Keeping a pond through the winter is quite a hands-off thing. This is because the water is so cold, that your fish and plants will not need your care and attention.
Fish.
As your pond fish (koi, goldfish, orfe, shubunkins etc) are cold-blooded, their metabolism is so slow that they will not be feeding, and so not excreting. This means there's no need for a pond filter to be cycling your water - and if one was, it would be mixing the colder upper layers of pond water with the warmer lower layers where your fish will be sheltering from the icy weather above the pond surface.
Pond Net
Prior to winter, you should have put a pond net over the pond's surface to trap an leaves - preventing them from rotting within the pond - causing water quality problems. If you have not put a pond net across your pond, then you will have leaf matter in your pond that will be a problem when the pond fires up again in Spring - as the water temperature starts to rise. The water's temperature is the pace-setter for your pond.
Ice.
If you do have an ice covering on your pond, then rather than smash it (which can cause your fish stress via their sixth sense - their lateral line), you can either have a low wattage pond heater permanently on (similar wattage to a light bulb) which then keeps an area of the pond free from ice - allowing gases to exchange, rather than build up under the ice.
More advice and information on how to care for your fish pond over winter.
Fish.
As your pond fish (koi, goldfish, orfe, shubunkins etc) are cold-blooded, their metabolism is so slow that they will not be feeding, and so not excreting. This means there's no need for a pond filter to be cycling your water - and if one was, it would be mixing the colder upper layers of pond water with the warmer lower layers where your fish will be sheltering from the icy weather above the pond surface.
Pond Net
Prior to winter, you should have put a pond net over the pond's surface to trap an leaves - preventing them from rotting within the pond - causing water quality problems. If you have not put a pond net across your pond, then you will have leaf matter in your pond that will be a problem when the pond fires up again in Spring - as the water temperature starts to rise. The water's temperature is the pace-setter for your pond.
If you do have an ice covering on your pond, then rather than smash it (which can cause your fish stress via their sixth sense - their lateral line), you can either have a low wattage pond heater permanently on (similar wattage to a light bulb) which then keeps an area of the pond free from ice - allowing gases to exchange, rather than build up under the ice.
More advice and information on how to care for your fish pond over winter.
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