Dont Break the Ice in your pond!
With January temperatures dipping to freezing, it is highly likely that your pond will develop a sheet of ice over the top at some point. When you walk into your garden after a glacial night and see ice covering your koi pond, make sure to take the necessary steps to de-ice it. If you have a pond with koi carp or goldfish, ice-covered water can be dangerous to the fish’s health. With no way for new oxygen to get to the pond water, your fish will use up available oxygen in the water. No oxygen exchange and a build-up of harmful waste in the water can lead to detrimental effects on your fish.
In order to de-ice your pond, we recommend that you DO NOT break the ice by smashing it. This method is extremely harmful to your koi or goldfish. By breaking the ice by force, you send sound waves through the water. These sound waves will travel through the water down to the bottom (where your koi are hibernating) and cause them stress - this stress can lead to your fish dying.
So what is a good method of ridding your pond of ice? Put some boiling water in a pot and hold it over the pond. This will melt away a hole so that necessary oxygen exchanges can occur. If the ice is not fully covering the surface of your koi pond, a handy trick to keep ice from forming further is floating a tennis ball in the water. The ball movement will keep water from completely freezing over.
After this, it is best to take preventative measures by investing in an air pump or pond heater. An air pump kit will keep a steady stream of bubbles to your water in order to keep it aerated and moving. Moving water = No ice! It works to circulate water from bottom to top and will not create sudden changes in your pond water. The bubbles that are brought to the surface release ammonia while allowing oxygen back into the water. This is also the most economical equipment in terms of price and environmental impact. Other items to consider for ice prevention would be long-lasting air stones.
If you have any further questions about maintaining your pond in the winter, or about any products that will prevent ice from forming in your pond, please get in contact with one of our customer service advisors via our support centre.