I use a 40 watt (1.7 CFM) air pump and 2 aeration heads. This keeps two large openings in the ice in the winter and provides oxygen for the fish. I use this air pump all year and never use a water pump and filter. I have an 18,000 gallon (17'x 47'x 2-4Â) lily pond garden which is spring fed. It filled up in 2 days so the flow is good. In the winter I set my marginal plants on the bottom of the pond so the terracotta pots won't freeze and crack. My iris are in plastic mesh planters so I leave them in place. They are usually blooming before I put the marginals back up on their benches.

I'm in the SW Iowa area and a little danner mag drive 250 gph pump with a stand pipe does well. It won't keep the hole open every day, but 75 - 80 percent of the winter it should. Tank heaters work, but suck a lot of energy. A new one on the market is a 'pond breather' it only uses 40 watt instead of 1200-1500 watt. Myself and one of our customers used it last year and were very happy. Our wholesalers have been extremely happy with the results also. Aeration pumps are great also, than you don't need to keep a hole in the ice if you're pumping air into it. They're really overkill for a pond under say... 3000 gallons, but the best option for large ponds. Also there is a 'smart tank de-icer' out there that is new, if anyone is trying to sell it to you run. It shouldn't even be on the shelf, nothing but problems and wasn't even distributed by most businesses.
Otherwise a mag drive pump with a stand pipe, pond breather, or tank heater will suffice. My professional and MidWest suggestion would be a pond breather (by Allied Precision).

Does anyone had any knowledge of this new product? Says it will work up to a 2000g pond.

Aeration Kit
PT-1630
Laguna Aeration Kit includes everything you need to enhance the quality of pond water during the cold winter months as well as the hot summer season. In winter, it creates an opening at the pond surface and prevents the surface from completely freezing over. This allows the release of toxic gases and the replenishment of fresh oxygen that is critical for the survival of fish. In the summer, it provides supplemental aeration which improves the quality of pond water and its inhabitants.

Includes:
 Optima air pump.
 30 ft (9 m) airline tubing.
 1" (2.5 cm) air stone.
 Styrofoam float.

Here is a link that might be useful: Laguna Aeration Kit

My 2 cents worth.

We have occ. prolonged periods of below zero temps, mostly less than a week, but below 20F for up to 3 weeks at a time. 2 years ago I dropped my plants to the bottom, left my eight 4" goldfish/comets in and had a 100w de-icer with a tiny airstone about 18" under it. My pond is 5'x5'x28", 300ga. Everything survive and flourished, except a couple tropical type plants.

Last winter, I did the same thing, but when we had a long stretch of sub-zero temps, my de-icer froze over for almost 3 weeks. When the temps got above 15F it opened up again. But I lost all my fish, several hardy water lilies and all of my pickeral rush. We had no snow cover to help insulate the pond. It didn't freeze to the bottom, but I think the toxic build up killed the fish.

THIS winter, I'm going to use a 1000w stock tank heater, and put a sheet of insulation or plywood over most of the pond, as well as use my little air stone.

Yes, tank heaters only run when the temps are below their thermostat setting. So while they do cost money to run, not as much as most people think IMO. I run 2 or 3 for the sheep all winter, and my electric bill isn't that high. Certainly not as much as replacing plants and fish.

An added note - no matter which way you go, please be careful if you have children or pets if you have open water or thin ice. The birdies love it, but you don't want a serious accident!

Again, just my 2 cents!

The advantages of an aerator are lower electrical cost and a healthy pond for fish. I use a Turbo Venturi connected to a submersible 40 watt pond pump. The bubbles add oxygen to the water and help carry harmful gasses to the surface.

The problem with a bubbler is that it will fail to maintain a hole in the ice if temperatures get too low. My bubbler will fail if temperatures fall to the lower teens.

A good solution is to keep a stock tank heater on hand and use it to melt a hole if the bubbler fails. A heater will melt a new hole quickly. They also work well on snow.

Here's a photo of the bubble stream produced by my Turbo Venturi.

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Bump. I never realized there was going to be so much to learn about one needs for proper pond set up and overwintering.

I tried an aquarium air pump this past winter and it worked very well. The model I purchased had two air outlets, so I attached two large air stones. The device kept two openings in the surface ice throughout the winter. I have a stock tank heater as a backup, but I didn't need it this year. The coldest temperatures experienced were slightly above zero, so I don't know how the air pump would hold up in sub zero temperatures.

The aquarium air pump certainly impressed me and it runs on FOUR WATTS. I kept it in a plastic box because its not waterproof, but had no problems at all.

I bought both an aerator ($175) and a de-icer ($60) last winter. I can't remember the brands but I can check at home. That was my first winter with fish in the pond. We had a couple of weeks of temps in the single digits but I never had to plug the de-icer in. The aerator kept a nice hole in the ice and cost about 33 cents a day to run (the pump costs $1.00 and the de-icer would have been outrageous!). All five fish survived as did at least 8 frogs (3 dead frogs - one in the falls).

I thought the price of the aerator was outrageous when I found it but i think it more than paid for itself

BasilB

I use small fish tank style air pump with 2 outlets. I don't worry about keeping a hole open, because as long as I see bubbles under the ice I know the gas must be escaping. This system has worked great for over five years.

Basil, I used and aerator for years. The aquarium air pump actually worked better. It cost about $20 from Walmart. My aerator was economical at 40 watts, but the air pump cut that to 4 watts and maintained two holes instead of one. Basically, the air pump outperformed the aerator at 1/10 the cost. It was a win/win no-brainer IMHO.

I have stopped being content with the retail versions of de-icers. It seems they always have one problem or another. I use a homemade deicer that has 2 75watt rough duty lightbulbs. They work and the cost is very reasonable. I may try adding a screen to the bottom to catch any glass if it should break. I also have a large aquarium bubbler. The de-icer is not pretty since I used things I had on hand but it is easy to put together and it does the job without making me worry. To my surprise, I discovered cats in the area taking naps on top of the de-icer. It worried me that one might go theough the ice getting to it but my fears were groundless. Sandy