What should I do if the surface of my pond freezes?

If ice takes over the surface of your pond, do not break it, because the shock wave could kill the fish. With warm water, you can make a hole gently.

The idea is to keep a space to allow the exchange between air and water. The waste at the bottom of the pond, as it decomposes, emits a toxic gas that consumes the oxygen useful to fish and plants.

1. Never break the ice roughly : Avoid hitting the ice to break it. This can create shock waves that are harmful to fish.

2. Use warm water : Gently place a pot of warm water on the ice to melt a hole. This will allow for gas exchange and help maintain a healthy environment for the fish.

3. Install an aerator or pond heater : These devices can prevent ice from forming or keep a hole open in the ice.

As a preventative measure, use the following methods:

First, and for very small ponds. You have a model that everyone knows well, it is the floating anti-freeze bell . It is filled with gravel so as to give it enough weight and so that it can sink a little into the water.

And then, with the lid, you place it on the basin, which will allow to always keep at the place of the center of this bell, a hole in the ice, allowing a small gas exchange between the water and the air. Of course, it only works for small basins. This first system does not require any electricity consumption.

The Antifreeze bell for pools with a water volume

of maximum 1m3

This bell is equipped with a polystyrene float. Take the rod placed there through the float. The device includes an air pump with a small outlet. The air hose is 5 meters long with a diffuser. This will allow you to protect your koi carp and your plants.

The polystyrene disc with aerator prevents your pond from freezing. The air pump has a capacity of 1.3 litres per minute and is suitable for a pond of up to 1000 litres.

Place the hose through the stem. Once done at the other end, place the air diffuser. This is what will diffuse the bubbles.

Now, if you have a pool with a larger volume of water, you have the ICEFREE THERMO 330 consisting of a heating resistor and a trigger.

This resistance floats on the surface of your pool and as soon as it freezes. The resistance will start up. This will allow, depending on the thawing, to keep an opening of the order of 30 to 40 cm in diameter.

And finally, and by far the best system, are the air pumps which will allow the aeration of the water on the surface to leave a hole.

Firstly, this will be useful in winter, but of course also in summer. These are devices that are not very energy-intensive and thirdly, it is a system that will guarantee that you will always keep the ice open.

The pump will push the air into the bottom. The air will come out of the diffuser and as it rises, it will pull the water that is a little warmer towards the surface, which will always keep a hole in the ice, even if it freezes very hard at a given moment.

And so you will permanently have a very good gas exchange between the water and the air and that will allow you to keep enough oxygen in the bottom of the pond for the happiness of your fish.