Rubbermaid 300 gallon stock tank

[Lisak1]

Fish are very calming to watch. They say you can lower your blood pressure just by watching fish swim in an aquarium. Do you also have fish indoors? You said last year you had them indoors with your goldfish so I wondered if you meant you keep aquariums, too.

I think sometimes when we love something we have to consider what's best for them, and not just what's best for us. If your pond is indeed too shallow for your fish to stay out all winter, then bringing them in is the best option for both fish and human. But if you're bringing them inside because it's what feels best for you and but is second best for them, then that's worth thinking about. Eventually they will outgrow the 300 gallon stock tank - BUT that tank would make a great add-on bog for the pond!

I admire your commitment to your fish. What you have planned is not a simple project, so hopefully all goes well!

 

[Stephen Noble]

Nice pond! We can help either way whether you bring the fish inside or leave them outdoors.

 

[poconojoe]

Consider keeping your fish in the pond year round and get an aquarium for in the house.
I think it's healthier to keep the fish in their habitat for several reasons.
Using that stock tank as a bog filter as suggested, is a great idea.

 

[SuAnn]

From my understanding, it's the ice cutting off oxygen exchange that can kill fish and frogs, etc. For years I've been using a floating 100 watt heat element that keeps a hole ice-free; even in my little 100 gal. pond, haven't lost anything since I started that. K&H Thermo-Pond low wattage deicer - on Amazon and Petco, etc.

 

[Lisak1]

From my understanding, it's the ice cutting off oxygen exchange that can kill fish and frogs, etc. For years I've been using a floating 100 watt heat element that keeps a hole ice-free; even in my little 100 gal. pond, haven't lost anything since I started that. K&H Thermo-Pond low wattage deicer - on Amazon and Petco, etc.

You are correct - but if I tried to keep a 100 gallon pond in my yard, it would freeze solid. Where are you located?

 

[SuAnn]

You are correct - but if I tried to keep a 100 gallon pond in my yard, it would freeze solid. Where are you located?

Central PA - growing zone 5. Guess I should have mentioned that my tub was sunk into the ground, not sitting on top of it. The ice layer never froze more than a couple of inches thick even in subzero temps, and the deicer never failed to keep a hole unfrozen, even when we had a 20" snowfall.

 

[Lisak1]

That is a different story indeed! The earth - and the snow in fact - are great insulators.