Summer Pond Care – Castle Aquatics

A Guide To Ideal Seasonal Pond Temperatures

One common goal that many pond owners have is maintaining a healthy and beautiful pond all year-round. One of the main tricks to keep your pond looking great through the summer, fall, winter, and spring, is to maintain ideal seasonal temperatures. For most pond life, but especially fish, maintaining the right temperatures each season plays a huge role in their survival. Throughout each season, it is essential for pond owners to keep an eye on the temperature of the water. Compared to the air, water temperature takes a long time to heat up or cool down, so having a thermometer is vital to figure out the correct temperature for the health and safety of your pond.

In addition, the deepness or shallowness of your pond or water garden will play a role in the water temperature. When a pond is deeper, light is decreased significantly. That being said, when a pond is shallower, light from the sun is able to heat the water faster. It is for this reason that when the air is cold, the lower layers of water may still have warmth — all of which is essential to the survival of pond life during the various seasons.

Maintaining ideal seasonal temperatures can be a challenge for some pond and water garden orders. To help, we put together a seasonal guide for ideal water temperature for your pond or water garden.

Winter

Since we are currently in the winter season, we are going to start here! It is recommended that pond owners try to maintain a 40-degree water temperature in their ponds and water gardens in the winter season. Of course, depending on what climate you reside in, this may be more difficult for some owners than others. On the water temperature drops down below 40 degrees, it is important to shut off and running water features, like waterfalls or fountains. You will want to make sure that your pond is deep enough so that when the temperature falls, the fish will be able to go to the deeper, warmer parts of the pond. If you live in a colder climate where water often freezes, consider reading one of our upcoming blogs, ‘ What Should I Do If My Pond Freezes?’.

Spring

After winter, when the temperature starts to increase, your pond will start to warm up. During this time of year, pond water should be between 55 and 65 degrees, Fahrenheit. Spring is a stressful time for fish as they are coming out of a dormant state. This causes them to have weakened immune systems, but when the water temperature is around 65 degrees, Fahrenheit they will become stronger and cause the fish to be more active and have a better chance of survival.

Summer

The ideal temperature for pond water in the fall is around 68 to 74 degrees, Fahrenheit. When the water is around 85 degrees, Fahrenheit and above, the pond water loses most of its ability to contain dissolved oxygen. In addition, high temperatures can cause pond fish to be more active, using up a lot of oxygen. When all the oxygen is used up and no more remains, it can cause the fish to die.

Fall

Across the nation, most pond water temperatures will start falling around September and October. Around this time, the water should be around 70 degrees, Fahrenheit. As the temperatures start to get cooler in the fall, it should be a goal to have your ponds water temperature to drop to around the mid-fifties. Maintaining this temperature through the seasons will allow for pond life to properly adjust to the shifting seasons.

By following these guidelines, pond owners will be able to keep their ponds throughout each season of the year. In addition to maintaining the ideal seasonal water temperatures, part of keeping your pond healthy is having the necessary equipment and pond care products. When you are in need of pond supplies, there is no better place to get pond products online than Castle Aquatics! We carry a wide selection of some of the biggest brand names in pond care products. Whether you are looking for pond filtration products or submersible pumps, pond lighting, or pond UV clarifiers, you will be sure to find it at Castle Aquatics!

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Aeration for Cooler Weather

For many new pond owners, pond aeration sounds too technical, but we are here to make it simple!

So first: What is aeration and what will it benefit your water garden and fish?

We should point out, you don’t “need” to aerate your pond, BUT a well designed and installed aeration system with proper air pumps will greatly enhance the oxygen levels and water circulation in your pond – which helps make sure your pond has less muck and less maintenance, which is a win-win situation.

Pond aeration simply means that you add an air pump to your pond to help oxygen levels in your pond achieve sufficient amounts. A pond air pump such as the PondMAX Complete Air Pump Kit will benefit your pond and aeration system in many different ways, especially for these summer days.

And for winter days, a pond air pump such as the Teton Aeration Kit is a must. This aeration kit provides a stabilizing effect for your pond by allowing oxygen to flow and regulate the pond’s natural behaviors. This kit will move the air stone up to a shallow edge in ponds a foot deep and creates bubbles that will help to keep a small section of ice open in your pond. The circulation and bubbles created by Teton pump and air stone will also help with gas exchange since the majority of your pond may be covered in ice. The amount of oxygen and circulation from this process can really help retain the quality of your pond hence make it prepared for when Spring and Summer comes back around.

Improving the oxygen levels and water movement to your pond is extremely important during hot summer days or if your pond has a large population of fishes.

Let’s dive into the list of benefits for using an aeration system:

Most air pumps and aeration kits come equipped with pond air stones, which creates small bubbles and as those bubbles rise to the surface they create water lift and circulation. This circulation will bring the bottom, low dissolved oxygen water up to the water surface where there is have more oxygen to mix with. This way, you are able to double the oxygen levels of your pond, which in turn helps fish.
Fish require a well-oxygenated environment and with the use of an air pump, you can fix stagnation-related problems like algae bloom, excess debris, surface runoff and noxious gases formation.
If your main pond pump fails, an air pumps will save the day as a emergency backup to keep your fish alive for days and weeks while you work on getting a new pump.
Useful during winter months if you turn off your main waterfall pump due to harsh winter climates, by helping to keep a small section of ice open in your pond which aids in gas exchange between the air and water if the majority of your pond is covered in ice.

Pond Aeration is the Secret to a Healthy Pond Environment

While not all ponds need aeration, having air pumps or aeration kits in the water will greatly benefit the pond environment. Increased water movement and contact with air can help turn a stagnant body of water into a thriving, healthy and well-oxygenated ecosystem.

Check out these Aeration Kits to get you started!

PondMAX Complete Air Pump Kits

PondMax aeration kits offer the perfect solution for a quick fix to your lack of oxygen or need for an ice deterrent. They are well suited to the elements of winter and can reduce the ice build up in ponds in cold areas as well.

Teton Aeration Kits

The Teton Aeration system is a very cost effective way to add oxygen to your pond. The kits come with an air pump, air tubing and air stones. The air pump supplies air to the air stone below the water surface.