In autumn you not only have to prepare the garden, but also your garden pond for the cold season. In this article you will find out what work is necessary to ensure that plants and animals get through the winter well.

If fish are to overwinter in the pond, it must be kept ice-free

Why does the garden pond have to be winterized?

The main problem in the winter months are fermentation gases, which are caused by the decomposition of organic material. If the pond freezes over, the oxygen under water quickly becomes scarce due to the excess of methane gas and hydrogen sulfide. Bacteria that decompose the plant parts compete for the remaining oxygen and, in the worst case, the body of water can even collapse. Frogs, fish, snails and other aquatic life would die.

What work is important?

  • Remove dead plant parts.
  • Filamentous algae should also be fished out on this occasion.
  • Pick out leaves and branches that have fallen into the pond before they sink to the bottom.
  • To protect against leaves, you can stretch a net over the pond.

Sludge deposits have already formed in older ponds. Remove about a third of this with a special dirt vacuum cleaner for garden ponds. Examine the mud carefully and put any creatures in it back into the pond. Mulm is an excellent fertilizer and can be added to the beds.

Can the fish overwinter in the pond?

So that the pond inhabitants feel comfortable in winter, the body of water should be at least 80, even better 120 centimeters deep. This allows the aquatic animals to retreat to the deeper areas, where the average temperature is four degrees.

If your fish are to remain in the garden pond, you must ensure that the water surface never freezes completely. Therefore, use an ice preventer.

Give the fish special winter food in autumn so that they can build up energy reserves for the cold season. As soon as the temperature drops below ten degrees, you should stop feeding, because the animals begin to hibernate.

Which fish need to be in the aquarium?

Goldfish and robust species can easily overwinter in the garden pond. Sensitive species such as cardinal or veiltail fish, on the other hand, should move to an aquarium at the beginning of winter.

The location of the tank should be frost-free but not too warm. In addition, you should offer the fish enough space and equip the aquarium with a powerful pump and some plants.

tips

If, despite all precautionary measures, an ice cover forms, you must not hack it open under any circumstances. This would massively disturb the fish during their hibernation. It is better to slowly create an opening for the ice preventer with warm water.

Category:

Garden design