 5, 2008)

Better keep an eye on it if left on. Flowing water shouldn't freeze but at these bitter temperatures ice can build up quickly restricting or blocking flow. 

Dale


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## Scottychaos (Jan 2, 2008)

Nearly all small "ornamental" back-yard ponds need to have an open spot kept open all winter, if there are fish in it.. 
If it freezes over solid, there can be no air exchange, and the fish can run out of oxygen and suffocate.. 

yes there are BIG natural ponds, and lakes, that do freeze over solid..but they have SO much more water volume 
that they can hold enough oxygen until a thaw..not so with smaller ponds. 

Scot


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## Naptowneng (Jun 14, 2010)

I shut off my waterfall pump for the winter. It stays in the pond. I just run an inexpensive air pump with stone all year long to help with oxygen and removal of waste. I have heard that an ice cover can possibly harm fish due to the inability to get oxygen and also the slow buildup of waste products from the fish and rotting organic material. So the bubbler keeps an open spot. Or it has in the past...heading to 6F on Monday night! That is mighty low here in coastal Maryland 

Jerry


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## toddalin (Jan 4, 2008)

Maybe you could try an ultrasonic misting unit. These vibrate the water at 14kHz to create the mist. I'm thinking that this vibration would keep the water from freezing directly over the unit. As an added benefit, the vibration could increase the surface to volume area allowing more dissolved oxygen into the pond.

Ultrasonic mister


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## iaviksfan (Dec 27, 2007)

no one is getting this....I have a heater already to keep a hole open. The waterfall, makes a ice tent over the falls....my question was to break the ice up, so water mist/splash don't go out of the pond. Or to just leave it alone.


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## Scottychaos (Jan 2, 2008)

People are getting it..we just arent replying directly to your original question anymore!  
(I assumed it had already been resolved..perhaps not?) 
The thread has evolved into "general winter pond care" topics.. 
my last post was in reply to Bubba's post, where he wondered if perhaps not keeping a hole open was the reason some of his fish died.. 
I suppose I probably should have quoted his post, so the reason for my post was more clear..but I didnt think it necessary.. 

As to the original question.. 
yes, I would break up the "tent", so you dont lose too much water out of the pond.. 

Scot 

Scot


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## Naptowneng (Jun 14, 2010)

I agree with Scot. I find an occasional mysterious water loss, which is usually traced to the waterfall somehow deciding to divert itself away from the rubber liner it is supposed to follow. All in mild weather of course. 
So it seems prudent to try to keep the waterfall contents where they should be 

Jerry


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## iaviksfan (Dec 27, 2007)

Sorry, sometimes I don't follow along.... Ha.


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## Dale W (Jan 5, 2008)

Water losses due to evaporation can be significant even in cold weather. With these minus 11-14F temps mine completely froze over this aft this aft even with air pump on full blast. Will need to add hot water to thaw a breathing hole. 
Dale


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## Aaron S (Aug 1, 2013)

This is the first year that I have had a pond and it actually got cold enough to freeze over. I kept the pump and the waterfall going and the waterfall kept a nice hole in the ice. At one point the waterfall formed a tent of ice over it. So I took some pics (It looked really cool with the light behind the waterfall) and broke it up. 
What really made me very upset was that my mother in law came over while I was at work and my wife was out shopping. She saw the ice on the pond and started freaking out because it would kill my expensive fish. (The "expensive fish" was Comet Goldfish that I got at Petsmart for a dime each) So she took my 5 lb sledge hammer and started knocking the crap out of the ice! On at least 5 wacks she went through the ice and through my liner. So by the time I got home there was about 10 inches of water in the pond that was buried under huge chunks of ice. Thankfully none of the fish died as a result. I had to go in an replace the liner and everything. One thing though, I "miscalculated" the size of the old liner and the replacement that the mother in law got was larger and I ended up increasing the pond size from 1000 gallons to 2200 gallons, lol


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