Keeping Pond Warm

Outdoor fishkeeping!
GrakFu
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Joined: Sat Apr 06, 2013 8:56 pm
Location: Bella Vista
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Keeping Pond Warm

Post by GrakFu »

28° for 6 or so hours last night and my pond has no Ice. Was plesantly surprised that the water was 40° too. I've got a 300gph pump on it for the winter and it runs through about 4ft of rubber heater(automotive) hose before entering a 10g Frog who spits the output about 3ft, back into the pond. Fully surrounded with flag stone and about 60lbs of flagstone(3/4 submerged) as a basking platform. A common temp difference between greenhouse and exterior is 50°...
My thought to keep the pond temps above freezing is to encase the entire area in a hoophouse. The length of the pond faces South. The east and west sides don't get much direct sun due to the house and fence blocking the early morning and late afternoon rays.
So my plan is to drive some rebar into the soil a foot or so on either side of the pond, spaced roughly 3ft apart. Install PVC over the ends of opposing rebar. Line the underside of the rebar with 6mil clear plastic, taped and wired to the pvc. Then streched back over the tops of the pvc. For the ends I am thinking a doubled layer(no real air gap between the layers) of 6mil black plastic.
The hoophouse would encase the entire pond and all of the fountain supplies(pump is submerged) as well as a couple of Liropie, mint and easter lillies. The mulch is black as well as the stones being fairly dark. Just figured I would share my plan in case someone else may be concerned about freezing. Aldo open to any feedback.
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mewickham
NWAAS President
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Re: Keeping Pond Warm

Post by mewickham »

That sounds like a very workable plan to me.
Mike Wickham
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