Re: NANFA-- wintering darters outside

R. W. Wolff (choupiqu_at_wctc.net)
Thu, 19 Sep 2002 23:55:19 -0500

I have no reason to promote this product, other than it really works. I have
used Ebo Jager heaters outdoors and never had a problem with them failing. I
have even dropped them on cement with no ill effect. If you are going to use
a heater in a small tank, try one of these. I had a 200 watt in a an 80
gallon preformed pond that was above ground with only a two by four frame
supporting it when I lived in town. I ran it until the nasties of January
set it in, but this was long enough to get a good wintering of the fish and
when moved inside it was an early spring. I am sure with a little trial and
error, and warmer climates than mine, this brand of heater will do what you
want it to. These are submersible, and do not set to a temp, but a number
on the dial. I set mine to the low side, and it kept a hole open in the ice
even with night time lows in the teens and day time in the twenties. Some
nights the temps dropped to zero. Once it was below zero I had to crank the
heater up, that opened up the ice more so I could remove the fish and
amphibian larvae that were in this pond. Burying the pond is a better way
to stop temp swings and conserve heat. In really small ponds that are
buried, laying a thick piece of plywood along with a sheet of insulation
foam ( pink or blue) under it will keep in the heat on the worst days. I
also used this heater brand in my sunroom in a 400 gallon pond. It kept the
water at 40 to 50 degrees, when it would have had ice on it. I Now put in
new windows and insulated the roof above it and added a vent from my homes
heating ducts. The coldest the water got was 47 degrees, and the air was
never that cold. My guess is the ponds bottom absorbed cold through the
floor, which is really just a deck with carpet on it.

Ray
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