Protect your Pond with Wintertime Maintenance

Although your pond is dormant during the winter months, it’s still important to keep up with routine maintenance. Try these simple pond winterization maintenance activities to save yourself time and money come springtime.

Let Light In

After you shovel your driveway to clear the snow away, get started on the pond. Keeping snow off of the ponds surface can be an important part of winter maintenance. Although your pond is dormant during the winter, there are microscopic aquatic plants that will continue producing oxygen as long as light penetrates the ice. Removing snow to allow light shine onto the pond can be an important step in keeping fish alive during the winter months.

Prepare for the Worst

Winter storms can sometimes result in power outages. Make sure you are prepared to keep de-icers and aerators powered if there is no electricity. If you’ve invested a lot in your pond, and are concerned for the safety of your fish, you may want to invest in a generator for your pond.

If you can, turn off pond pumps and filters in the winter. If a power outage does occur and you are not able to remove water from the filter and pumps, it may freeze, causing major damage.

Minimize Circulation 

If you decide to keep your pump running during the winter months, you will want to minimize the water circulation. During the cold season, even if the top of your pond is frozen, the bottom likely won’t be frozen and will remain around 39 degrees. If you keep the pump running at high circulation, you may actually circulate the frozen water, creating super chilled water.

Some ways to reduce circulation are:

• Turn off bottom drains, if possible
• Place intakes to pumps and filters at mid-water
• Place intakes closer to waterfalls or fountains
• Turn off Surface Skimmers
• Turn your pump down to a lower speed

 If you run into trouble this winter with your pond, or have questions about winter maintenance, contact us for answers. 

What Do Fish Do All Winter? How Do They Survive?

Feeling a little uneasy about leaving your fish in your backyard pond or water garden this winter? It’s common to feel a little guilty about leaving your fish exposed to frigid temperatures and harsh weather conditions.

Believe it or not, your fish are actually designed for winter dormancy.

If your pond is at least 30 inches deep, your fish can survive the winter weather. What will your fish do all winter in your backyard pond? Not much. A fish slows its metabolism down during the winter months, going into a state of hibernation. This means, your fish won’t really be swimming around or even eating.

A fish can easily survive during winter months without food and without the warm weather. However, in order to survive, there needs to be at least one open area on the pond surface that is not covered by ice. Your fish will need this in order to continue “breathing” under water.

The best way to ensure your fish are safe in your water garden during winter is to invest in a quality pond heater. A heater can help keep the surface of your pond from freezing over completely.

Another option is an aerator,  which can serve a similar purpose to the pond pump, but is a more affordable option if your area doesn’t often get freezing temperatures during winter. You could also use backyard pond pumps to keep the water on the surface of your pond circulating to prevent freezing.

So, you can rest assured with proper pond winterization your fish will be safe and sound all winter long. 

Top Five Fall Backyard Pond Purchases

Winter is a time for dormancy for your water garden, but the affects the weather has can be dangerous for the life within your pond.

Luckily, there are ways to protect your pond from the adverse weather winter brings, so in spring your pond will jump back and be better prepared for your enjoyment.

What are some of the purchases you need to make when fall approaches? Use our guide below to help you purchase what you will need to prep your backyard pond for winter:

1. Leaf netting – After you work hard to clean your pond and prepare it for winter, make sure no other debris accumulates in it by using leaf netting.
2. Pond heater – A pond heater or de-icer will help prevent the top of your pond from freezing. This is especially important if you have fish hibernating in your pond during the winter months.
3.  Heated water hose – A heated water hose is important if your area experiences freezing weather during winter. This hose can melt ice and regain its flexibility.
4. Aeration kit – This can help release toxic gases and replenish the fresh oxygen in your pond during the freezing months of winter.

While you can purchase all of these essentials separately, it might make sense to purchase everything in one easy to use pond winterization kit. Not only will this save you money, but it will ensure that you have absolutely everything you will need to keep your pond healthy during the winter season.

Pond winterization kits may differ, but try to find one that includes a heated de-icer, pond netting, aeration kit as well as wheat germ food sticks and spirulina. Purchasing this kit all at once will save you time and money in the future.

Shop for all your winter pond supplies from Pondliner.com to ensure you have everything you need to prep your pond for winter dormancy. 

The Pondliner.com Countdown to Winter

When summer winds down and fall is in full swing, it’s time to start prepping your backyard pond or water garden for the cooler months ahead.

Don’t feel overwhelmed, the fall season gives you enough time to space out your winterization so you can still enjoy the time you have left with your pond.

Use our winter countdown to help guide your fall pond maintenance efforts:

•  Clean-up – In late summer and early fall, it’s important that you start to remove as much debris and material from your backyard pond as possible. To do this, use a skimmer or pond vacuum to remove leaves, twigs and other build-up. Use netting to prevent any further debris from accumulating.
• Repot your plants – In fall, it’s necessary to repot your pond plants to divide and store. Non-hardy plants need to be protected before winter dormancy. Try to repot your plans as soon as you can.
• Bring your fish in – Don’t wait until the snow starts falling to remove your fish from your backyard pond. Your fish can become stressed when exposed to temperature shifts greater than 4 or 5 degrees, so the sooner you relocate them the better.
• Trimming – Prune any overgrown or long-stemmed plants to help promote growth next season. Also, trimming your plants can help you remove any leaves that might end up falling to the bottom of your pond.
•  Feed your pond plants – Late summer and early fall is the best time to start providing your pond plants with the nutrients and supplements they will need as winter approaches.

While there is more you will need to do to completely prep your pond for the harsh winter ahead, it’s important to start slowly and make the adjustment for your plants and fish a smooth one.

Find all the fall pond maintenance and pond winterization kits you need to help your pond stay strong at Pondliner.com.

Can My Fish Survive the Winter?

If you live in a climate that endures harsher winters, you’re probably wondering whether your fish can survive the cold. While deeper ponds are better for fish than shallow water gardens, there are some precautions you can take to keep your fish alive in the winter. Protect your fish with these pond winterization techniques:

Make Sure Your Pond is Deep Enough

Fish are made to survive in cold temperatures, and even frozen water. However, there needs to be enough unfrozen water under the ice for your fish to live healthily. Your pond should have an area that is at least 18 inches deep in case it freezes over completely. This can give the fish enough room to create a warmer living space under the ice.

Add a Pump or Heater

If you want to avoid a frozen pond, you need to invest in a pond heater or pump. Heaters are made for cold temperatures, so installing one could be a good option for keeping a small area of your pond warm. Heaters can also create holes in the ice to allow more oxygen to enter the water for your fish.

While a pond pump is more likely to be internally damaged by cold weather, a pump with a fountain can also add oxygen to your pond. The area of water surrounding the fountain stays unfrozen, creating a large hole in the ice through which oxygen can enter the water.

Leave Some Dirt

Because your pond will be more sealed off from nutrients in the winter than in other seasons, it’s important to not over-clean your pond before it gets cold. You don’t need your pond to look perfect in the winter, so leave some dirt, bacteria, and debris in the water. This will provide natural nutrients for your fish to consume.

Limit Food

When the temperature drops, so does a fish’s metabolism. Feeding them more than they need to eat will cause extra waste products, so be wary of feeding in the winter. As the temperature gradually decreases in the fall, scale down the amount of food you give them. When the weather drops to under 45˚F, you can stop feeding your fish altogether. The above precautions can keep them alive throughout the winter without requiring food.

When you’re ready to start preparing your pond for winter, check out the from Pondliner.com. Contact us for answers to your pond and water garden questions.

Simplify Pond Winterization by Purchasing a Pond Kit

In my last three posts I gave you lots of tips and tricks for how to get your pond ready for winter. I talked about the benefits of pond heaters, pond pumps and pond netting, and I described why a certain amount of debris is a good thing. I also went over the basics of caring for your fish and pond plant during cold temperatures.

If you are a new pond owner, you may have found yourself a bit overwhelmed. There's a lot to remember, and your pond life is really relying on you to get it right.

If you want to make the pond winterization process as easy as possible, you may want to consider purchasing a complete winterizing kit. Similar to a standard pond kit, these comprehensive winterization tools can help make sure you have everything you need to maintain a healthy aquatic environment - even in the coldest temperatures.

Pondliner carries the Laguna complete winterization kit . It comes with the following parts:

• 315W PowerHeat De-icer
• 15' x 20' Black Protective Pond Netting
• Pond Aeration Kit
• Premium Spirulina & Wheat Germ Food Sticks

Its purpose is to keep an area of your pond thawed in order to encourage the proper exchange of gases throughout the winter. Even if you pond freezes over, this winterization kit will keep a small area open to allow oxygen to get in and toxic gases to be released.

When you purchase the Laguna complete winterization kit, you will receive all the supplies mentioned above in one easy-to-manage box. The kits come with simple instructions that are designed to make the pond winterizing process as easy and straightforward as possible.

In addition to winterization kits, Pondliner also carries a variety of other pond supplies that can make sure your pond is winter-ready this season. Browse our complete selection today and get ready to get bundled up, because the cold is on its way!

How to Get Your Pond Ready for Winter: Part 1

Whether we like to admit it or not, winter is rapidly approaching. Days are shorter and darker and temperatures are inevitably dropping. Most homeowners know how to get their yards ready for the cold months ahead, but they sometimes struggle to achieve the same level of preparation for their ponds.

Either they don't have the right pond supplies on hand or they use the right products at the wrong time. They may even do too much winter preparation which can be just as damaging as not doing enough.

This is going to be the first of several posts in which I share helpful tips on how to properly winterize your pond and ensure that the life within it emerges healthy and happy in the spring. For starters, I'm going to share some information that seem like a bit of a contradiction.

You want to leave some debris, dirt and mud in your pond when preparing it for winter.

Yes, you read that correctly. Some pond owners go a tad overboard with their pond cleaning. They drain out all the water, scrub the pond liner and refill the pond with fresh water. This is detrimental if winter is on the way. Frogs, snails and microscopic pond life rely on the mud at the bottom of your pond to keep them warm during winter. And your fish are counting on there being a cozy bed of leaves and disintegrated muck for them to hibernate in during the coldest days.

How Much Debris Should You Leave in Your Pond?

It's good practice to remove about 90% of the leaves and other debris that have accumulated in your pond throughout the fall. Leave the rest for your fish and other pond life to enjoy. You may be surprised at the diversity of life that emerges in spring if you leave a few natural resources in your pond to help new life flourish.

How Pond Netting Can Help

Keep in mind that trees are going to continue to dispel leaves, sticks and other miscellaneous debris all throughout the winter. If your pond isn't frozen, you don't want all this excess debris to build up and become overwhelming. Prevent this problem by covering your pond with some nearly invisible black pond netting. (We're currently running a special offering 15% off our premium pond netting, so now is a great time to stock up on this important pond product.)

Stay tuned for more helpful pond winterization tips coming your way this month, and be sure to browse our website to find all the pond supplies you need to get your pond ready for the season's coldest temperatures.




*Image provided by foto3116 on Flickr

Aerate Your Pond with an Air Pump This Winter

With winter weather quickly arriving, it is essential to get your pond properly prepared for the chilly months ahead. The fish and other aquatic life in your pond require extra special attention as temperatures continue dropping. If you'll remember from my previous Pondliner blog post on solving your pond's winter woes, I discussed how decomposing pond matter removes oxygen from the water and releases toxic gasses that can become trapped in your pond when it freezes over in winter.


When a situation such as this arises, your fish are in danger of dying due to a lack of oxygen. You can use a pond heater to create a hole in your iced-over pond to allow proper gas exchange, but it would be in your very best interest to purchase an air pump as well, especially if your main pond pump is shut down for winter.

Pondliner air pumps help maintain adequate oxygen levels in your pond, even when your fish's metabolic rates reach their absolute lowest. Guaranteeing that your fish receive the proper amount of oxygen is essential to ensuring their survival through the cold winter months.

Be sure to choose an air pump that is big enough to pump air to the bottom of your pond. As the weather gets colder, your fish will gravitate to the lowest parts of your pond to stay warm, so there is no sense in buying an air pump that won't reach those depths. The specifications of each air pump will note the maximum pond size it should be used for as well as the pond depth it can reach.

To get the most out of your air pump, check out Pondliner's selection of aeration replacement parts and accessories. We have everything you need to keep your pond’s air pump functioning effectively.

As always, our dedicated and qualified staff of pond professionals is available to answer questions and provide additional help Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Contact us for assistance today!

Solve Your Pond's Winter Woes with a Pondliner Pond Heater

Long gone are the hot days and balmy nights of summer where you could sit in your backyard and enjoy the sights and sounds of your beautiful water gardens and fish ponds. Now the leaves are falling off the trees faster than you can rake them, and the air is turning cooler by the day. Fall has officially arrived and winter is right on its heels, which means it’s time to winterize your backyard pond. For additional resources on how to care for your pond year-round, visit Pondliner’s helpful Pond Reference Section.

It may come as a surprise to you, but the ecosystem you’ve created in your pond remains active even in the freezing winter, and it requires a delicate balance of circumstances to keep life functioning properly. That is why it’s important that the winterization of your pond is done correctly from start to finish. One essential piece needed for winterization is a pond heater, also sometimes referred to as a pond de-icer.

As you begin the winterization process, a pond heater is going to serve as your pond’s personal detoxifier. During the winter months, decomposition of dead leaves, insects, algae, and solid fish waste occurs. This process uses up oxygen while simultaneously releasing small amounts of toxic hydrogen sulfide. Normally this doesn’t cause any problems, but if there is too much decomposition, or if a layer of ice prevents oxygen from entering and hydrogen sulfide from escaping, the results can be catastrophic for your pond life. However, never fear, Pondliner pond heaters can come to your rescue!

As you can see in the image below, pond heaters create a hole in the ice covering your pond, allowing oxygen to get in and hydrogen sulfide to escape. When this proper gas exchange occurs, you protect your fish, frogs, and other aquatic life from toxic gas build-up, and ensure that they stay happy and healthy throughout the cold winter months.

Whether you require a small pond heater, floating pond heater, or submersible pond heater, Pondliner is here to cover all your pond heating and pond winterization needs.Our pond heaters offer various kinds of thermostat control to prevent overheating and save you money, and they are designed with the safety of your pond life in mind.

An additional way to save money is by buying the appropriate pond heater for your climate. The only information you need is your temperature zone and the number of gallons your pond holds. If you need to figure out your pond’s volume, use our handy pond liner size calculator. To determine which pond heater is best suited for your climate, use the zone map below.

Pond heaters are a necessary component for effective pond winterization, and Pondliner is eager to provide you with the high-quality, affordable pond heater you need. Check out our entire collection of pond heaters, and be sure to consider the Pondliner current promotional discount on our OASE IceFree De-icer. Start winterizing your pond today!

If you have any additional questions, feel free to call our helpful technical assistance crew at (866) 766-3548.