Something interestin i learnt from PFK is that the pond freezing over actualy has some advantages as it shelters the fish form wind and stuff yet yo must still avoid it freezing over complely.
Basically, it is true that freezing does have some bennefets- the ice will stop the wind chilling or warming the pond, and so can help keep a more stable (and often warmer) temperture in the depths of the pond while the fish are going through their almost dormant phase during the winter.
However in a pond that does not have enough depth, the ice can chill the water too much too close to the fish and kill them- this is one of the reasons why it is important to have enough depth in the pond, as the deepest parts are the most ideal and stable conditions for the fish to winter in.
However, a complete freeze can be really bad for two main reasons;
a. Muck/silt at the bottom of the pond is constantly rotting and letting off gases- in a completely frozen over pond, these gases can build up under the ice and poisen the water quality, killing off all the fish in the pond. This is one of the reasons why you should keep something like a ball afloat in the pond so the ice does not completely freeze over the entire pond (the ice won't freeze around the ball) and thus gases that build up under the ice have a way of escaping.
b. You need to keep an eye on the temp in the pond- if the temp drops below 10 degree's, you should stop feeding the fish as at temps this cold, the fishes metabolisms are very slow and so is their digestion, and if they are given a lot of food to eat while in this state and water temp, the food gets digested too slowly and just rots in the fishes stomach, causing bad digestive problems like contipation or internal bacterial deseases etc. If the pond is completely frozen over you can't take the temp, and so you won't know if its warm enough to feed the fish or not.
Also, never break the ice on a pond, no matter how tempting it is! The shock/noise/vibrations of the breaking of the ice can stress the fish very badly, and the sudden wind chill can wake them from their sleep and cause them to die of shock. I used to break the ice on my mums pond when i was a little kid, but now when i look back on it i now realise how bad it was then for the fish.
I have the same concerns with my pond,
Its quite large but only 2.5 FT deep at its deepest point! i do live in the south east of england, a mile from the coast tho, which doesnt get as cold as some parts.
My pond contains 10 koi around 5" and some blue orfe and rudd. my goldfish that were always in the pond were all fine overwinter in previous years but i only relocated them and added the koi in the spring.
There facing there 1st winter in my pond and ive grown very attached to them.
The waters around 9C at the mo but i no its gonna freeze over winter, it always does
Any opinions
You should really make the pond a lot deeper at its deepest points, it will be a lot of work however i strongly advise it. The larger the fish you have, the more depth the pond needs- this is why it is generally advised that goldfish ponds have at least 3ft depth at their deepest points, while koi ponds should have at least 4ft+ depth. The fish should be ok this winter since they are all very small at only 5inch long, but during teh summer you should make the pond a lot deeper.
Only last year, a neighbour of mine lost almost all of her goldfish due to the pond not having enough depth. The pond was only 2ft deep at its deepest and the goldfish had lived in it for years, however last year there was a particularly harsh, cold freeze over one weekend and all of her goldfish died as they couldn't swim deep enough to avoid the freezing conditions enough. If the pond had been 3 or 4 ft deep, the goldfish would have survived and been fine, but at only 2ft deep they all succumbed to the ice (apart from a few tiny goldfish).
their is 3 koi that are about 4 inch ish an 3 gold fish
