Plecos in Ponds?

[RyanMc]

I have heard a lot about plecos in outside ponds. I tried one once, but it died. It was small. Does the pond need to be heated? Or can large plecos live without a heater? Also, are there any other fish that you would normally have in a tank that would go good outside. I think my pond is about 300 [acronym:ce0931785f="Gallon"]gal[/acronym:ce0931785f]. and the deepest part is about 2-3 feet deep. I have 2 fairly large koi, an even larger "feeder" goldfish, and 2 very large bullfrog tadpoles that have been in there for more than half a year and don't have any signs of legs.

[AngelFishFan]

Plecos are tropical fish, for the most part. If temps drop below 65 degrees, they usually die. I sell them at work, but only to customers that understand that they will have to take them out come winter time. As far as the tank is concerned, not really. Fish that are meant for outside are kept outside, fish that are meant in tanks are kept in tanks. Don't intermix the two, you are just waisting your time, money, and effort, on a lost cause. I haven't had many good experiences with plecos in the pond, so I would avoid it again.

[RogerMcAllen]

I put one in my pond in the summer, and he got huge fast. THe only problem was I didn't get him out fast enough at the end of the year and he succumbed to the cold. I wouldn't risk putting them in something without a heater.

[SquishyFish]

Is it practical to heat a pond?

[RogerMcAllen]

Not really. There is too much volume, it will cool due to evaporation, and pond temp will always stay pretty close to the ground temp.

[krap101]

what if the pond was deeper then the freezing lvl or whatever

[RogerMcAllen]

Below the freeze line means that the ground does not freeze below that point. It still gets really cold, down to 50 or so, much lower than any pleco can survive. Mine died in my 4' deep pond in September because the temp dropped too low.

[fishstixs05]

For keeping a pleco in a pond, would putting it in a tropical tank work okay when it et to cold, or will the change of temp be dangerous for it? Could I keep it in a container in the garage or shed for a small period of time (I live in Cali where the winters are short and rarely drop to the 40 range ever) What size would be reccomended, and how do you guys catch fish in a pond without practically draining it? [acronym:134d305e0d="Thanks in Advance"]TIA[/acronym:134d305e0d]!

[RogerMcAllen]

I would still be worried about the temps with a pleco.

As far as catching, goldfish can be caught with a net. For plecos and other cats I like to put tubes in the water. Just put the net at one end, pick up ther other, and pour the tube into the net. It works best with two people.

[Mopedman]

My pleco is getting a little big for my tank and I am thinking of putting it in my pond. All it has is a UV sterilizer though. The water isn't treated either. What would I want to consider before placing it in the pond? Thanks