Advantages & Disadvantages of A Pond Water Heater | Do Koi Ponds Need Pond Water Heating
Do Koi & Other Pond Fish Benefit From The Installation Of A Fish Pond Heater?
I’m
not going to answer this question straight off. I’m instead going to point out
the pros and cons so that you can make up your own mind.
First off I would like to point out that Koi have existed for centuries in the wild, without artificial water heating mechanisms. They have managed to exist in some serious cold water temperatures.
Secondly the running costs involved in installing and running a Pond Water Heater are not cheap. It can even be considered to be a piece of pond keeping equipment that is not necessary, in all but the very coldest climates where ponds tend to freeze over. The cost of heating large Koi ponds is expensive due to the physical properties of water. This is further exacerbated by the large surface area of a Koi pond that is exposed to the atmosphere. In simple terms hot water rises so even as you heat the water, the heat escapes into the atmosphere.
Koi are indigenous to Japan where the winter temperatures are far colder than those experienced in the UK; particularly in places such as Hokaido. It needs to be remembered that Koi carp are capable of surviving in extremes of water temperature; whether that be warm water experienced in summer or very cold water experienced in some winter climates.
Providing that a pond doesn’t completely freeze over the population of Koi is capable of living quite happily. They do however require a breathing hole to be present in the ice surface, to allow gaseous exchange. This is where a Pond Deicer can come in useful. Water freezes from the top down due to a unique property of water which occurs at 4 degrees Centigrade.
To be honest Koi carp actually require a difference in water temperature to help their internal body clock to realise when it is time to breed. The increase in daylight hours experienced in spring and an increase in water temperatures is a strong signal to Koi that it’s time to come out of their winter semi hibernation state.
Benefits of Using a Pond Water Heater to Warm Your Koi Pond Water
The major advantage is that a pond water heater allows you to continue with the feeding regime that is required to maintain Koi growth, development and health. This in turn requires warm summer water conditions. If your intention is to breed Koi then you will need to switch the pond water heater off at some stage. As stated earlier Koi breeding requires a cooling down period, prior to the onset of spring and the breeding season. By maintaining an ambient temperature your Koi will never be ready to breed.
Another advantage of a pond water heater is that the extremities of pond water temperature between daylight hours and night time are reduced. The maintaining of a consistent pond water temperature ensures that your biological pond filter continues to purify the pond water optimally.
There is the opportunity to keep some more of the exotic pond fish varieties that require much warmer pond water temperatures. Even some of the more basic pond fish varieties such as fancy goldfish will survive, given the ambient water temperature.
Your pond will get the opportunity to see your carp because they will remain vibrant and full of energy. When pond water drops to around 10 degrees C (50F) Koi become sluggish and will eventually stop eating at 8 degrees C (33F).
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