Another winter cover thread

[j.w]

I love my goldies and I'm gonna try and see if I can ever find some nice Petsmart Shubbies this Summer. All my goldfish that I have had for years are feeder fish and some I got off Freecycle. All seem healthy and getting bigger each year

 

[shakaho]

I can't imagine not quarantining fish, regardless of the tank they came from in the store. When I started my pond I went in to Petsmart and told the lady to pick out 10 fish in assorted colors, figuring that I wanted five and half would die. I really didn't even check them out except for asking her to catch one that I thought particularly pretty. By the time I got them home, I could see there were some mistakes, and three fish died in the first three days. Everyone else has thrived. I've bought a couple of other cheapies and they have been fine. All three of the multiple-dollar fish I have bought from Petsmart have had problems. One has been in quarantine for months with recurring parasite problems, and the other two died in a couple of weeks -- about the time all of the other fish in their tank at the store disappeared. The prettiest shubbies I've seen around here have been in Walmart. I bought one and it just gets more beautiful as it grows. This store gets some beautiful fish but you want to get them soon after they arrive.

 

[digginponds]

The proof is in the pudding. Not sure if one would want to do that with a koi. You know how delicate they are.

Some breeds of koi's are very delicate,but the muts that are in the pet stores and the butterfly koi are pretty hardy.
I truly believe that introducing fish @ a very young age,gives them a better chance of survival..
And giving them a place to go and hibernate using either rocks,wooden box, or pvc pipe gives them there own lil cubby hole.
Shelter during the winter is a must here.