Installation & Safety
During the winter months, there’s a good chance ice may form on the surface of your pond. If you live in an area where this happens, you will need to keep an opening in the ice to allow for gas exchange. Without this hole, toxic ammonia can build up, making it hard, or even impossible, for fish to breathe the dissolved oxygen they require.
Remember: Never break the ice to create an opening, because you’ll risk causing harmful shockwaves that can injure or even kill your fish.
Instead, use a de-icer. A de-icer can help your fish survive by allowing harmful gasses to escape through a small ice-free opening in your pond’s frozen surface. In extreme cold areas, where ice-cover lasts for a long time, it’s also advisable to install a bubbler in addition to your de-icer. Keep the bubbler(s) close to the surface of the water to also create an opening. Like its name suggests, a bubbler produces thousands of bubbles that replenishes valuable oxygen in your pond, helping your fish survive.
Watch our video about the TetraPond APK100 Air Pump Kit >>