How to Get Your Koi Pond Equipment Set For Winter

Depending on the climate in your area you will need to decide if you are going to run your pump and filter system through the winter.

If temperatures mostly stay well above freezing then it would be advantageous to keep your pump and filter running throughout the winter. The bacteria in your biological filter will be inactive at low temperatures. But, as long as you keep it supplied with oxygen-laden water the bacteria will remain alive.

The advantage of this is that when spring comes and the water temperature rises, the bacteria can immediately begin working to keep the water quality good for your fish. It will also be helpful in controlling algae.

If you do run your filter through the winter it would be best to minimize the water circulation in order to take advantage of the layering effect of the water. You don't want to stir up the warm water from the bottom and chill it by mixing it with the cold water from the upper regions of the pond.

Some of the things you can do with your koi pond equipment to minimize the water circulation is to turn off bottom drains, place the intakes to pumps/filters at mid-water rather than close to the top or bottom of your pond, place your intakes for waterfalls or fountains closer to the outlets, turn off surface skimmers, and/ or turn the pump down.

Doing these things will allow the bacteria in the biological filters to stay alive without interfering with the layering of the water. The water is densest at 39 degrees. As long as your pond is a minimum of three feet deep you will have a layer of 39 degree water at the bottom of your pond where your koi can hang out during the cold months.

Too much circulation of water in the winter can super chill the water by exposing warmer pond water at the bottom to the below freezing temperatures near the top, thus causing the death of your koi.

One problem to watch out for if you run a pump and filter in the winter is the potentially major damage that can be caused to your filter and plumbing system by a power outage that lasts for any extended period of time.

If you aren't home to make sure that no water remains in the filter and plumbing, and it freezes UV's and filters, they could break. This would mean costly replacement expenses of your koi pond equipment.

There are two alternatives to allowing this to happen. First, you could install a check velve in your system, using a long piece of tubing or wire to hold the valve open, thus allowing the water to drain out. Or, if your system is designed to allow the water to flow back into the pond in the event of a power outage,you wouldn't need to make any alterations at all!

Of course, you can choose to do the complete opposite of this with your koi pond equipment during the winter, and totally shut down your pumps and filter.

Cold water holds much more oxygen than warm water and your koi's respiration is slow. You really shouldn't need aeration or circulation.

It's not essential to keep the bacteria in your filter alive either, which is the only reason for running the filter in the first place.

If you turn off your koi pond equipment for the winter be sure to drain all plumbing. External filters, UV's, and external pumps all need draining. Since you don't want the seals to dry out you should leave submersible pumps in the pond or in a bucket of water in a warm place for the winter.

If this is what you choose to do, be sure to clean the filter thoroughly before starting things back up in the spring.

If ice will freeze over the pond in your area you will need to add a floating de-icer to keep an area free of ice. This opening is necessary during periods of ice cover to allow an exchange of gases. You don't want noxious gases trapped under the ice with your koi, or they may not be alive in the spring!

If you follow these simple tips during the winter you should have no trouble with your koi pond equipment.