Freeze; Where is global warming when you need it ?

[blacksmith37]

The record cold hit so fast I didn't get a chance to catch some giant danios for next years breeders. ( Or I didn't get grandkids to visit to do it.). The danios have been in the pond over 5 yr as I remember ( might be 10 yr ). It's amazing how many danios will live in a 800 gal pond ; with 4 Koi of about 4# each. Grand kids took out 50 this summer and it didn't make a noticeable difference. I judge from how much the surface churns when I put in some flake food .So I put in 200 watts of heat and float some Styrofoam panels .

[originalhandy]

Does the Styrofoam work ? Show some pics of the pond, I always like having a gander at them.

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[blacksmith37]

Back again in 2017 ; now where the heck is GW ? A 29 on the deck ( no fish ) - The duckweed is in 1/2" of ice. The danios in the pond are not going to like the 18 F air temp. As with first post 150 w heater and Styrofoam, It is pretty ugly, I cut the sides from fish shipping boxes so it is 85% covered with white Styrofoam rectangles. A new year resolution is to learn how to put photos here.
Just checked water temp - 51.4 F . Lucky I pulled out some danios.

[BrAin]

Yeah, let's see some pics. Hope they make it ok

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[blacksmith37]

New experiences; Cut a small hole in the inch of ice in the 29 to allow for expansion . Up north ,I put inner tubes in above ground pool for this. It worked until about 1977 when I had a 4 ' X 18' X 36' ice cube/berg in the backyard (old reminiscing). I have taken photo -step one.

[blacksmith37]

I believe the 51.4 F was the pond low temp, Took off the foam in 75F heat today. Put on a pinch of food and got some ripples; Wild guess 10 % of normal activity for feeding. So some danios made it . Naturally, the Koi were not affected . Water is 59 F today.

[JIM]

Maybe they will all go deep and survive. :)

[blacksmith37]

As the pond warms to 68, many Danios came to eat.( Actually cold water sinks so the bottom is coldest , as i remember at 34F water has the greatest density.) I don't think I lost many.

[blacksmith37]

Pond with winter covers.

[JIM]

Thats interesting because ive found that lots if not all North American Natives go deep in the Winter. Year round temps stay the same on the bottom. I do HVAC and thats why we install geo-thermal heating lines below the frost line.

[blacksmith37]

The pond is 67 F; The danios have already gone up the 6 " step into the "river". Surprising to me that danios can survive 51 F for several days .

[blacksmith37]

It is spawning day for the Koi. Water is 67 F. Yesterday I noticed the danios have gone up the 6 " waterfall into the "river" . And as I opened the door , a large hawk took off ; he had been sitting about 30' above the pond ( watching the Koi ). Sharp shinned and Couper hawks are frequent visitors, but I have only seen large hawks in the yard a couple times in many years . There are too many trees for the egret type birds.

[blacksmith37]

I tried something crazy ; I scrapped up koi eggs from an easy spot and put them in a small empty pond. I lost most but guess I put 50 in the small pond. Frogs and toads may have eggs in there too, but I didn't see any. A 55 half full of rain water has a bunch of their eggs.