Over the river and through the woods, and beside the pond, to Grandmother’s house we go. The horse knows the way to carry the sleigh through the white and drifted snow…oh.
You mean Grandma has a pond? Why yes Virginia. She got it last summer. She has lots of beautiful plants and rocks around it, and lots of colorful fish in it. She even has a waterfall, with a meandering stream that she says reminds her of you when you laugh. She told me all about it over the phone, and she was really excited about getting it. I can tell just by looking, that you’re bursting at the seams with questions about Grandma’s new pond, but let’s wait until we get there so Grandma can answer them all herself. OK?
What Happened To All The Plants?
Grandma, where are all the beautiful plants that Mom said were all around your pond? What happened to them? Why yes Virginia, there were lots of plants in and around the pond up until about six weeks ago when the weather turned cold and I had to cut them back so they wouldn’t fall in the pond and cause my fish to have problems. But with all the white and drifted snow, the pond is still beautiful don’t you think Virginia?
Can You Leave The Water Falls Running All Winter?
It really is beautiful Grandma and I really like it because the waterfall is still going. Can you leave it running all winter? Why yes Virginia, even here in Wisconsin where it gets pretty cold, I can leave it running as long as I carefully watch the stream so an ice dam doesn’t form and cause the water to flow outside onto the ground. And as the ice forms over the pond’s surface, I may need to add a little water. But that’s easy, even for me, Virginia.
Decaying Plants? What Does That Mean?
What do you mean about the plants decaying and causing your fish problems Grandma? Well Virginia, when the surface of the pond freezes over, it prevents harmful gasses …like carbon dioxide that are created when debris such as dead plants, leaves, twigs and fish waste start to decay, from escaping out into the atmosphere. And if those gasses can’t escape, their presence in the water can hurt the fish. Another thing is that, like humans, fish require oxygen to breathe. And if the pond freezes over, it prevents oxygen from getting into the water, which would eventually cause the fish to suffocate.
So How Do You Allow The Gasses To Be Exchanged?
So Grandma, how do you let the carbon dioxide escape, and the oxygen get into the water in the winter? That’s a good question Virginia, and it’s one of the reasons we leave the waterfalls running all winter. The falling water agitates and helps oxygenate the water. And do you see that bubbling area out there on the right side of the pond? Well that’s a pump that I call my bubbler. It’s purpose is to agitate the surface of the pond, which helps to keep a hole in the surface, allowing the carbon dioxide to escape, and the oxygen to get back into the water so the fish can hibernate safely.
And What Happens If The Pond Freezes All The Way To The Bottom?
But what happens if the water freezes all the way down to the bottom of the pond Grandma? Wouldn’t that kill your fish? Well Virginia, if the pond could freeze all the way down it would definitely be a problem for the fish. But fortunately it can’t. As a matter of fact, even on the coldest days, the ice will grow to a maximum thickness of about eight inches. And since the pond is twenty-four inches deep, that leaves sixteen inches of liquid water for the fish to hibernate in.
Hibernate?
What do you mean by hibernate Grandma? What does that mean? You see Virginia, there are animals that stop eating and kind of go to sleep when Mother Nature causes the weather to turn cold. You may know that bears go into caves and hibernate for the winter. Well, fish go to the bottom of the pond and kind of park there until spring brings everything back to life. They don’t eat or do anything really. They just sort of hang around on the bottom of the pond and wait for the weather to warm up.