With winter now firmly set in and the first snow falling, many pond owners might be asking the question – What happens to my pond when it snows? We will try to answer this question and come up with some solutions to cold water problems below.

The temperature of your pond has been falling slowly over the last couple of months. And, any inhabitants of the pond will have course already noticed this drop in temperature. Warm blooded mammals may have already bedded down for the winter and fish will have started to slow in their activity. If the temperature in you pond drops below around 6°C your fish will usually sink to the bottom of your pond and may not feed again until the weather warms up a little.

If your pond freezes over, toxic gases can actually build up in the pond and accumulate under the ice surface. In this situation you need to make sure that the ice is melted in at least one location on the pond. Don’t just go ‘gung ho’ with a hammer and smash the ice, melt the ice using the underside of a heated pan. This will mean the water temperature will not change rapidly and your fish will not be affected adversely.

You can use a pond heater to keep the temperature in your pond at a warmer temperature than the ambient surroundings. This will mean your fish will remain active and your pond will be able to cope quite effectively with the snow and ice.