Categories
My Pond

Update on the Air Pump and KOI Survival Over the Winter

This post is an update on my previous blog titled: Winter Survival of a KOI Pond Using an Air Pump (Figure 1). It is now February. A major snow storm dumped twelve inches of snow on the ice covered pond. Also, with the cold temperatures, the frozen water dome over the air bubble is completely frozen over. Meanwhile the air pump which is located in a dry location is humming away, pumping air into the pond. Although I can no longer see the KOI sitting on the bottom, my KOI are sitting on the bottom of the pond in darkness. They are still alive. In previous years, if a fish dies during winter, the dead fish would float and become encased as an orange blob in the surface ice. No orange blobs seem to be present, but then the snow covered ice makes it difficult to see.

Figure 1: Snow Covered Air Bubble. Cold weather and a snow storm totally covered the air bubble made by the air pump. Source: author.

By kauffman.rbk

Dr. Kauffman is a Professor Emeritus at Frostburg State University in Recreation and Parks Management. He has been involved in creating boating safety materials and has served as an expert witness. Academically, he was involved in governance and was Chair of the Faculty Senate at Frostburg and Chair of the Council of University System Faculty.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *