Is anyone using this with fish over the winter in SE PA to Southern DE? I'm wondering if a pond heater would keep the fish safe over cold months.
1411655
I am in NC. I took my fish out . I believe it is too shallow even with a heater.
1411656
I don't know about DE or PA but here in CO I wouldn't leave my 2 fish in it. They enjoy the winter inside in my cold water cube aquarium together with the White Cloud Mountain minnows who might get to enjoy the summer outside next year. The small water lily tubers and other water plants in the meantime rest in the garage on medium temp heating pads in buckets.
1411657
In case anyone is still interested for next winter, goldfish and koi are both cold water fish in the carp family. They can survive even if the water freezes over, they just need a hole in the ice to breathe. Two feet is the recognized standard depth for keeping fish in a pond year round.
417542
I left mine run all winter in Delaware,as long as the water flows in the filter it won't freeze,however it was so cold this past winter the water started to freeze in the pond and created a dam that prevented the flow of water,so guess what,new filter time. A $300.00 oops. You really don't need to run it in the winter as the fish are in hibernation mode. Just keep the water from freezing solid with a heater or aeriator. Don't recommend buring it as it's too hard to access.
1629843
I would assume it would be fine, our pump did not make it through the winter very well. We haven't uncovered the pond yet and I don't know if the problem is that my daughter neglected to put the heater in or not so I don't think anything survived the horrible winter. Sorry, I am not much help to you.
1919652
I was using a Mr heater and just wasn't enough on real cold days. I don't leave it up for the winter but last spring had some heavy snows. I changed to a kerosene heater to keep heat up and had a fan for circulation of air. Snow would slide off as long as heat was on .. cost way to much to try and heat for winter for me..
265792
I'm using it in a 2.5 Gallon with a Betta....it works great! I used it all winter when our house temp. gets down to 65 degrees at night. The tank remained at a steady 80 degrees F. I don't use it in summer because our house stays at around 78. I recommend getting a thermometer as well....
1819548
I was not able to get it to heat a 20 gal or a 10 gal, so I have it in a 5 gal tank and it still doesn't heat to the level it states it will. I put it in a smaller tank with some fish that don't have to have the water temperature to be maintained at over 75, so it's working find in that situation. I suggest getting a submersible heater that allows you to adjust the heat to the temperature you want, that's what I now have in both of my larger tanks now and I was very disappointed when this one wouldn't/couldn't keep up with at least a 10 gal tank. Good Luck!
186347
No, it should be fine. These heaters have an adjustable settings. I have a 300 watt for my 90 gallon fish pond and have it set at 80 degrees. It kept the water warm and prevented it from freezing during the winter.
1011679
No, it won't; it just keeps the water circulating when there is sunlight. In a Wisconsin winter, that will just mean some interesting ice patterns in the afternoon. :) You will need a birdbath heater to keep the water from freezing. Unless you have a very large birdbath, a pond heater is probably too big.
909705
I wouldn't recommend it, I used it for a 3 gal tank and it heated it to almost 78-80 degrees sometimes. Luckily I had a thermometer on the outside side of the tank so I just unplugged it if it got too warm. I just had one Beta fish in the tank, if you have any other fish other than a goldfish or a guppy I would definitely try to get a bigger tank so you can put a heater in it :) Hope this helps!
836694
I've not taken the temp of the heated water. I don't know what birds can tolerate but none of them seem to have a problem. We've had maybe a total of 10 days below freezing this winter and a few of those had lows in the teens. That's really cold for us. Because I have a shallow bird bath, I didn't give a second thought to adding water ever day. Evaporation due to the heater? Maybe a luttle bit.
1902696
Never had a problem when the temp. was below 30degs.Lost my last one while ducking hunting, temp was around 30, water temp was cold, ice on surface in areas. I did not dive in after it, ordered another one.
2080264
I have mine in a shallow bird bath, probably about 4 inches of water. When it is really cold, there is just a small opening that does not freeze, probably about 6 inches which is fine with me as the birds can get a drink. I keep the heater over next to the edge and weigh it down. It is really cheap to operate because it doesn't thaw a larger area I guess, not enough heat? When the weather is not that cold, I have a much larger area available. I think you would probably have better luck if your water is not too deep. Hope this helps.
1083570
I use a 250W pond deicer with a built-in thermostat purchased from Jeffers Livestock for around $40. It's smaller than most of the deicers I've seen. My husband cut a little notch in the rim of the bucket for the cord, to allow the lid to fit. It sits in the middle of the nipples on the bottom of the bucket. Been using this system for 3 winters. Works great!
1586187
Farm Innovators water heater - i had one last 3 Winters but it failed with no sign of damage.I replaced it and that failed before it's second Winter, bought one more and sealed it with aquarium silicone.NG, it failed within 3 months.....I just don't think they make them like they used to.Now I use running water (about 10 gallons) and that only freezes when the temps are about 25 and below.Good Luck
249353
Yes you will most likely need to purchase a heater. Google the water requirements for the type of fish you will be keeping. Even if your water is normally warm enough a heater is good as a backup for cold days to make sure it stays even. Fish won't like drastic changes in the temp. I have cichlid and they like the temp 79-82degress f
646369
I have this heater in a 3 gallon picotope. It is set to 76F. I haven't watched it for fluctuations, but I have had Endler's Live Bearers in the tank for several months. They are thriving, lots of fry. Hope that helps.
1376757
You Can't submerge this Pump. You will need 10 to 20 feet of tubing to reach the Bottom of your Pond. I use a Ring Diffuser that I purchased off of Amazon...Danner 14580 Large Ring Air Diffuser 7 Inch. I have had my Pump running for 3 Straight Months with no Issues. It will work just fine for you, and should keep your Pond from Freezing over!