Doing as Catfishsam suggests will work, but really there is no reason not to just place the float type stock-tank de-icer right on top of the ice. As long as the temperature around the de-icer is 35°F or below, the built in thermostat clicks on and the heating element will heat up. At approximately 42°F the thermostat clicks off and the de-icer's element no longer heats up. The de-icer does not have to be in water to operate, as it works on temperature change and has no way of knowing whether it is in water or not. I have sat the same type of de-icer on top of ice to melt it many times without harming the de-icer in any way. If you are in doubt check the FAQ at the Farm Innovators Inc, site. They manufacture the de-icers. "Horton" P.S. abillus I hope it works out for you and it should. It will take a bit of time to go though that thickness of ice, so be patient. lol After you get the vent hole open I would suggest you use a timer to cut down on the power use. Only a small hole in the ice is necessary to allow for gasses to vent out of the pond. Remember don't let the element touch the liner as it could burn it. Take care.

Carole, I'm certainly not a pond expert but I'll share what my husband and I have learned by trial and error. I am sorry for your fish loss. It's awful to lose a fish, esp. a favorite, no matter what the circumstances (ours were due to herons until we wised up). I didn't read every post word for word, but it sounds to me like it could be due to oxygen depravation. We've had our pond for a few winters now and our winter treatment is very simple and it's served us well. Once we do the fall cleanup and turn off the waterfall, we insert the bubbler until we do the spring cleaning and turn the waterfall back on again. The bubbler is on the bottom of the pond, but shoots water high enough to keep the surface water moving. Some folks have told us they don't use bubblers and their fish survive just fine - however, I think that's pretty risky up here and I won't try it. The moving water helps delay the freezing over. Usually late January is when I have to put in the de-icer and it's only in until early March. This year was pretty brutal coldwise for us in the northeast. We use the donut shaped Thermo Pond de-icer. Our pond is 2,500-3,000 gallons and it's been sufficient. Over the years, we've lost a goldfish and two black moors, but never a koi. Nothing died this year. The only problem with the de-icer was this year when we got an extremely heavy snow during a bad blizzard. I had to keep going out and pushing the drifts off the de-icer to allow the surface to be clear. I hope you figure out your problem. I have noticed that sometimes we tend to overthink our ponds, when the solutions are usually pretty simple. People are very knowledgeable on these forums, but you're pulled in too many different directions when the answer isn't that complicated. Best of luck to you.

Hi again all, Horton, I couldn't agree with you more, obviously the low wattage is not enough to keep up with my Minnesota winters, even though they say it does. I have not heard back from Dan yet, but it is a holiday. I will let you know what he says if he does get back to me. Will, don't be nervous, you should dive right in, the water is fine, all be it a bit cold right now. LOLOL! Honestly, I may have had a setback with my koi dilemma but I love ponding! It is so peaceful to have the sound of water and the sites of the wonderful wildlife that make my backyard their home every spring/summer. I get dozens of frogs and birds, dragonflies, butterflies and even the occasional snake because of the pond and stream. I get to sit on my deck and watch birds of all types bathe and drink from the stream, and fish play in the falls, dragonflies perch and hunt from bamboo stakes I have placed in the waterlily pots, and every night a serenade of frog song and crickets fill the air. I can grow beautiful waterlilies, flag iris, and this year, with luck, lotus, and dozens of other beautiful waterplants, and hear the sound of the stream and falls as I work or just enjoy the gardens. Some of the boulders are pretty large although they are considered two man boulders, they were a challenge moving. Actually we, my husband and I did all the work ourselves. I have a background in design, and am either too stuborn or cheap to pay someone to do what I know how to do myself. Besides the exercise is good for us! LOLOL! Every spring my husband asks me, "so what backbreaking project do you have for me this year?" and by the time we have finished it we swear, no more, but.... BTW, I sent you a reply to your email. Thank you! Carol, Sorry to hear you have gone through the same thing :( I could, if I had one, and if there was a hole in the ice to get the tube through. As I said we just had another major snowstorm and it is all solid ice again. I know they need air, but it has had the chance to get some air exchange the few times the ice has melted around the edges. We are supposed to finally get a decent warm up this week, with temps hitting near 50 by Friday, that should be enough for a lot of it to melt. You guys are all great, I can't thank you enough for your help and concern. I am glad I have you all to talk to. Thank you!!!! Jodi

I'm no expert either but I do very little to winterize my 9' x 12' (19" deep)pond here in Z5. I disconnect the pump from the waterfall, leave it running in the pond with the output port about 4" below the surface to keep the surface agitated to prevent freezing (sometimes the pond surface still freezes over but only for a couple of days during bitter snaps). My Koi/Shubunkin/Goldfish remain in the pond all winter (sometimes I see them moving below the ice!). I also leave the waterlilies and some of the margin plants (Marsh Marigolds) fully submerged below the ice. I've tried different schemes to keep leaves and acorns out of the ponds with little success. This year I'm trying a 3/4" PVC frame covered with netting to see if I have better luck keeping the leaves out but I suspect next spring I'll be knee deep in the pond as usual removing leaves from the bottom. This is the first year I've had frogs in the pond. I raised them from tads in the spring. When I originally built the pond I left large folds in the pond liner in the corners of the pond since I had read somewhere that frogs can over-winter by squeezing into these folds. Sounds good - we'll see. But I suspect they will successfully fend for themselves no matter what I do. I've never lost a fish or a plant to winter-kill over the years with the above scheme (or lack of a scheme :-))