Do I Leave My Pump Running?

[fishy16]

do i turn off my pump or leave it running? The bloke in the fish shop said if i leave it running it effects the water temp and doesnt do the fish any good so turn it off. Now i have the water has frozen and im worried about the fish, will they be ok?

 

[Skins]

do i turn off my pump or leave it running? The bloke in the fish shop said if i leave it running it effects the water temp and doesnt do the fish any good so turn it off. Now i have the water has frozen and im worried about the fish, will they be ok?

I would leave it running. I would let it thaw out before turning it back on though.

 

[james_fish]

Next time try the old tennis ball method.

Float a tennis ball on the waters surface, it will prevent it from completely freezing.

James.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

I leave my pond filtration system running throughout the winter- the water movement can chill the water, but as long as you don't have any features like fountains etc (which are REALLY bad for chilling the water down) and the pond is deep enough for the fish (3-4ft+ deep) then the goldfish should be fine .
Even last winter which was very cold my goldfish did fine and all got through the winter with the filtration system running. It is a difficult question though, but after much thought i came to the conclusion that it would be more stressful for the fish to have to go through a cycle first thing when the weather warms up or suffer water quality issues during the winter than to go cold. Getting too cold can be lethal for goldfish, but IMO as long as your pond is well designed (large & deep etc) then they should be alright. If in doubt, you can always put a cover over the pond to keep it warmer during the winter .