During the winter your fish will hibernate. They will appear inactive and huddled near the bottom of the pond where the water is at it's warmest. There is very little to do which means you'll probably not need to contact us . . . other than with a Christmas card and party invites!!!

FEEDING:
You should have stopped feeding your fish by now due to their hibernation.

ICE:
Should ice form, do NOT go out and break it! The shockwaves of broken ice can be very harmful to your fish. Instead, pour a little luke warm water gently either at the pond edge (if thin ice) or in the centre around the pump head (if the whole surface is iced up). Your aim is to unseal the ice cover allowing toxic gases to escape and oxygen to be absorbed by the water. If not already, you should place a clean, squashable ball on the pond surface. Tennis balls are no good as they'll freeze in the ice, however a football is better as it can be blown about by the wind, thus helping the pond surface to remain ice free.
Hopefully you will have followed our advice on preparing your pump for winter use (see the advice  on our November page) as moving water freezes at a lower temperature than still water.
The other method of keeping ice at bay is to install a pond heater. These normally float on the pond surface keeping an area clear of ice.

PUMPING & FILTRATION:
See the advice  on our November page.

PLANTS:
Remove any remaining fallen dead leaves as they float on the surface or rest on plants. Don't use a pond vacuum or net to remove sunken debris - leave it there now until the Spring, so as not to agitate the fish, making them susceptible to disease.