Caryl Posted June 27, 2007 Report Share Posted June 27, 2007 The big pond (over 30m long) has stayed frozen all day for 2 days now. The 2 ends under the overhanging decks are not frozen of course. The ice on the small pond is 12mm thick at 5pm. The birdbath is still frozen solid The grass has not defrosted either Big pond ice is not so thick though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilson Posted June 27, 2007 Report Share Posted June 27, 2007 wow looks cold lol :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chazza404 Posted June 27, 2007 Report Share Posted June 27, 2007 looks pretty cool :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishy_t Posted June 27, 2007 Report Share Posted June 27, 2007 Awesome In Scotland we used to go iceskating on our pond in winter! Does it get that thick down there??! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted June 27, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 27, 2007 Not anywhere thick enough to ice skate on here We were watching the fish swim under the ice this morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
me love fishy Posted June 28, 2007 Report Share Posted June 28, 2007 do the fish cope okay with the ice? are there issues with oxygen getting into the water? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted June 28, 2007 Report Share Posted June 28, 2007 Back in the UK we used to have to break the ice with a sledge hammer because it was that thick. We also had a pipe that protruded above the water .. but was cut away below so that we could just push a rod down the pipe to break the ice in there... which was invarably thinner. MLF asked: do the fish cope okay with the ice? are there issues with oxygen getting into the water? Caryl said above: The 2 ends under the overhanging decks are not frozen of course. It "still" amazes me how the arrive in spring.. fit as a fiddle.. but just slightly skinnier ha ha. Also noting that they could have been several months without food.. and the winters over there are far more severe than here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishy_t Posted June 28, 2007 Report Share Posted June 28, 2007 I though breaking the ice like that was bad cause the fish get scared?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted June 28, 2007 Report Share Posted June 28, 2007 They wore ear muffs because of the cold :) Never heard of that before MLF.. (edit:.. Sorry I mean Fishy-T).. and we wouldn't do it where the fish normally congregate. Quite often the ice was so thick you couldn't see them anyway Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jn Posted June 28, 2007 Report Share Posted June 28, 2007 fishy_t: I think they now recommend melting a patch of ice with the bottom of a hot sauce pan if you can't break it by hand (rather than smashing it). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted June 28, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2007 It is said that breaking the ice hurts the fish. Many suggest floating a ball or something in the pond so when you remove it they have a breathing hole. As noted, my pond has decks overhanging each end so underneath the water is not frozen at those points. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milet Posted June 28, 2007 Report Share Posted June 28, 2007 wow that looks very cold i hope neither of you fall in there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Posted June 28, 2007 Report Share Posted June 28, 2007 An airstone bubbling away would keep a section open. Unless it really gets cold. Then it wont matter, they'll be hibernating on the bottom. Yes it does scare the fish, in fact it can kill them with the shock waves breaking the ice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilson Posted June 28, 2007 Report Share Posted June 28, 2007 you could poor a few jugs of boiling water on a patch to melt a hole Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishy_t Posted June 28, 2007 Report Share Posted June 28, 2007 a soccer ball floating in the pond should do it too - as long as it doesn't get TOO cold! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted June 28, 2007 Report Share Posted June 28, 2007 It is said that breaking the ice hurts the fish Often in these situations there was little option.. as several times in previous years the foot thick concrete sides had cracked due to ice. Can't say we ever lost a fish through doing this.. and some of them were over a decade old Bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishy_t Posted June 28, 2007 Report Share Posted June 28, 2007 Yeah but look at what fish do when you knock on a glass fish tank. Then imagine smashing the glass with a hammer and think how the fish would like it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jude Posted June 28, 2007 Report Share Posted June 28, 2007 I suspect if the ice was a foot thick, it was the lesser of two evils. The ice would have continued to thicken and probably swallowed up the fish Ooops - I read it wrong. It was the concrete which was a foot thick - just ignore me everyone :lol: :lol: :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted June 28, 2007 Report Share Posted June 28, 2007 I suspect if the ice was a foot thick No Jude... the pond walls were... but the ice often got to three or more inches... and often just overnight.. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted June 28, 2007 Report Share Posted June 28, 2007 Yeah but look at what fish do when you knock on a glass fish tank. Then imagine smashing the glass with a hammer and think how the fish would like it! They'd love it! Except they might get hit with the hammer...Or is it just mine that come running when you bang on the tank and beg for food? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purplecatfish Posted June 28, 2007 Report Share Posted June 28, 2007 One of the weird things about water is that it is at it's densest at 4 deg celcius. This means that it is warmer at the bottom of a pond when it freezes over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wok Posted July 1, 2007 Report Share Posted July 1, 2007 Christchurch was nice a chilly on Wednesday night.. fine for the rest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subzer0 Posted August 28, 2007 Report Share Posted August 28, 2007 my fish frooze in the pond with ice all winter up to minus 9 some days not getting above minus 3 good old central otago, however for the last week or so the temp has been getting up to five or so today it managed to get to 18 i guess summer is coming my fish are all fine, as long as you don't break the ice. i guess they hibenate. who knows? but this is what happens to fish in ponds down here, as long as you don't put them into the pond just before winter they survive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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