Should I Heat My Pond in Winter?

Heating a pond in winter can be very costly, and in many cases, is not needed. So, before we cover how to heat a pond, I want you to look closely at whether you even should.

Simply put, if you do not have any fish living in your pond, there is no need to heat it or keep a hole in the ice. Even if you do have a few pond fish, you could relocate them indoors and take them back outside again when conditions are right. Same with any pond plants you want to survive winter.

Your location is also important to take into account. If your fish pond rarely freezes over during winter (maybe one or two times for only a day or two at a time), then you still might not need to heat your pond.

Fish can endure a few days in an iced-over pond if you have properly winterized it.

To put it in simple terms, unless your pond contains fish or other life that require warm water temperatures or proper gas exchange for survival, you most likely don’t need to heat it.

With all that said, there are instances where you might want to heat the water in your pond. A few that come to mind are:

• Koi Farms: If you run or plan to run a koi farm, you might want to provide an even temperature all year round so you can feed the fish all 12 months out of the year, potentially resulting in faster-growing, larger koi carp (which means more money).
• Warm-blooded Fish Owners: Some warm-blooded fish like the Tiger Oscar or African Cichlid, etc., require warmer water to live in. So, those who don’t want to house their fish indoors in a stock tank or aquarium when the water temperature drops need to use a pond heater.
• Expensive Fish Owners: If you spent $1,000 or more on your fish, for example, you might want to keep an eye on it throughout the winter months instead of hoping it’s fine under the thick ice. A pond heater would help you do just that.
• Those are just a few reasons you might want or need to keep your pond water warm year-round. And you may have your own reasons, as well.
• So, let’s now look at a different option to help us effectively heat a pond in winter.

Pond Heat Pump

Heat pumps are another cost-effective way to heat an entire pond. And with some models, they can even cool water, as well, in the Summer months.

This type of pond heater is less harmful to the environment since 80% of the energy required to heat your pond is collected from outside air!

When buying a heat pump, make sure it’s designed for pond use and cold-weather application.