We have a few ponds, Wolfe, the only ones that I really fuss about is the largest garden pond (about 1800 gallons) and the koi pond (5,000 gallons). The garden pond did not get it's plants cut back this year, I may or may not get to that this year, but I do usually put a small pump in it to keep a hole in it. There are no fish but I have several resident frogs that I want to keep alive over the winter.

The koi pond is special needs, we fully enclose it and use a floating heater, exxentially we erect a building around the pond each fall and dismantle it in spring. I used to heat it to 70 all winter but a malfunction claimed our collection a few years ago. Finances have not permitted us to replace the system so our babies have to suffer our PA winters!

we've got 3 ponds now and we don't do anything with them. none of them are lined, they were just dug out and the groundwater keeps 2 of them full. we've been looking high and low for a solar powered heater, we can't use anything else because they are too far from the house (and i don't want to dig up the entire yard for electrical piping.)

I just brought out the heater today. I got it last year, and not a single fish was lost. ocassionally, during a snow storm, snow would accumulate around the socket (plug), and would trip the group fault protector. You just haveto keep a check during snow and rain storms, but well worth it.

We are thinking of letting one of our filters on all winter it has a pipe with a little water flowing up. A friend of ours works a company dealing with water pipes and he told us as long as there is some kind of trickle its not going to freeze around it. This is our first year so we really don't know what to do. Plants our out I dont know what happened with the frog.

I have a fairly large pond about 15' x 9' by 3' deep with koi and goldfish in it. I turn the pump off, start a bubbler going and it freezes in except for the bubbles. The fish are fine as long as they have a gas exchange (the bubbles keep an open hole in the ice). I live about 1.25 hrs north of Philly. Nothing pecial except feed them occasionally. I feed them right through the winter whenever the air heats up a little. Maybe twice a week or so. The fish haven't read any books so they don't know they're not supposed to be hungry. They eat the cheap pellet food from Walmart and everyone is happy and chubby in the spring. They seem to do well and have been breeding in there all along. Only problem I do have is the Great Blue Heron - I keep a bird net over everything to keep him out. All my neighbors lost fish and frogs to this guy but so far I've managed to frustrate him.

I use a heater, but have been considering getting a bubbler too. I have such a small pond though, and when I look online at the choices, they all seem like overkill. If the water doesn't move though, I'm worried I'll lose the fish again.

Wolfe - go to Walmart, purchase an airstone (the long type) for about$2.95, some silicon (green - maybe you'll need to go to Petco for that) tubing (don't get the acrylic (clear) as it gets too stiff in the cold) for about $1.95 and a decent air pump for about $20 and you're all set for the winter. Hook it up, drop it in the water and you'll have happy fish all winter! The best pat? The air pump only uses about .4, that's right! .4 watts of power. Cost about 39 cents to run throughout the winter!
Enjoy....

Oh Mugsie! Thank you! All of the airpumps I've seen are in the $100 range, because they are for outdoors. Can one use just any ole air pump? Or have I just failed to find a cheap outdoor one?

Good to hear about the air pumps. I use a heater that turns on when the water temps hit 32º. My pond is 20 years old.