Author Topic: What's the temp of your pond water? (Read 3037 times)

Reedman · « **on:** November 11, 2010, 02:50:55 PM »

Been pretty cold here in southcentral PA. Stopped feeding the fish end of October.

I checked the temp of my pond water today - a surprising 51 degrees.

What's the temp of your pond water?

Jerry · « **Reply #1 on:** November 11, 2010, 03:25:09 PM »

62 ish!

Julles · « **Reply #2 on:** November 11, 2010, 05:57:10 PM »

We had a cold snap, and then it got warm again (80*'s). I don't have a thermometer in there, but I'm guessing it's warm enough that I could get my own body in the water and not totally freeze. (I'm very cold natured and HATE to be cold!)

Zoe · « **Reply #3 on:** November 12, 2010, 06:17:55 AM »

Julles you are correct about the water temp. I was in my pond this week trimming lilies and at first it was cool but it made me work fast.

Cindy

miguynmkoi · « **Reply #4 on:** November 12, 2010, 07:51:29 AM »

I don't have a thermometer but my pond water is very cold to touch! Nights have gotten very cold but the days are warmer. 'Not feeding the piggies very much since the 1st of October. Don't want to experience the water crashing again in the spring. I have so much work to clean up the ponds for the winter.

Mikey · « **Reply #5 on:** November 12, 2010, 08:42:14 AM »

tweetybaby2005 · « **Reply #6 on:** November 12, 2010, 08:59:59 AM »

Water temp is down to 50F (may be lower now). Will be turning off the waterfall by Thanksgiving since we are getting some freezing nights and very cold days.

Sean · « **Reply #7 on:** November 12, 2010, 04:47:52 PM »

81F here, my pond is heated...

Cheers,
Sean

Michiponder · « **Reply #8 on:** November 17, 2010, 07:00:23 AM »

Cold!, just plain cold. I checked them with a thermometer today and here is the list. Earth bottom pond is 42F, 4500 gal. is 46F (covered with 2" insulation), 2000 gal. is 47F (also covered), 1000 gal. cool greenhouse pond is 51F, all other ponds are shut down or just being ignored. One thing that is really surprizing to me is the fact that there are still bright green lily pads on the earth bottom pond even though we have had many nitghts down into the 20's. Usually by now they are at leasts frost burned if not frozen. I am sure that with nights being so cold and the days being variably warmer that there is a lot of temperature change from morning to evening. This is the time of year that I miss seeing the large and medium fish for months. They are in the two insulated ponds. Hope they all make it till March.

trish · « **Reply #9 on:** November 17, 2010, 08:28:54 AM »

At the beginning of last week it was a frigid 40, but we had a warm snap for several days and on Saturday the temp reached 50. It's probably on its way down again due to colder temps. I hate this time of year in seeing all the fish clamped on the bottom barely moving around.

doubleone · « **Reply #10 on:** December 20, 2010, 04:27:41 AM »

I keep a thermometer in mine. The water temp when the pond was thawed was 34 degrees. I don't know what it is when the pond is frozen for obvious reasons. I'm in central NC. It's ben unusually cold here. Mid teens and low twenties. occasionally warmed to the fourties. Most of the time the pond has been frozen solid. I've kept my warerfall and bubblers running. Whan the water is completly frozen the fish seem to be fairly comfortable. They swim slowly and seem to be in no distress. The bubbles hit the botom of the ice and spread out. When the ice has thawed the bubblers churn the water and it circulates much more. The fish also seem to be miserable. They are all huddled in a realitavely calm corner and stay there. Is it possible that the water is a little warmer deep when the pond is frozen over? There is much less churning of the water when it is frozen. Never wintered a pond before so I'm watching the fish's behavior very closely. It is definately different when the water is not frozen. Does my analysis sound reasonable? It very seldom gets cold enough here to freeze a pond solid. This is an unusually cold winter for us. I'm building a small heater to go in it. It is too small to heat the pond. It will only provide a small warm spot. I hope this helps. Any thoughts?
Thanks

Esther · « **Reply #11 on:** December 20, 2010, 07:01:27 AM »

Dunno. My pond is filled with hard water I think. The surface that is covered with snow sure looks hard. I would guess my pond temp is similar to Michiponder unless he/she is in the U P.

rdrboone · « **Reply #12 on:** December 20, 2010, 08:34:58 AM »

NO Idea!! My pond has been under snow and ice for 3 weeks already here in the NC Mountains.

I was out of town and did not even get my aerator in my ponds.

Ruth

Reedman · « **Reply #13 on:** December 20, 2010, 03:20:56 PM »

My pond flash froze over a few weeks ago. The floating thermometer is frozen into the ice - great . . .

My lava rock trickle tower is completely ice covered too, but there is a 6" hole in the ice on the pond from the water flow off the tower.

just.me · « **Reply #14 on:** December 20, 2010, 06:29:24 PM »

Me too. Therm is frozen in the ice. Nice hole with the new air bubbler. I keep watching tho. If it gets below 15* I have to go out there with some really HOT water, just in case.
Year 10, no losses yet. But I hated it as much as the fishes do.

marla · « **Reply #15 on:** December 29, 2010, 05:59:54 PM »

we had a little warm up today, I was able to get out and clean the algae out of the little bubbler pumps and check the temp, today was about 38* up a little from a week ago

perplexed ponder · « **Reply #16 on:** January 05, 2011, 04:40:09 AM »

Saw a new gadget at Foster and Smith, a thermometer that has a light on it. Green when water is above 50 and red when it's below.
My pond is cold, frozen, except for the aerator holes but my Mom says she saw the fish swimming under there ther other day. I miss them. The last time I was there it was too frozen to see them. HURRY UP SPRING!!

Julles · « **Reply #17 on:** January 05, 2011, 05:06:16 PM »

Since it never gets all that cold down here in South Texas, I haven't paid much attention to threads about frozen ice on the ponds, cold water, withholding food, turning off the falls, etc. My fish stay active and feed all winter long, if a little less than during the warmer months.

Well, the other week when the temperature dipped way cold, I realized that these concerns are valid.

It got down around freezing, and I noticed that the fish were not moving around, but huddled together like sardines at the bottom. No interest in coming up to eat when I walked out in the morning.

How on Earth could the water have gotton so cold in one night? After all, the pond is 3' deep in one end, and there's plenty of water to hold a stable temperature. Then I realized that it was the pump and water fall, exposing the water to the cold air, and then pulling it down into the bottom of the pond.

After a few days, when it warmed up again, the water warmed up also, thanks to the pump and falls, and the fish were swimming around as usual.

I'll make sure to remember this, and when it gets into the 20*'s next week, I'll shut off the falls.

Reedman · « **Reply #18 on:** January 05, 2011, 10:02:38 PM »

That blizzard last week missed us - no snow here but a foot 100 miles east in Philadelphia. The ice on my pond was milky but know it is clear. Still can't see the fish, but the water coming off the lava rock trickle tower now has a much larger hole. It's been a bit warmer. The floating thermometer is still frozen in the ice though . . .

Vickie · « **Reply #19 on:** January 07, 2011, 05:15:42 PM »

My pond has ice. It is 40* right now so some of it is melted. The ponds with no pumps we move a cattle heater back and forth to keep holes in the ice. So far not lost any fish oh maybe some mosquito fish.

misstammy · « **Reply #20 on:** January 21, 2011, 10:40:27 AM »

Can i say fing on here

COLD!! Near Madison WI
Had to bust a hole today. Have bubbler at water level. Usually works well but 5 below zero with wid chill of WAY below. I know they don't like the noise but that or dead fish from the gas.

Vickie · « **Reply #21 on:** January 21, 2011, 10:50:46 AM »

Froze here too. Pumps are running and we have a heater we are moving around to ponds to melt a hole to let gasses out. We have 9 inches of snow and 4-7 inches coming this Sunday. We have had nights of zero and minus 10*F to minus 15*F wind chill. I HATE WINTER

Jerry · « **Reply #22 on:** January 21, 2011, 01:41:18 PM »

59 here. the fish take a nibble once in a while.
Miss Tammy you can say "Fing" but only that!

trish · « **Reply #23 on:** January 26, 2011, 07:46:58 AM »

Pond water temp is still holding steady at 40 (I think cuz the floating thermometer is stuck in ice) thanks to the submerged heater, however my little aerator finally putzed out week before last. Thankfully we had a much more powerful backup aerator and managed to get it placed before the surface froze totally with the subzero wind chills. With that thing going, the ice managed to melt off totally for a bit and we were able to see all the fish alive and well.