Winter Check

[Gazza]

Hi Guys,

Well it’s that time of year and it will soon be getting nice and cold and winter will be in full swing so just a little note to make sure we don’t all forget to make sure all is spot on before the winter sets in.

I know some cover and some don’t and some heat and some don’t but we all still need to make sure we are still providing a nice clean and healthy environment for our fish and especially now that it is cooling down and coming into winter.

So now is the time to make sure the filters are nice and clean and if you do need to clean the system out or perform any maintenance then now would be a good time to do it if you haven’t already before it gets to cold. Making sure that all of our filter systems are clean and functioning correctly is a must as we don’t want to start letting things build up or get slack just because we will be slowing down on the food side. Its far too easy to get caught out with thinking we are now in winter and the filters don’t need much cleaning or toping up or changing of the water and they will all be OK as that is when you leave things and end up with the possibility of things going pear shaped.
This will include making sure that all the filters are not only functioning correctly but also making sure everything in conjunction with the filters is also in good working order. This can include all your pumps and valves and pipe work as if any of these are outside they could well need protecting from the winter elements. We all know that if it’s going to go wrong it will go wrong at the worse possible time so get all the pipes lagged and pumps protected and making sure you are all ready for winter now before it gets to cold as there is nothing like working in the freezing cold with water........he says from experience lol!!!!!

If possible it’s a good time if you can to bowl some fish and give them a good check over and even a scrape if you’re not 100% sure all is OK and carry out a little health check. So bowling the fish and giving them a good examination making sure all is looking in good shape and no bumps or bashes or marks and that all the scales (on a scaled fish ;D) are all looking good and not discoloured or damaged along with all the fins. When doing this we must remember to turn the fish over as 90% of the time in the cooler weather it will be something on the bottom of the fish that is the problem and can be so easily looked over and then become a much bigger problem later on and harder to treat.

If you need to carry out any treatments then hopefully you still have time to get things sorted before it gets to cold and it is much better to treat the fish in the warmer temperatures and a lot cheaper if you have to maintain a warmer temperature at the moment than it will be shortly. We really want to try avoiding things going south on us when it cold and trying to treat a problem and heal a fish in colder temperatures as you end up fighting a losing battle and end up with a bigger headache than is needed if we get on tops of things before hand.

If we can get all this done and get the fish and our systems into the best condition we can before winter really sets in we stand a good chance or the fish going through the winter and coming out nice and healthy in spring without too many issues as getting if right now can save a lot of trouble later on.

We must also not forget that when it is freezing cold out there that we still have fish swimming round (hopefully) and they will need to be regularly looked at and made sure all is OK and filters are still cleaned and water changed..........just because they slow down doesn’t mean we can slow down too much so keep on top and enjoy the winter as best we can.

[kimr]

Hi Gazza

Great post and ood reminder of things we need to do. At the moment I have a temparary set up and the pump is out side sitting on the floor what would you suggest would be good to cover it without causing problems?

and what do you mean "soon" be getting cold. its already freezing!!!!!!!!!!

[Gazza]

Hi Kim,

Its not that cold yet

Yes its always good to make sure all is OK before the winter comes

[Markey]

And remember if you have cartridge filters / purifiers by the pond - Take em in...
If they freeze they get b*gg*red

[Manky Sanke]

Something else you can do apart from insulating everything in sight or taking it in to prevent it from freezing is to protect your skimmer from frost damage.

This mainly applies to skimmers that don't run continuously but there's no harm in doing it to all skimmers on unheated ponds just in case the pump stops for any reason.

Roll up some bubble wrap to make a roll about 3 inches thick and long enough to fit from the front of the skimmer to the back then wedge it in place. It can be wedged over to one side if the skimmer is in use.

This roll of bubble wrap won't stop the water from freezing in the skimmer but it will give the ice somewhere to expand if it does and will prevent the risk of the ice pressure cracking the skimmer walls.

[Aqualife2u]

Great post now Christmas is over cant wait for spring, hate seeing my babies inactive sat on the bottom

[Gazza]

Hi,

Yes roll on spring and make sure you keep all the filters clean and also the water so the fish have a good winter