Preparing a decorative pond for winter. Pond in the country for winter: cleaning the reservoir, removing equipment, protecting against deep freezing, measures to maintain the integrity of waterproofing in winter, wintering plants and inhabitants of the reservoir Plastic pond in winter

A school of cranes flying away into the distance, once again reminded of the approaching harsh winter. It seems that everything has already been done on the site: the harvest has been harvested, the house has been prepared for wintering. The case was left behind an artificial pond. What to do, to drain the water or not to drain from the pond, and where to place the plants and fish? The answer, as always, you will find here!

Autumn - preparing the pond for winter.

For romantics of all times, the coming of autumn is an inspiration that gives birth to wonderful lines:

Noisy geese caravan

Stretched to the south: approaching

Pretty boring time;

November was already at the yard ...

However, for the owners of suburban private houses, autumn is the worries associated with preparing the site and the artificial reservoir for winter. AT autumn period year, nature is preparing for overwintering, therefore, for pets of reservoirs and plants, it is necessary to create a sparing “hibernation” mode to replenish strength by next spring.

What measures to prepare for the winter will need to be done personally?

Measures to prepare for the overwintering of the reservoir

Recall what will need to be done:

Clean the water surface, banks and bottom of the pond

Stop, retrieve and store pond equipment

To protect the reservoir from deep freezing

Ensuring integrity waterproofing coating reservoir bowls

Create conditions for wintering plants of the reservoir

Take care of the inhabitants of the pond.

We'll have to work hard to create the most comfortable conditions for overwintering, so that there are no doubts about the question: "How to save a pond in winter."

we clean the reservoir

Until the moment when the water is removed from the pond, it is necessary to stretch a net over the water mirror to collect fallen leaves from the trees. Collecting leaves daily with a net, now you will understand why it is not recommended to create artificial reservoirs on sites where trees grow nearby.

All these crimson, yellow and wind-wrinkled sketches of the sorceress - autumn will float safely on the surface of the water, delighting frogs and spiders. Therefore, while the spiders have not made their nests in the leaves, hurry up to remove everyone, leaves and spiders.

stop and remove pond equipment

Many are interested in the question: “Is it necessary to drain the pond for the winter?”. If the pond has a small area (up to 20 sq.m) and a depth of up to 0.8 m, then such a reservoir will freeze to the bottom in winter. Therefore, it is recommended to pump out and drain the water, and after a few days to clean the bottom and walls of the reservoir from silt formations.

After cleaning the bowl of the pond for the winter, the pond is again partially filled with water.

It is recommended to remove the equipment for the filtration system (pump). The pump is disconnected, cleaned and transferred to storage. By the way, you need to store the pump in a bucket of water, but not in a dry state.

Do the same with the ultraviolet filter and the device pre-cleaning water. They are disconnected from the system, cleaned and stored in a dry room.

protection of the reservoir from deep freezing

If the reservoir has an impressive depth, more than 1.0 m, then the integrity of the equipment will be taken care of innovative technology protection of the pond from freezing - OASE Aquamax .

ensure the integrity of the waterproofing coating

Depending on the type of waterproofing coating of a pond or reservoir, the nature of its safety will depend. If a non-decorated film or rigid PVC coating was used for the pond, then it will be necessary to reduce the risk of damage that can be caused by the pressure of the ice layer on the bottom and walls of the pond bowl.

To do this, it is recommended to float a drifting station called "Plastic Bottle-1". An empty bottle, preferably a "one and a half" or "kopeck piece", is filled halfway with sand and left in the pond. The number of drifting stations is calculated from the area of ​​the reservoir (1 plastic bottle per 1 sq.m.).

The appearance of the bottles will ensure the freezing of ice and thorism near them, extinguishing excess loads on the film edges of the reservoir. Thus, the waterproofing coating will be saved.

When using an HDPE geomembrane for waterproofing a reservoir, there is no point in worrying about the integrity of the layer.

we create conditions for wintering of plants and inhabitants of the reservoir

In the shallow zone of an artificial pond, plants are recommended to be cut off at the edge of the water. Reed coastal plants are not cut, but tilted and crushed into the water. The hollow stems of these plants will be a kind of outlet and conductor of oxygen to the remaining water.

Non-hardy plants, located at the depth of the pond in special containers, are taken out of the water and cut off mature blossoming leaves. Then they are placed in a room with a minimum amount of sunlight and warmth. Thus, the plants will be offered a gentle hibernation regime.

Winter-hardy plants least of all need an additional autumn-winter regimen. It will be enough to remove old shoots and leaves, cutting off the stem almost to the root.

The most difficult thing is to create wintering conditions for flowers. Flowers (water lilies and water lilies) are transferred to a room where they are kept in a tank of water at temperature regime plus 10 deg.

For shallow reservoirs up to 0.8 m deep, the kept fish must be caught with a net and transferred to a prepared aquarium. If the depth of the pond reaches more than 1.5 m, wintering of fish can be provided on the spot. Fish can be in a reservoir at a water temperature at the bottom not lower than plus 5 degrees.

In the autumn winter period reduce the amount of fish food. This is explained by the fact that the metabolism of fish is slowed down in winter. But providing the reservoir with oxygen will be required.

Therefore, aeration nozzles are installed on the pump that remains in the pond and a compressor-type aerator is used for supply.

Preparing the pond for winter required action if you want the artificial reservoir to please again with the reviving nature in the spring.

How long is that winter?

In summer, garden ponds do not deliver special trouble, except that in the heat you have to deal with the flowering of water. But finishing holiday season, it is necessary to devote quite a lot of time and effort to the pearl of the garden so that the reservoir endures the vicissitudes of winter without damage and further decorates the suburban area.

The list of measures for the conservation of a reservoir for the winter depends on a number of factors, for example, whether there are plants and fish in the pond, what technology the bed was made with, etc.

SPRING-CLEANING

An inhabited pond will have to be seriously prepared for winter. We describe the preparation process in stages.

1. Start by cutting off dying 1 parts of aquatic plants. Some cultures will easily overwinter in the thickness of the ice, others growing in containers are best rearranged to a depth where the water does not freeze through. The most thermophilic aquatic plants hibernate indoors, such as in a cool underground, in moist soil or moss. Water lilies are also preserved if the reservoir freezes to the bottom. in the Moscow region frosty winter ice can bind a reservoir to a depth of about 40 cm, but usually the freezing depth does not exceed 20-25 cm. This means that plants planted in the bottom soil should have a depth of 0.6-0.8 m for a successful wintering, and if they are in containers, you need to add the height of the containers.

2. Before frost, electrical equipment, fountain nozzles and hoses are removed from the water and cleaned of dirt (unless the manufacturer specifically indicated that all this can not be removed for the winter). Usually, submersible pumps stored until spring in a frost-free room, completely immersed in a tank of water.

3. How to take care of the cleanliness of the reservoir? From bottom sediments and floating debris, a medium-sized pond can be cleaned with a water vacuum cleaner. In small reservoirs, it is easier to wield a net or a special grip. The latter will allow not only to easily remove debris drifting on the surface, but also, for example, without going into the water, move a basket with a water lily to the shore at a depth.

4. If fish do not hibernate in the pond, thorough cleaning can be postponed until spring, removing only large debris. But in the spring, in any case, you will have to change the water or part of the volume, at the same time clean the bottom, polish the stones decorating the shore.

TEST OF ENDURANCE

Ponds with high-quality film waterproofing can withstand even complete freezing without problems, but it would be better to insure ponds made of concrete and plastic so that their bed does not crack or deform in winter. Water expands when it freezes - this is a well-known fact. If the profile of a reservoir with a concrete bed is saucer-shaped, then the ice, freezing, will not damage the container - it will simply push the frozen water higher. The situation is more complicated with plastic and concrete pools, where the walls are almost sheer. There is an erroneous opinion that plastic ponds should be drained in the fall and almost removed from the ground, and re-installed in the spring. But a drained container can be pushed out of the ground when the soil thaws, or it can be deformed due to soil movements, and digging it out every year is troublesome.

An effective way to protect plastic and concrete pools is to submerge boards, pieces of logs, large pieces of foam, clogged empty plastic cans and bottles, which, when the water freezes, shrinking, will take the hit on themselves. It is important that these shock absorbers are submerged, that is, they do not float on the surface, otherwise the measures taken will be useless. For example, canisters and bottles can be weighted with sand, pebbles thrown there, or tied to large stones lying on the bottom. If the reservoir is deep, they try to place objects on different depth. On average for 1 sq. m enough two or three bottles.

Water small size most afraid of the cold - in winter, a pond with an area of ​​​​2-3 square meters. m will freeze through. Accordingly, the design of the reservoir will inevitably suffer - cracks will appear in it. Such a pond must be drained, regardless of whether the structure is made of plastic, film or concrete. Therefore, even at the stage of building a reservoir, it is desirable to think over a system for draining water from it.

FISH PLACE

For normal wintering of fish and many amphibians, the depth of the reservoir should be at least 2 m. Special equipment and some measures make it possible to get by with smaller depths - within 1-1.2 m. climatic zones with cold winter main enemy pond inhabitants - ice. Even thin ice crust, completely covering the surface of the reservoir, prevents gas exchange. Gases from decaying plant residues accumulate, their concentration is rapidly approaching a critical level. Since the access of oxygen from atmospheric air into the water is difficult, the inhabitants of the pond may die.

Ice window. An ice hole, which should function all winter, will help to establish gas exchange. There are devices for maintaining a non-freezing polynya. On sale there are special heaters for garden ponds, some of them can be built into pressure filters operated all year round. True, water heating is rarely practiced, mainly in reservoirs where valuable heat-loving fish species winter.

For wintering of fish and amphibians Unpretentious local breeds, you can limit yourself to installing a simple device: a stream of water is supplied to the float using a pump, the float constantly oscillates, and this prevents the water in the local area from being drawn in by ice. It is important that "water is supplied almost near the bottom, warmer than in top layer. An aerator (from 1,000 rubles) has a similar effect: in addition to saturating the water with oxygen, air bubbles rising from below erode the ice, forming like a boiling wormwood. In order to prevent hypothermia of the entire reservoir, the aerator diffuser is not placed in the deepest part. It is also important not to chase the power of the pump and the size of the polynya: if the pond is small, the water that is not protected by ice can quickly cool down and the pond will freeze to the very bottom.

Holes and plugs. If for some reason it is impossible to install electrical equipment, you will have to manually maintain the non-freezing polynya. You can’t break ice with a hammer - in a small enclosed space, fish can suffer from a shock wave. A hole in a thick layer of ice is drilled or thawed (for example, using a large saucepan with hot water). Then you will have to regularly remove the growing ice crust, preventing the hole from being drawn in.

Europeans save artificial reservoirs from frost with the help of floating heaters. However, this method is not suitable for our latitudes - too low temperatures in Russia in winter. There are two options left: either you pump out water from the pond and all structures (or dismantle fountains and waterfalls), or install a water heating system, which costs quite a lot.

An original and simple solution to the problem of air exchange is a cork made of styrofoam or similar material pierced with air channels. These elements are installed over a non-freezing, rather deep part of the reservoir. Similar devices are available from Gardena, Heissner, Oase. You can choose a simple cork that merges with snow from a distance, or fixtures decorated with funny figurines(snowman, penguin, bear), simple or backlit. The cost (300-2360 rubles) depends on the diameter of the cork and on decorative additions.

Chemistry and life. To maintain life in the pond, including in winter, special preparations are used as independent means or in addition to an ice-free hole or a heater. These products, such as those from the Pond Care Program line, neutralize harmful substances and saturate the water with oxygen. For example, an instant cleaner from the company "Fountain" effectively purifies water, neutralizing phosphates and enriches aquatic environment oxygen. The cost of a kit designed for 5 cubic meters. m of water, about 880 rubles.

FOLK REMEDIES

People have been concerned about the conservation of fish wintering in ponds for a long time, some time-tested methods can be adopted by modern pond owners. So, do not rush to cut cattail and other aquatic plants with hollow stems - they increase air exchange. If there are no such plants or they have already been cut, you can immerse them in water in different places several sheaves of straw, and it is better to freeze them vertically into the ice so that the lower ends of the stems are in a non-freezing layer of water, and the upper ends stick out from under the ice. Straw is also used in the construction of ice holes to slow down the formation of new ice. Several boards are thrown across the hole, and a solid armful of straw is laid on top as a fur coat. Straw is covered from snow with polyethylene or roofing felt, protected from the wind by fixing it with a rope or pressing it with boards.

If, after the formation of a solid layer of ice on the entire pond, a little, even by 1 cm, lower the water level by pumping it through the polynya, the oxygen supply will become more efficient, and the air gap will serve as additional thermal insulation. Naturally, the volume of the reservoir in this case must be solid so that a decrease in the volume of water does not affect the quality of life of underwater inhabitants.
Information about firms offering construction and equipment of reservoirs.

To reduce the rate of cooling of water and thickening of the ice shell, it is better not to sweep snow from the frozen mirror of the reservoir. Around small pond in addition, you can insulate the soil: pour dry plant stems or snow cleared from the paths with a strip of about a meter. True, in the spring the mulch will need to be removed in a timely manner so that it does not get into the pond with melt water. Therefore, it is better to decorate the edges of such a reservoir ahead of time with ground cover plants that are not cut for the winter.

If the fish cannot winter in the pond (they are too thermophilic or the pond is too small), they can be moved to aquariums and kept at home until spring. If you don’t want to put such an aquarium in the house, fish can even spend the winter in a cool, dark, ventilated basement, in any spacious and not too deep vessel equipped with a powerful filter unit and aerator. They don't need soil or plants.

FOR A WINTER APARTMENT

Exotic, capricious breeds can be attached for a while to a specialized hotel, where optimal conditions for winter maintenance. Individuals up to 10 cm in size and up to five copies will be taken for 1 thousand rubles. Overexposure of fish up to 20 cm in size will cost 300 rubles per piece. In some companies, the cost is calculated individually. Valuable ichthyofauna will be provided clean water nutrition, and, if necessary, treatment. Deadline for moving to winter apartment- when the water temperature drops to +10 °C.

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It is necessary to prepare a pond for winter long before its onset. If everything is done correctly, then this process will be simple and clear.

Step 1: Use a grid

Even before the onset of cold weather, cover the surface of the pond with a net. Such a shelter will save the reservoir from fallen leaves, which can begin to rot at the bottom. From this, not only fish, but also existing plants can die in the pond. You can remove the grid when the night frosts begin. This must be done, otherwise the mesh may freeze and tear.

Step 2 Clean the Bottom

It is imperative to clean the bottom of the reservoir, unconditionally. Otherwise, the sludge that has fallen to the bottom during the season will rot and form poisonous gases that will destroy the living organisms of the pond.

Cleaning can be carried out manually or with a special water vacuum cleaner. If you do it yourself, then you need to carefully and very carefully comb the entire bottom with a rake, taking the garbage to the shore. If there are plants in the pond, then they must be carefully bypassed when cleaning.

Step 3. Take care of additional equipment

Any fountains, pumps, etc. optional equipment the pond also needs protection during the winter.

Before the onset of cold weather, it is necessary to carry out a number of works:

1. Summer equipment for this period must be removed, the injection pumps should be turned off and disconnected from the filters. You can start already when the air temperature reaches 5ºС.
2. Filters and UV blocks must be thoroughly dried and packaged to prevent any ingress of moisture.
3. Filter media (which can be brushes, absorbents or sponges) should be rinsed with a mild salt solution.
4. The pump must be cleaned and stored submerged in a bucket of water in a frost-free room.
5. Equipment such as hoses, underwater lights or nozzles for fountains must be thoroughly cleaned not only of dirt, but also of lime, dried and removed from the street.

Step 4: Use Ice Expansion Compensators

If you have a site located artificial pond made of plastic or fiberglass, then you need to take care of its protection especially, otherwise frozen water can simply "break" it. Take a few plastic bottles and fill them with sand. These bottles will take all the pressure (1 sq.m = 1 bottle of sand). The water level in such a pond should be level with the ground (if it is higher, then excess water removed).

Finally, you can throw a few rubber balls or logs into the wintering pond. Such "filling" will save the pond from damage by frozen ice.

Step 5. Prepare the plants

Plants that are located in a swampy or shallow part should be cut almost to the water's edge. If the plants are not winter-hardy, they need to be covered from frost with burlap or fallen leaves. Some plants ( sedge, irises) winter at home in constantly moist soil and with a lack of light and heat.

Cane you should not touch it - it will supply oxygen to wintering living organisms. The same task can be performed by a bundle of stems placed in a pond. delphinium.

If there are winter-hardy plants in the pond, they should be left there, but just in case, cut off a few fresh wintering buds and save them in the house. In addition, winter-hardy plants must be freed from old leaves and shoots to the very root. From shallow reservoirs, it is necessary to transfer absolutely all plants to a house or a deeper reservoir - otherwise they will die.

In very large bodies of water or in places with warm winters can be left in the water water lilies. However, in the middle latitudes, it is better for such a plant to winter in the basement with a temperature of 0-5ºС. Water lilies must be placed in water so that they are completely covered with it - if necessary, water must be added. If the plants have enough light, then the underwater leaves will not rot and grow.

If the reservoir has tender plants, then it is better for them to winter in barrels with a water temperature of 10-15ºС. The water in the tanks must be changed every 2 weeks.

To save nymphaeum, you can lower it in a basket into a nearby non-freezing lake or swamp, or you can dig a hole for it and bury it there at a depth of at least 0.5 m.

Step 6: Take care of the fish

If the depth of the pond is more than 1.5 m, and the temperature at the bottom is about 4ºС, then nothing will happen to the fish. If the depth of the reservoir is less, then the fish cannot winter there.

Still in the autumn it is necessary to change feeding regimen fish - reduce it compared to the summer portion, but increase the proportion of protein in it. As soon as the cold sets in, you need to completely stop feeding the fish. So the wintering fish will begin to get their own food.

You can help wintering fish by regularly creating boiling water in the ice with polynya (or even several). But you can’t make a polynya with an ax - the shock wave will harm the fish.

Modern industry offers various devices for a comfortable wintering of fish. So, good to use in the pond winter time aerator which will enrich the water with oxygen. Special heater for the pond will not allow the water to freeze. No less effective would be anti-ice device with compressor.

special pump, polystyrene boards, eco-friendly defrosters- all this helps modern owners of reservoirs not to be afraid for wintering fish.

For fish that will not spend the winter in a pond, it is worth picking up a large aquarium with good conditions. If there is no aquarium, a large barrel with a powerful recirculation filter will do. The main thing is to keep the water temperature in such a container at least 15ºС.

Step 7: Watch the Pond

If the frosts are too strong, then the reservoir on top of the ice can be additionally covered with burlap, straw and boards. But if fish remains in the water, then it will not be able to stay without light for a long time.

In addition, it is necessary not only to control the condition of the ice holes, but also to constantly clean the surface of the pond from snow cover.

If you surround the pond with care and attention in the fall, then wintering will be easy and without problems. Such a "sleeping" reservoir will become wonderful element landscape.

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The work of preparing a decorative pond for winter frightens every gardener whose pond winters for the first time. With experience comes the understanding that this procedure is not so complicated and requires first of all thoroughness. Well, and a certain amount of effort, which, of course, will be rewarded with an excellent “well-being” of the reservoir after the winter.

preliminary stage

It is necessary to prepare the pond for winter long before the cold weather. With the beginning of leaf fall, the pond must be covered with a net. Of course, a golden or crimson leaf on blue water looks much more picturesque than fine mesh. But the fallen leaves, accumulating at the bottom, begin to rot in the spring and lead to an increase in the concentration of swamp gas and ammonia. From this, the water becomes cloudy, plants and fish die. With the onset of night frosts, the mesh is removed so that it does not freeze or tear.

At this stage of preparing the reservoir for winter, you can use special garden equipment. The skimmer is a surface suction pump that is mounted on the bottom of the reservoir or on its walls, or simply floats on the surface of the pond. It is convenient to remove fallen leaves with a water vacuum cleaner.

First stage. bottom cleaning

Preparing a pond for winter begins with cleaning its bottom. Whatever the reservoir on the site, wintering or not, this procedure is mandatory for everyone. Bottom silt and rotting debris, decomposing, form pathogenic gases and poison the inhabitants of the reservoir. You can clean the bottom with a water vacuum cleaner or manually. With the help of conventional and double-sided rakes, the bottom is carefully combed in all directions. Garbage is taken ashore. Places for planting plants wintering in the pond should be bypassed when cleaning. If the reservoir is large, it is cleaned from the boat.

The bottom of a small (no more than 1.5 m deep) non-wintering reservoir is easiest to clean: after pumping out the water, this is easily done manually. The pond should remain clean for the winter.

Second phase. Equipment conservation

At this stage, it is important to closely monitor the night air temperature. As soon as it reaches + 5C, the injection pumps are turned off and disconnected from the filters. Filter media (absorbents, brushes, sponges) are washed with a weak saline solution. Filters and UV blocks are dried and packaged to avoid any water intrusion. The pump is cleaned and stored in a frost-free room, lowered into a bucket of water.

Pumps with a special frost protection system can be left in the pond for the winter.

Hoses, nozzles of fountains, underwater lamps and other equipment are cleaned (including with the help of special preparations they are cleaned of lime deposits), dried and cleaned. Any reservoir hibernates without summer equipment.

Third stage. Pond preparation

The main work on preparing the reservoir for winter primarily depends on its size.

A small body of water (with an area of ​​up to 20 m, a depth of up to 0.8 m) is considered non-wintering, regardless of whether it is of natural or artificial origin. Such a pond in winter in central Russia freezes to the bottom. Therefore, in the fall, all plants and fish are taken out of it and sent for wintering. The water is pumped out, the bottom and walls are cleaned by hand. Pipelines are purged and clogged. For the winter, the pond is half or two-thirds filled with water. The fact is that snow and ice will still accumulate at the bottom of an empty reservoir, which will melt for a very long time in the spring. And so the pond in winter will freeze only from above. In a very frosty winter, a hole is made in the ice and a small amount of water is pumped out. The resulting air cushion prevents the pond from freezing to the bottom in winter.

wintering pond natural origin requires only to prepare plants and fish for winter. He does not need any additional procedures other than cleaning.

If the concrete pond is well designed and built and its waterproofing is not in doubt, it can also be left to winter completely filled with water. Qualitative film pond In winter, you can also not drain.

Preparing the pond for winter will bring some trouble to the owners of molded reservoirs. The rigid form (plastic or fiberglass) at its core is quite sensitive to pressure buildup. To prevent the pond from bursting in winter, you need to partially fill several plastic bottles with sand and let them into the pond. In winter, they will take on the pressure of the ice. For 1 sq. meter area of ​​the reservoir immerse one bottle. If the pond is level with the ground, the water is not drained from it; if it is raised, then the water level is brought to the ground level.

Fourth stage. Wintering of aquatic plants

Preparing a pond for the winter means taking care of the plants living in it. Plants in the shallow and swampy areas should be cut almost to the water's edge. Not winter-hardy - cover with burlap or fallen leaves from the cold. Some of these plants (some,) are removed from the pond and sent to winter in a room with a minimum of light and heat and always moist soil. Reeds are not cut at all, as their hollow stems serve as branches carbon dioxide and conductors of oxygen for wintering plants and fish. For the same purpose, a bunch of stems can be specially placed in the reservoir.

Aquatic plants can be left in the pond in winter only if it is winter-hardy varieties. Most of them give wintering buds in autumn, which sink to the bottom. For reinsurance, a couple of buds are cut off from each plant and sent to winter in the house. There they will germinate and in the spring will participate in the restoration of the population.

If the reservoir is shallow, all aquatic plants are removed from it for the winter and transferred to a room or to a deeper reservoir.

In winter-hardy aquatic plants, old leaves and shoots are cut to the root. Baskets with them are moved to the middle of the pond and heated to a depth of more than one meter.

Can remain in water only in very large bodies of water or in regions with mild winters. AT middle lane In Russia, these aquatic plants are in the basement in winter at a temperature of 0 - + 5C. They are placed in a container with water and make sure that the water constantly covers them completely. With enough light, underwater water lily leaves do not rot or grow.

The most delicate aquatic plants overwinter in barrels of water at a temperature of +10 - +15C and moderate lighting. The water in the barrels must be changed every two weeks.

For wintering, gardeners have come up with a few tricks. Someone lowers baskets with nymphs into the nearest non-freezing natural swamp or lake. And someone literally digs a hole for a nymph and digs a plant into it to a depth of at least half a meter.

A wintering pond should contain the maximum possible number of plants, because this is how the natural cycle of life is maintained in its biological balance.

Fifth stage. Fish care

It is best if the fish spend the winter in their native pond. If the reservoir is deep enough (from 1.5 m), the temperature at the bottom remains around + 4C, and the fish will not freeze. If the depth is less than one and a half meters, the pond hibernates without fish.

Preparation of fish for wintering in the pond begins with a change in the feeding regimen. In autumn, feed should be given less than in summer. The emphasis is on protein feed. With the onset of cold weather, fish feeding stops. Wintering fish begin to get used to get their own food.

Now there are enough on the market technical means so that the wintering fish feel as comfortable as possible. In the winter, you can put an aerator in the pond to enrich the water with oxygen. You can lower the pond heater into the water so that the water in the pond does not freeze and the fish receive oxygen all winter. And you can buy a special anti-icing device with a compressor and install it on the terrace of the reservoir. In order for the pond to remain with a polynya in the Middle Lane in winter, a special pump with a capacity of at least 5000 liters per hour is required. On the surface of the pond for the winter, you can put special polystyrene plates. Some firms are developing special eco-friendly deicers so that one or another part of the pond does not freeze in winter. You can put a backlight in the pond, the water around it will not freeze.

But do not be upset if there is no opportunity to use all these tricks. Wintering fish will also be happy with an ordinary polynya, regularly spilled with boiling water. It is better if there are several of them on the surface of the wintering reservoir. Only you can’t make a hole with an ax - the shock wave harms the health of the inhabitants of the pond.

For delicate ornamental fish, a large aquarium will be an ideal wintering place. In an aquarium, you can keep wintering fish from those reservoirs that are not suitable for wintering. The main thing at the same time is not even a sufficient volume of water (it is calculated depending on the capacity of the biofilter and the size of the fish), but balanced conditions: comfortable enough so that the wintering fish is interested in life and does not hibernate, but also harsh enough so that in the spring it does not die in the native pond.

But even in the absence of an aquarium, you can comfortably arrange fish for the winter. A large barrel, a powerful filter with recirculation and +15 C - and in such conditions the fish will be able to overwinter even in the basement.

Sixth stage. Ice observation

The conservation of the pond for the winter is completed last, but very important event. A few logs are thrown into the wintering pond or rubber balls. They will not allow freezing ice to damage the walls of the pond in winter.

Additional shelter of the pond for the winter on top of the ice is required only for a while severe frosts. To do this, you need boards and burlap or straw. But it is impossible to leave a wintering pond in this state for a long time, because plants and fish cannot be without light for a long time. Therefore, caring for a pond in winter is not only monitoring the condition of ice holes, but also regular cleaning of the surface from snow.

A decorative pond winters comfortably and without loss, if it was taken care of with attention and love in the fall. Caring for a pond in winter will not require such troubles from the owners as autumn preparation to wintering. And the pleasure that your own pond can deliver in winter - both as an exquisite part of the landscape, and as a font for a bathhouse, and even as a skating rink - is huge and unforgettable.

POND IN WINTER

The date: 12.1.10| Chapter: reservoirs

With the onset of cold weather, everything in the garden freezes. However, it should be remembered that fish and other living creatures will winter in frozen ponds. It is necessary to thoroughly prepare the pond for winter, this is especially important for ponds with a depth of about 1 meter.

When the water temperature drops to 8 ° C, the living creatures living in the pond go into a state of deep sleep. Depending on the temperature of the water, you need to gradually reduce the portion of the feed. During this period, the taste and smell of the fish are dulled, they react only to the movement of water, pressure drops and touch. They sink to the bottom, choosing the deepest and warmest places in the reservoir - they spend the whole winter there. At a depth of 1 meter, the water temperature is about 5 ° C - this is quite enough for the fish to spend the winter. However, in places where living organisms accumulate, very often there is not enough oxygen. If the pond long time located under the ice, the gases do not escape and the fish may die.

Before the first frost

The wintering conditions of fish in the reservoir should be considered before the onset of the first frost. In autumn, it is not at all necessary to cut the reeds and reeds. Thanks to the plants swaying from the wind, the water in the place where they grow will freeze at the very last moment.

So that not the entire pond is covered with ice, it is worth releasing the so-called foam float (sold in specialized garden stores). This design consists of a ring and a lid (the lid must be removed if it is necessary to open a hole in the ice). The water under the ring will not freeze if the lower part is immersed to a depth of at least 10 cm. There are special chambers in the ring into which sand or stones can be poured. When the temperature drops to -8 ° C, the well under the lid freezes. Then it is necessary to mount a special heater or compressor in the foam float. Also, bundles of chopped reed can be placed in the float, thanks to which the water in the holes will not freeze and the gas exchange process will resume.

On the icy surface

During severe frosts, the entire surface of the pond will be covered with ice. Holes need to be made in several places. For drilling holes in thick ice, a brace or ice drill is best suited, which cuts holes with a diameter of about 15 cm even in the thickest ice. The bigger the hole, the better. To prevent ice-holes from freezing, bundles of reeds can be placed in the holes.

First wintering

If a pond inhabited by fish was equipped only this season, then the first wintering can be a serious test, from which you will need to learn necessary lessons. For example, improper and excessive feeding of the inhabitants of your reservoir could lead to clogging country pond. Undoubtedly, this will complicate the wintering of your fish. They will also have to fight for survival if you violated the recommended norms when settling in: for each fish 10-15 cm long, there should be at least 50 liters of water. When buying pets for your man-made pond, do not forget to find out what is the maximum size of an adult. One of the main conditions for a healthy wintering is a sufficient amount of oxygen. Ponds with a larger surface have advantages, but at the same time they should not be shallow, otherwise there is a danger of complete freezing.

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A difficult problem in home fish farming is the overwintering of fish.

Amateur fish farmers use a variety of techniques to prevent winter freeze. Most often, after the freezing of the reservoir, when the ice has a thickness of 1.5 - 2.5 cm, a hole is cut through and water is pumped out through it. The resulting air cavity between the surface of the water and the ice 15 - 20 cm high saturates the water with oxygen. Hole in

the ice is closed, insulated so that the cold does not penetrate to the surface of the water and does not freeze it again. It is useful in this case to insulate the ice with snow.

You can organize the wintering of fish in a different way. With the onset of autumn cooling, when the water temperature is below 8 °, the fish stop feeding. The pond is freed from water. Part of the fish (decorative and intended for rearing) is placed in a wintering pit. This is a concrete well with a diameter of 70 cm, a depth of 2.5 m, where it is located until the spring snowmelt, that is, until the end of March next year. The water level in it during the winter decreases from 2.2 to 1.7 m. Dug out in non-freezing swampy soil, closed from above with a wooden shield, and in winter with snow, the wintering pit-well maintains a positive temperature inside all winter. The water in it does not freeze and oxygen from the surface air layer freely enriches the water, saving the fish from starvation. For a long time I searched and asked on the forums about various methods to prevent winter freeze, and now I found how they used to save without electricity. This is where you can lower the water from under the ice and the ice will be held by shallow water and bumps under the ice, and there will be voids filled with air.