Articles Safely Removing Ice from Ponds
The Risks
The first reason an iced up pond can kill your fish is because a build up of harmful gases can occur under the ice and cannot be `gassed off` into the atmosphere (if, however, your pond is relatively clear of waste then the likelihood of this build up of gas is much reduced).
The second potential risk is if you have plants in the pond; the snow on the surface of the pond can block the sunlight, preventing the plants from photosynthesising (producing oxygen). This could result in reduced dissolved oxygen in your pond, which is harmful to fish.
The Remedies
The best advice for fish ponds which have been frozen over is to:
- Gently and safely use a broom or similar to remove the snow from on top of the ice; and
- Use a hot pan of water or a kettle of hot water to melt the ice (do not hit the ice with an object, the shockwaves produced could stun the fish and/or kill them).
Melting the Ice
If using a pan, sit the hot base on the ice and allow it to melt a hole slowly. Be very careful to neither fall in nor to touch the hot pan against the pond liner as this could cause a leak. If using the kettle, then pour hot water slowly into a patch of ice and melt a small circle away (again ensuring you will not cause problems to the liner).
Once you have a hole it is sometimes advisable to place a tennis ball or two into it. This will hopefully keep the hole slightly open in the future to stop the pond from totally freezing over again. If it freezes again, you can follow the same procedure daily and melt next to the tennis balls as these will hold some residual heat from the hot water and may help keep the ice at bay. The tennis balls also expand and contract accepting pressure from the ice. This can help stop a major pressure build up on the pond walls.
Safety
Please be extremely careful when moving and working around ponds in this weather. It is important that the safety of you and others around you be taken into consideration when working around ice and water. Sometimes the pond edges are not easy to see and this is another good reason to remove the snow from above the pond.
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