Can A Tennis Ball Be The Winter Hack Your Pond Needs?

Have you ever wondered what happens to fish, frogs, and other pond creatures in winter? Most aquatic animals will settle near the bottom of a pond or burrow themselves in mud to keep from freezing. In general, winter temperatures won't harm your cold-blooded pond inhabitants; however, a lack of oxygen could. When water freezes over completely and forms a seal of ice, there is a limited amount of oxygen that remains in the cold water below. In winter, fish tend to be more slow and sleepy, so they don't need as much oxygen as they do when they're active in summer. As long as the icy seal only lasts up to a few days, your pond fish should be fine, but if the freeze continues for weeks or months, the fish could suffer from oxygen deprivation and toxic gas buildup.  

If you have a small fish pond in your backyard or garden, you may want to stock up on tennis balls before the first winter freezes begin to hit. According to a handy internet hack, placing a tennis ball in your pond may keep it from freezing over completely, allowing your fish and other creatures to continue thriving throughout the winter.

How could a tennis ball possibly stop the water from freezing over? In theory, the tennis ball trick works because it moves and bounces in the wind. This motion creates ripples in the water, which helps to keep it from freezing over, or at least slows down the process and extends the viable oxygen supply in the water. If you're worried about the ball getting stuck in the frozen edges of the pond, consider tying it to a rock and anchoring it in the center of your pond. 

For such a simple and affordable hack, it's certainly worth a try to help protect your fish, frogs, aquatic plants, and other invertebrates. Keeping a tennis ball bobbing in your pond may also have environmental benefits, making the water more accessible to birds and other wildlife that stop by for a drink. Of course, you don't necessarily have to use a tennis ball. By the same logic, you could use any other floating, bobbing object, such as a toy boat or rubber ducky to keep the water moving — even better if it has some sort of sail to catch the wind. 

The tennis ball hack may work in a pinch, but it's probably not the most reliable way to ensure your pond won't freeze over, especially if you have a larger pond. There are much more reliable and aesthetically pleasing ways to keep your backyard pond flowing throughout winter. A submersible pump will create splashes and ripples in the water much like a tennis ball but will have stronger effects and won't get stuck to the sides. If you're going to place a pump in your pond, check it frequently to ensure that it keeps flowing throughout the season. If the water stops flowing, the pump pipes could freeze and break.  

If you live in an area with bitterly cold and long-lasting winters, you may need to invest in a de-icer to keep the water from freezing solid. A de-icer is a simple device that plugs into an outlet and floats on the surface of the pond, emitting just enough heat to melt a hole in the ice. While it might not seem like much, this hole provides a vital escape for toxic gases and allows fresh oxygen to diffuse into the water.