Choosing the Best Pond Heater & De-Icer for Your Pond

by Tory Jon | Last Updated: November 08, 2021

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Best Pond Heater & De-icer Reviews

Comparison Chart

	Description	Pond Size	Price
	K&H Pet Products Thermo 3.0 Pond Deicer, 100w	Up to 1000 gallons		Buy on Amazon
	Danner Manufacturing Floating Pond De-Icer, 120w	Up to 1000 gallons		Buy on Amazon
	TetraPond Floating Pond De-Icer, 300w	250 – 500 gallons		Buy on Amazon
	Catalina Submersible Pond Heater, 1000w	150 to 400 gallon		Buy on Amazon
	Farm Innovators Premium Floating Pond De-Icer, 1250w	up to 600 gallons		Buy on Amazon
	Allied Precision Floating Pond De-Icer, 1500w	1500-2000 gallons		Buy on Amazon

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K&H Pet Products Thermo 3.0 Pond De-icer, 100w

The K&H Thermo 3.0 is an energy-efficient way to heat a pond up to 1000 gallons, costing an average of $30 less per month than larger wattage models!

This pond de-icer keeps a hole in the icy surface of your pond without getting too hot, so you don't have to worry about it burning a hole in your pond liner.

This low-wattage heater is typically enough to keep a small hole in the ice to allow for proper gas exchange and to keep your pond water oxygen-rich. Though if you stock a lot of koi or other pond fish, you may need a larger model.

Danner Manufacturing Floating Pond De-Icer, 120w

The Danner Manufacturing Floating Pond De-Icer is an energy-efficient, low-wattage pond de-icer made of high-impact ABS plastic.

This de-icer will not harm your pre-formed or flexible pond liner and comes with an extra-long 18-foot power cord which is great if you don’t have a power supply right next to your pond.

While the manufacturer recommends this for ponds up to 1000 gallons, I’d look at using a higher wattage model if your pond has koi or is over 250 gallons, just to be safe.

TetraPond Floating Pond De-Icer, 300w

The TetraPond Floating Pond De-Icer is an excellent, thermostatically controlled heater that will create a hole in your pond’s icy surface to allow for proper gas exchange.

This de-icer features a natural stone look that will blend into your pond’s surroundings. It also features an energy-efficient thermostat that will automatically shut the power off when it’s not needed to save on electricity costs.

The 15-foot power cord is an excellent addition, especially if you don’t have a power outlet near your pond or water garden.

And unlike most de-icers, this model features a lengthy 3-year warranty, which means you can buy with confidence.

Catalina Submersible Pond Heater, 1000w

The Catalina Submersible Pond Heater with thermostat is used to heat your cold pond water. This is ideal if you need to heat a pocket of water in your pond for your fish to hibernate. Keep in mind, you’ll want at least one heater for every 400 gallons of pond water for best results.

This outdoor pond heater features a guard made of durable plastic to help protect fish from the heating element. And it’s made of non-corrosive titanium alloy, making it perfect for saltwater applications, as well as handling PH fluctuations in your pond.

The built-in thermostat allows you to heat your pond between 72 and 93-degrees F and will automatically shut off when the desired temperature has been reached.

Again, this model is slightly different than the other pond heaters as it’s more designed to heat pond water than to create a hole in the ice. If you live in an extremely frigid environment, then combining this model with a de-icer will help your fish to hibernate comfortably and ensure they get the proper gas exchange needed for survival.

Farm Innovators Premium Floating Pond De-Icer, 1250w

The Farm Innovators Premium Pond De-Icer is a fish and plant-friendly heater that’s perfect for ponds up to 600 gallons according to the manufacturer (though I’ve used several 1250-watt models in ponds up to 1500 gallons successfully).

This heavy-duty pond de-icer is thermostatically controlled and constructed of cast aluminum for energy efficiency and safety.

It is fish and plant friendly and comes with an industry-leading 3-year warranty.

Allied Precision Floating Pond De-Icer, 1500w

The Allied Precision Pond De-Icer is a powerful 1500-watt heater that is perfect for larger ponds.

This de-icer will keep a 100 to 300-gallon pond completely ice-free. And will work perfectly to keep an ice hole open and allow for proper gas exchange for ponds up to 2000 gallons.

This de-icer will plug right into a standard 110-volt power supply and is thermostatically controlled with an automatic shut-off.

The one downside to this de-icer is the extremely short 6-foot power cord. If this is an issue for your pond setup, you’ll just have to use an extension cord which can be found for pretty cheap.

Pond Heater Buyers Guide

What is a Pond Heater & De-Icer?

When the winter months come around, the water temperature in your pond can be controlled with a pond heater and de-icer. These heaters also help maintain a hole in the icy surface of your pond. This is extremely important for the safety of your fish. In fact, it's so important that pond de-icing products are a top mention in our handy guide to keeping pond fish alive in winter (check it out!).

Let’s look at the 3 major benefits that pond heater/de-icers provide.

Increase Pond Water Flow

Firstly, the de-icer will free some water of ice and subsequently increase the temperature of the water. Even if the rest of the water is under ice, this will still improve the water flow for the entire pond.

For ponds that don’t have a waterfall or pond pump, this oxygenation and flow can be essential for the pond's ecosystem.

Faster Thaw

With specific areas of the pond free from ice, thawing will be a breeze. Rather than spending a whole weekend breaking up the ice, the heater will do most of the work. As the sun shows its face more frequently, your heater will complement the rising temperatures, and the ice will gradually disappear - a small benefit, but hey, a benefit nonetheless.

Allow for Proper Gas Exchange

Did you know that gas exchange is impossible when a pond freezes over? What this means is that the oxygen in the air can’t penetrate the water. As we’ve already learned, a de-icer will allow for a hole in the ice, which boosts oxygen levels in even the coldest of months.

Why is this important? To put it bluntly, your fish may become ill and die without dissolved oxygen in the pond. As well as falling oxygen levels, carbon dioxide levels will rise because there's no escape point. With a simple hole in the ice, so oxygen is allowed in and carbon dioxide out, your fish will not only survive the winter but thrive in it too.

Learn more about why you may want a de-icer for your fish pond, plus a few tips and tricks to get the most out of your heater with this short video.

Types of Pond Heaters

When looking to heat your pond, there are two main types of heaters to consider.

Floating Pond De-Icers

If you’re looking for an effective heating solution that’s cheap and simple, then look no further than a floating pond deicer. Rather than increasing the water temperature, the idea with a floating de-icer is to create an opening in the pond’s icy surface for gas exchange. By creating a hole in the ice, your fish can get the oxygen they need to stay healthy.

In truth, everything about these models is simple, from their running costs to set up. Floating pond heaters work perfectly with both large and small ponds (and even those with Koi and other pond fish). If you’re looking for pond temperature control, you can consider combining the de-icer with a submersible pond heater, which we’ll learn about next. But, in most cases, a pond de-icer is all you’ll need.

Submersible Pond Heaters

Submersible pond heaters are designed for larger aquarium-style tanks. However, special pond models have been made which help create a warm pocket of water underneath the surface. Once set up, your little fishy friends will have somewhere to hide out during the winter. While smaller ponds will only require a single heater, larger ponds may require several.

Most manufacturers recommend placing the unit as deep as possible and where the water flow is low. By doing this, it isn’t exposed to outside temperatures, and you won’t lose heat to the surface.

There's actually a third type, an inline pond heater, but the above two types are the most popular, with the floating heater being far and away the most popular.

Which Pond Heater Do I recommend?

Now that we’ve looked at the two main types of pond heaters, which one do we most often recommend?

In almost all cases, we usually just recommend using a floating pond de-icer. Ultimately, they will provide sufficient oxygenation (the fact that they’re cheap and easy to install are simply bonuses).

Although in-line and submersible pond heaters do their job well, they aren’t necessary for casual pond owners who just want to ensure survival for their fish. Since fish sleep to survive cold temperatures, all you really need to do is ensure a surface opening for oxygen to enter.

If you’ve considered your options and think heating is the way to go, monitoring and adjusting temperatures will be much easier with a digital thermostat, so look for this feature with submersible heaters.

Furthermore, we should note that heating the water too warm can actually be more dangerous to your fish than leaving it cold. Once set up, choose the correct wattage and check the water temperatures regularly.

Finally, a heater can also be combined with a pond aerator during winter for ponds with lots of fish. With the air pump, this has a double benefit;

• It provides a direct source of oxygen
• It breaks up the ice

What Size Pond Heater/De-Icer Do I Need?

With every de-icer slightly different from the next, we advise checking the manufacturer’s recommendations to prevent future headaches. However, there are some general recommendations we use, as you’ll find out below.

Also, keep in mind that multiple holes in the ice might be necessary for ponds with lots of fish and/or oxygenating pond plants. When these two are present, the gases build quicker, so multiple holes will alleviate the problem.

While assessing your own pond, consider the number of gallons it contains and whether or not it will be used with an aeration system. If you don't know how many gallons your pond is, use our free pond calculator to find out. Here are our general wattage recommendations:

• Anything up to 250 gallons - Between 100 and 250 watts
• Between 250 and 500 gallons - 300 watts
• Between 500 and 1,000 gallons - 750 watts
• Between 1,000 and 1,500 gallons - 1,250 watts
• Between 1,500 and 2,000 gallons - 1,500 watts

We should also note that floating de-icers will always be more efficient in shallow sections of water (i.e., near the edge of the pond). As the pond water warms, it will bounce off the edges and become more effective as a de-icer (it also means you won’t have to get your skates on to fix the unit if there are any problems).