kois vs goldfish

[davepratt]

well finally got the cover off the pond after the brutal winter and it wasnt a pretty site all three of my kois were dead and one large goldfish
they were my 4 biggest fish i have about 8 other 10cent feeder goldfish in there and they all survived somehow dont really understand why the big ones died and the little ones didnt never the less ill prolly just stick to the goldfish from now on i dont see any reason to get kois again if they cant survive the harsh winters

 

[Andy41]

Hi Dave,

Sorry to hear that the Kois died. Can you post some more info about the pond? Size, did it freeze, etc?

My pond froze over winter here, but i kept an air hole in it using a polystyrene ring and an air stone. I also made sure not to feed the koi once the temp drops to low, but for next winter i'm thinking about moving the koi indoors.

cheers,

Andy

 

[davepratt]

ponds about 1700 gallons 40 inches deep it froze pretty good this winter not sure how far down as i put a homemade pvc framed tarp over it to keep out leaves etc. i had an airstone in it but my dogs may have pulled it out of the water because when i removed the cover it was all the way up near the edge of the pond what is this polystryrene ring you refer too

 

[Lisak1]

I think there must be more to the picture. We are in northern IL, had the most brutal winter we can remember in a long time, and our fish all weathered the winter in good shape - koi and goldfish alike. Perhaps your air stone did get dislodged, or it was not enough to keep an open hole in the ice. We needed both the aerator and a deicer this year.

 

[Tula]

We're in Cincinnati and have a pond about the same size. I used an air pump with four air stones AND a pond deicer and my five koi all came through fine. Per chance, did you peek under your cover from time to time. I made myself trudge out into the cold regularly to make sure my " systems" were running.

I'm so sorry about your fish loss....it was a brutal winter.

 

[Lisak1]

We're in Cincinnati and have a pond about the same size. I used an air pump with four air stones AND a pond deicer and my five koi all came through fine. Per chance, did you peek under your cover from time to time. I made myself trudge out into the cold regularly to make sure my " systems" were running.

I'm so sorry about your fish loss....it was a brutal winter.

We did the same - that's when I realized the aerator alone wasn't cutting it. The pond was frozen solid right over it, even though it was less than a foot under the surface. Added the deicer over the top and the hole stayed open. We also had our pump running all winter, so the pond was open at the base of the waterfall as well. My only concern was the snow cover - the pond was completely covered for almost three months straight. But the fish all look like they didn't even notice!

 

[dieselplower]

Koi are not as hardy as goldfish. Also, in an oxygen shortage, big fish are first to die, because they need more. When they die, the smaller fish have an even better chance...

 

[Mmathis]

I live where this isn't a problem, but at the same time I'm fascinated to hear from folks from different climates. In fact, I just posted a poll on winter icing.

Question directed at anyone who can answer: Please explain about COVERING the pond vs letting nature take its course (IOW, ice formation). Are there advantages of one method over the other? From what I read, both methods can result in losing fish, sooo.... Just curious. I might post this in a new thread.

 

[davepratt]

well i guess that makes sense why the bigger fish died then im gonna have to be more diligent on placing the airstone next winter thanks for the advice everyone

 

[davepratt]

my fish all made it no problem the first two winters i still have 8 goldfish left prolly just stick with them since my pond isnt really that big and mayb look into a deicer for next winter