Wintering over our koi in the garage....

[Lisak1]

Sorry but I just don't see this ending well. That enclosure can't be more than a few hundred gallons. You could maybe get by with a few fish in there, but 25? Water changes alone are stressful to fish - and you'll be changing water daily.

If the drain you're referring to in your garage is like ours, it doesn't actually go anywhere. It's just meant to capture small amounts of water and allow it to seep slowly into the ground under the garage. It wouldn't handle hundreds of gallons of water at a time. But maybe you have a different type of drain. What's your water source in your garage? Even in an insulated garage, at 20 below zero you may have trouble keeping a hose from freezing.

It sounds like you're intent on proceeding with your plan, but you did ask for advice. I'm sticking with my original thought - your assumption about why your fish are not surviving the winter is off base. There's something else going on with your pond.

What are the actual dimensions of your pond? How big are your fish? How many fish are you losing in the winter? How are you keeping the hole open? Do you get a lot of snow in your area?

 

[Tula]

There is a woman on a koi forum who has a large pond. She covers a portion of her pond, with good results....and that is where her koi choose to be. I mention this as an option, since your pond may be too large to cover.

I will hope for the best outcome for you and your koi. Do you have a good water testing kit? If not, I'd get one , it'll be essential in monitoring your water quality given your fish load and water volume.

If you have time, I'd be interested in when and under what circumstances you found your koi died over the last couple of winters.

 

[WaterGardener]

I, too, have doubts about putting your fish in that small an area. It seems they would very quickly pollute the water in that small a space. Unless that frame is a lot larger than it appears, I'm not sure that would work very well.

Here are some ideas for putting a cover over a pond:

Do you cover your pond in Winter and how?

Hi all, I was wondering if people were covering their pond for the wintertime and how you do that. For myself I do cover the pond. it is a simply way but effective. The water temperature does not drop below 8 degrees Celcius. 517392 517393

www.koiphen.com

Winter pond covers: Post your problems & tips

We've been getting a lot of snow already this year. As you can see, some of the snow will slide off this greenhouse, but I keep a broom handy to give the rest some encouragement. I try not to let more than 6 inches lay on it, though I've seen almost a foot on it and it held. This is the...

www.koiphen.com

If you Google "winter pond cover" and click on "images" near the top of the page, you will find lots of ideas.

We can't leave our pond completely enclosed in the greenhouse in the summer. It would get much too hot inside. It is only for winter use, but the top of the roof is covered year-round. We also have shade sails over the pond and that has so far kept any herons away, knock on wood. There isn't much, if any, of the pond visible from overhead, so I think they help.

 

[WaterGardener]

If you had enough filtration, which would be a lot more than normal for that amount of water since the fish load is so high, you might get that to work. With the way it is constructed, though, I would worry that it won't be able to hold the pressure of the water. If there are not a lot more bracing and cross members, that frame is not adequate, in my opinion, for the amount of water that would be inside it. I would definitely test it outdoors and make sure the structure would be sturdy enough.

 

[mrsclem]

Agree with WaterGardener, the sides will bow out and the box could collapse. If you are determined to bring your fish in, I would consider an Intex swimming pool. Super cheap right now.

 

[Learning to Care for Koi]

Dear everyone who has taken time to write.
Firstly, I want to thank you for sharing your ideas and experience. I am most definitely going to rethink our decision next fall when the fish, hopefully, will have gotten through the winter with me and be larger. Really, the answer in my case might be a secondary, deeper outdoor pond with less surface area in a more protected space than the existing outdoor pond which is totally exposed, facing NW, circular and 20 feet in diameter. If I had a second pond closer to the house with less surface area for the winter I could cover it, like Colleen, and also attach it to my generator in the event of power outages. We are planning a conversion to propane this fall and I have asked our installer to attach the garage power to our generator which would protect the winter fish tank in the garage.
All the water in our tank in the garage was pumped in directly from the outdoor pond. The fish were moved gently and expeditiously and all are now inside along with some mosquito fish that came along for the ride.
Outside the temperatures are varying between the 30s and 40s right now and the pond water has been steadily in the 50s in the garage. I have been covering the pond at night with insulation boards that also line the pond to keep a bit of the heat in.
Our plan is to supply water from the house spigot, draining the exit pipe and hose after each use. I have a corrugated hose for draining the filter that I pump out the back of the garage just about daily.
So far so good. The fish are looking healthy and active. The fish waste is minimal so far. I am thinking a small net might serve just to scoop it out if I am vigilant.
Photos are attached of the fish and my water tests.
The pond water (from our barn well) has a dramatically higher pH level than the house water. And, I am seeing that the house water taken from the outdoor spigot shows slightly elevated phosphates. With the proper hose I could probably send water from my kitchen sink out to the garage. The house water runs through particle filters, so will have to give it a test too. It would be more pleasant, also, than wrestling with a hose outdoors when the temperatures go down.
Should I be thinking about quality of life changes in the winter tank? Does anyone recommend introducing friendly bacteria?
Again, thanks for sharing—all coaching and feedback most sincerely appreciated.
Evelyn, called Evie
PS. Plans are to raise the water level once we have made our screen covering.

 

[waynefrcan]

I see nothing wrong with your method. I have also brought my fish in a garage for the winter and not a single loss in 3 winters. It is colder in my area of mid Alberta. I was never successful with wintering outside and always had fish loss. And yes the largest koi were dead or sick. IMO conditions must be perfect to be successful in colder regions and it's hard to get them perfect. I always was worried how they were doing but now in the garage I know they are warmer and we get to enjoy them year round.

I built a wood container similar to yours but recently added a intex pool as the goldfish have multiplied. Have a heater for the garage and also in water heaters when it's -20-30 C outside. Do more water changes also.

Question about your pond, is it rock lined, any muck on the bottom? That will effect water quality over winter.

 

[Learning to Care for Koi]

Dear Friends, so many of you sent me your thoughts about whether to bring my fish into a garage tank to winter over or to try to maintain them in their pond, that I wanted to share that all the fish have come through with flying colors. Thank you so much for your time and considered replies!

 

[Learning to Care for Koi]

 

[Tula]

So happy to hear they all came through the winter

 

[j.w]

Yay they made it and looks like a lot of pretty fish in there

 

[addy1]

Good job!

 

[Lisak1]

So glad to hear your plan worked out! Was it worth it in your mind to bring them indoors?

 

[WaterGardener]

Good to hear that they did well. Keep up the good work!

 

[sissy]

When they get as big as my aggie and bert it will be impossible to bring them in .Bought mine back in 2005 and they are now over 2 feet long and the older koi get the easier they are to get stressed out .Colleen in Canada keeps hers outside in her bitter cold winters .Kio prefer colder water .