YES, it can. I still have my falls running, so far its be a mild winter here. Right now, like alot of you all its really warm here, it was around 65 here. Monday was beautiful, felt like a spring day. Good thing, with me working both jobs and being the ugly months I hadn't paid any attention to the ponds much. The normal peak out the window, yeah everything looks fine.
Not the case this past Monday morning. My daughter was eating her breakfast and looked out the window, and all I heard was MOM, MOM, MOM. The pond doesn't have any water. MOM, MOM hurry, the fish. She was out the door before I could put on a pair of sweat pants. When she came back in all out of breath, she said you know that thing that the water comes from for the waterfall. I said yes, its flowing out the back. I went out, sure enough a blob of algae growing in the skippy and blocked one of the pipes going to the falls. Pumps out of water, still plenty for the fish though. Because they're not sitting on the bottom. (THIS summer, I am going to get those valves for the pumps, because I just heard them grinding when I walked out the door) (no ifs, ands or buts about it, its going to get done) So, I grabbed the waterhose, dechlor started filling and relaxed on the swing. Kassidy sitting with me on the swing, I looked at her and said good save. It felt kind of weird sitting on the swing in January, with just a light jacket on, a pair of sweats. I could get use to this kind of winter.
Oh, btw on Sunday the street behind us had a water main break and we were on a boil water advisory. It hadn't been lifted as of Monday. I just filled and crossed my fingers anyway. They're all fine today. The goldies are out sunning, the koi still hanging low.
I decided with not being home as much I gave the kids a pop quiz. If you came home from school, and noticed the pond was draining......What would you do? One of my boys said, throw the water hose in and turn on the water. I said wrong answer, you didn't mention dechlor. I then told them, if that ever happens when I'm not home, just to unplug all the pumps. That way they would get the right one, then call me. This summer they will get a pond filling lesson 101. Not that I really want them to do it, would be afraid of not using dechlor or fogetting its running and overflow and kill the fish........but I guess in a severe crunch. I'll just show or teach them to rubberband the declor to their wrist so they don't forget the pond is filling or tell them to stay with the pond until your finished filling. Do not go in the house for any reason, unless you shut the water off while you go in. I don't care if its for 1 minute.
