Article: How to Close Your Pond for Winter: Step-by-Step Guide
How to Close Your Pond for Winter: Step-by-Step Guide
Closing your pond the right way protects your fish, plants, and equipment, and gives you a head start on spring. The steps depend on one thing: how cold your winters get.
Find your situation below, then follow the matching checklist.
If Your Pond will Freeze Solid
Close your pond down completely and move your fish and equipment indoors.
Equipment
- Unplug everything: Disconnect all pond equipment from power.
- Bring pumps and filters inside: Store them indoors for the season.
- Keep the pump in water: Place it in a bucket of water. Don’t store the bucket in a shed or garage where it can freeze. This protects the inner workings and keeps the seals from drying out and cracking.
- Move other pieces indoors: Freezing temperatures can make water feature parts brittle.
Fish
- Set up an indoor tank: Plan for about 10 gallons of water for every inch of fish length.
- Keep the water moving: Use your pond pump to circulate the tank water.
- Keep feeding: Continue regular feedings.
If Your Pond will Freeze only at the Surface
Your pond can keep running for your fish and plants. You’ll make a few adjustments.
- Turn off waterfalls and nozzles: Stop powering them for the season.
- Keep an opening in the ice: Place an aerator just below the water’s surface, or use a pond de-icer. This lets oxygen in and harmful gases out.
- If the pond freezes over: Boil a pot of water and pour it on one spot to melt an opening.
- Never break the ice: The noise can shock your fish and seriously harm them.
- Stop feeding at 50°F: Fish slow down in cold water.
- Skip the tarp: Sunlight needs to reach your plants and fish.
Winter Tips for Every Pond
These steps apply whether your pond freezes solid or only at the surface.
- Tropical plants: Trim them and bring them indoors. They still need sunlight, so place them near a sunny window.
- Hardy plants: Trim any browning leaves or stems, then move them to the deepest part of the pond.
Follow these steps and your pond will be ready for winter.
FAQs
Do I need to move my fish indoors?
Only if your pond will freeze solid. If it freezes just at the surface, your fish can stay as long as you keep an opening in the ice.
When should I stop feeding my fish?
Stop all feedings when the water temperature reaches 50°F.
Can I break the ice to make a hole?
No. The noise can shock your fish. Use an aerator or de-icer, or pour boiling water on one spot to melt an opening.
Should I cover my pond with a tarp?
No. Sunlight needs to reach your plants and fish.
Where should I store my pond pump?
Indoors in a bucket of water, in a spot that won’t freeze, so not an unheated shed or garage.
