Filed under: Food, Fountains, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Koi, Koi Ponds, Lake and Pond, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles, Pond Tips, Pondless Waterfalls, water garden, Waterfalls | Tags: 5 gallon Bucket, Bad Weather, Be Positive, Be Prepared, Don’t Break The Ice, Dry Hose, Floating Pond De-icer, Hot Water, Ice, Ice Safety, Ice Storm, Koi Health, Never Break The Ice, Pond De-Icer, Water Bucket, Winterize Hoses
Pete and Repeat… Yes, Another ICE Warning for your Ponds… There is some Bad Weather Coming. Below 0 wind chills and Several chances for BIG snow accumulations next week, and more ice to boot! Be Ready!
Brrrrr! 🥶 Baby, it’s COLD outside! I think the Pond is frozen… What do I do? As my nephew, Nick, the Eagle Scout says, “Always Be Prepared”! AND, Don’t worry, it’s not hard to be ready!
The #1 Rule if your pond ever Ices over – NEVER, NEVER, NEVER break the ice by banging on it! It can cause your fish great harm – it can even KILL them! To allow the escape/exchange of gasses in a frozen over pond, keep a hole open in the ice. This is IMPORTANT!!! It will keep the gases from building up under the ice and allow for oxygen exchange and keep your fish from suffocating. This will also allow the pump to get water if the surface is frozen. If you have a skimmer, this will be MUCH easier on you! The water movement will help keep the ice from forming. You may need to keep the hole open by adding water from a water hose, bucket or pan of water. (This is why I always say “keep a dry hose” or a 5 gallon bucket for this purpose! If & when you use your water hose be sure to drain it when finished-to keep it from freezing and bursting, or just keep it in your garage). You can also use a floating pond heater or a small pump in a shallow area to “flash up’ and break the water surface. Just do it!
We don’t get too many Ice Days’ here in West Tennessee, but when we do, it’s Never at a convenient moment… In other words, if your not prepared, it can be an emergency
Simple Winter Pond Tool Kit
1 – 5 gallon bucket 🪣 (use to add water as needed. Hot tap water from your faucet will melt a hole in ice if needed)
2 – Clean, dry Water-hose (store in garage or shed so it will be ready to go when needed)
3 – Floating Pond Heater (A floating heater will maintain a opening 🕳 in an ice covered pond. This will allow for oxygen exchange and will keep your Koi alive).
That my Pond Tip today – Be Prepared! Next week, you might thank me…
And don’t worry! Spring is Coming!
Mark Carter
Carter’s Nursery, Pond & Patio
2846 Old Medina Rd.
Jackson, Tn. 38305
Ph.# 731-424-2206
http://www.cartercountry.com
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https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6dPkQiE04jcr385SOL0gkw
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Filed under: Family time, Fountains, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Koi, Koi Ponds, Lake and Pond, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles, Pond Tips, Pondless Waterfalls, water garden, Waterfalls | Tags: aeration, Aeration System., Carters Nursery Pond and Patio, D.O., Dissolved Oxygen, Hot Water, Hot Weather, It’s Hot!, Koi Health Tip, Koi Health Tips, Maintenance Tips, Moving Water, Pond Aeration, Pond Maintenance Tips, Pond Tip, Pond Tip Tuesday, Pond Tips, Summer Pond Tips, Tuesday, Water Garden Aeration, Waterfall, Waterfall Pump, Waterfalls, Weekly Pond Tip, Winter Pond Tips
It’s getting HOT folks! Saturday was a scorcher – 102 F. Heat factor… Whew 😅 Can you say “Dog Days” are coming… What do you do when it’s too Hot to breathe? A/C!!!
A better question: What can you do in the Hot months to help your Koi survive & thrive?
Waterfalls and streams help to increase the Dissolved Oxygen (D.O.) in your Pond.
In the Spring, Fall & Winter D.O. Is usually ample when you have a waterfall and aquatic plants, But, as the water temperature increases in the late Spring and as we enter Summer, the D.O. goes way down! That can cause serious problems for your Koi! Even death 💀! What can you do to fix this?
A good aeration system really increases the Dissolved Oxygen in your pond water! This means a healthy pond, clean water & healthy vigorous Koi!
A good aeration system is fairly inexpensive & simple to install as well.
This is my Pond Tip for the week and I hope it helps 😊
Happy Pondering!
Mark Carter
Carter’s Nursery, Pond & Patio
2846 Old Medina Rd.
Jackson, Tn. 38305
Ph.# 731-424-2206
http://www.cartercountry.com
YouTube pg. –
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6dPkQiE04jcr385SOL0gkw
Facebook pg. – https://www.facebook.com/mark.carter.775
Pinterest pg. – https://www.pinterest.com/cartersnursery/