Rubbermaid 300 gallon stock tank

[poconojoe]

Lake Erie is deeper than 3 feet and honestly I go to a pond place they told me it’s not deep enough and I’m content with bringing them in. I’ll feel better I appreciate it but I think I’d be a wreck all winter

So, are you saying your pond depth is 3 feet? Is your pond below grade, dug into the ground? If so, your fish will be fine.

 

[poconojoe]

How many gallons is your pond? Or if you don't know, what are the dimensions?

 

[Amyrae886]

I think the concern is that the pond may be too shallow for the Winter temperature, although the exact depth of the pond has not been mentioned. I asked that question, but never got an answer. It's quite possible the fish may be fine. We don't know the size and depth of the pond to make that judgment.

The required depth to support fish in a NY climate should have been taken into consideration when the pond was built. Those koi eventually are going to grow much larger. I have a couple massive koi.

Catching and relocating koi can be stressful to them, as mentioned. Doing that constantly every Fall and Spring might result in some loss of life, especially as they grow to a significant size. I lost a nice 15 inch koi some years ago when I had to replace my liner. It went into shock and never recovered.

Sorry I’ve been at work and busy. I didn’t build my pond I moved into the house with it. When I walk into it the deepest part goes to my thighs. I plan on expanding it and making it deeper but I can’t do it this year I can’t really tell you the dimensions cause I don’t know. Let me see if I can find a picture

 

[poconojoe]

I'm in northeastern PA zone 6a and my pond is 3 feet deep. I have a couple koi that are over 2 feet long and with massive girth. They are fine with 3 feet of water.

I get somewhere around 4 inches of ice.

 

[Amyrae886]

Sorry I’ve been at work and busy. I didn’t build my pond I moved into the house with it. When I walk into it the deepest part goes to my thighs. I plan on expanding it and making it deeper but I can’t do it this year I can’t really tell you the dimensions cause I don’t know. Let me see if I can find a picture

 

[Tula]

When you cover a pond during the winter, you cut down on evaporation and heat loss. @callingcolleen1 overwinters her ponds in Canada zone 2 using cattle panels and heavy duty plastic sheeting. The cover also prevents the pond's surface from freezing over providing a greater surface area for oxygen exchange.

 

[Lisak1]

I know you're set on moving your fish, and really that's your choice. But I can tell you, here in the Chicagoland area, ponds are deep enough for overwintering fish at only 24 inches deep. You need a way to keep an opening in the ice, but other than that, pond fish are fine in frozen ponds.

Mainly people would encourage you to leave your fish in the pond because being moved is stressful for them. I know you love your fish and want what's best for them - we all feel the same way - but your assumption that taking them indoors IS doing the best thing for them may not be entirely true. It's a stressful event for them all the way from being caught to acclimating to their new home. And then come spring, they have to do it all over again. And there are people who speculate that pond fish need a period of cold water. I don't have the science to back that one up, but it's definitely been postulated more than once, and it's an interesting theory.

Having said all that, there are people who do move their fish every year and do so successfully. I think the suggestions you are getting are just so you know you don't HAVE to move them.

Someone mentioned the weight of the tank - a gallon of water weighs over 8 pounds, so you are talking about 2500 pounds of just water, not including the tank itself plus any equipment. Unless it's a basement or garage floor, you may need to carefully consider whether the space you choose can support the weight of your set up.

 

[poconojoe]

Looking at your pictures... that's a nice pond!

It's up to you where you want to Winter your fish, but I think they will be fine and in a more natural state being left in the pond.

I'm assuming you are new at this ponding hobby, so I'll toss out a few pointers... you may already know some or all of this, but I want to make sure since you love your fish so much....

From looking at the photos, I don't see any movement of water. Splashing of water such as a waterfall or fountain of some type helps with oxygenation of the water. I have both and also an aerator with two air stones.

If you decide to keep the fish in the pond for the Winter, you'll need some means of keeping an open hole in the ice for gas exchange. I use a 250 watt floating deicer. There are other devices that work as well.

As far as feeding your fish, as Fall arrives and the water temperature falls below 50 degrees F, you should be using a Spring and Fall wheat germ food. When the water temperature drops to 40 degrees F, stop feeding completely. No feeding of the fish all Winter. Start feeding wheat germ food in the Spring when the water temperature rises above 40. When the water temperature rises above 50, you can change to growth/color food. This is all based on water temperature, not air temperature.

 

[Amyrae886]

Looking at your pictures... that's a nice pond!

It's up to you where you want to Winter your fish, but I think they will be fine and in a more natural state being left in the pond.

I'm assuming you are new at this ponding hobby, so I'll toss out a few pointers... you may already know some or all of this, but I want to make sure since you love your fish so much....

From looking at the photos, I don't see any movement of water. Splashing of water such as a waterfall or fountain of some type helps with oxygenation of the water. I have both and also an aerator with two air stones.

If you decide to keep the fish in the pond for the Winter, you'll need some means of keeping an open hole in the ice for gas exchange. I use a 250 watt floating deicer. There are other devices that work as well.

As far as feeding your fish, as Fall arrives and the water temperature falls below 50 degrees F, you should be using a Spring and Fall wheat germ food. When the water temperature drops to 40 degrees F, stop feeding completely. No feeding of the fish all Winter. Start feeding wheat germ food in the Spring when the water temperature rises above 40. When the water temperature rises above 50, you can change to growth/color food. This is all based on water temperature, not air temperature.

I actually do have a waterfall it’s 12 in the morning so this isn’t the best picture. And everything else I didn’t know when it comes to feeding and everything. I’m also going to look into the floating deicer

 

[Amyrae886]

I actually do have a waterfall it’s 12 in the morning so this isn’t the best picture. And everything else I didn’t know when it comes to feeding and everything. I’m also going to look into the floating deicer

This pic may be a little better but you have to zoom in. It’s from when my house was on the market

 

[poconojoe]

Very nice!
Look around this forum and you'll find a friendly group of knowledgeable members eager to help anyone with any questions.
Read as much as you can and you will learn from our experiences and even our mistakes!

 

[Amyrae886]

Very nice!
Look around this forum and you'll find a friendly group of knowledgeable members eager to help anyone with any questions.
Read as much as you can and you will learn from our experiences and even our mistakes!

I am. I’m definitely still learning and I want everyone’s opinion. I love my fish I really do!! They help my anxiety more than you even know I think that’s why I’m so content on bringing them in this year. Why do you stop feeding them for the winter!!?? Last year when they were smaller I had them inside with my goldfish. And everything was good. Im going to look into a lot of what was told to me. Like finding ways to keep the ice off my pond. Some winters in buffalo days or nights can get to like -10. That scares me. You keep the waterfall on all winter too?

 

[poconojoe]

When the water temperature drops below 40 degrees F, the fish go into hibernation. Their metabolism slows down and they can no longer properly digest their food.
I'm not sure what happens if you take them inside. Maybe the process is interrupted since the water temperature hasn't decreased as it normally would. Maybe someone else can chime in on that.

As to turning the waterfall off for the Winter, some do, some don't. I always have turned mine off. I fear the pond freezes over and the water will pour onto the ice and escape the pond, eventually emptying the pond. But some people say the movement of the water will keep a spot open in the ice. I guess it depends on your climate, how cold it gets and how long the cold spells can be. Buffalo, I would turn it off.

What do you have for filtration?

 

[poconojoe]

I usually erect a PVC frame before the Fall and cover that with nylon netting to keep the leaves out. Leaves are bad for your water. I think I'm gonna cover it with plastic sheeting this year instead of netting and try the greenhouse idea. Maybe my pond will keep warmer.

 

[JamieB]

That is a beautiful pond. Since they help your anxiety, I would suggest you devise a pond cover, green house style for winter, and set up underwater cameras like addy has. You can check on your fish, but it’ll be boring watching them sleep. If you are set on moving them inside, make sure your tank is on concrete floor, such as a basement, fill it with pond water, and if possible, use a large container such as a strong plastic tote to move the fish rather than a net. You’ll want just enough water in it to cover the fish if they are big, as you’ll then have to carry the tote to the inside pond. Consider setting up a grow light and small bog for filtration of the inside pond.