Goldfish question

[Pleco1415]

I have 10 goldfish in my pond right now and in a month I will have to decide were they are going as I do not want to take the chance of keeping them outside during the colder months when the temperature drops. I have a 29 gallon and 20 gallon long tank that I could put some fish in but I am not sure exactly how big these goldfish get. I mainly have those red and white feeder fish but I do have a couple small comets. All the fish are only a couple inches long not counting the tail but I would like to know if I am able to keep them in those size tanks throughout the fall/winter.


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[NatureFish]

The good news is that you DON'T have to put them in any if those tanks during the colder seasons. I have 50 goldfish and koi in my pond and they are fine during winter. Once the whole thing froze except for a small pocket of water and they all huddled together and not a single fish died infact they bred right away in the spring. Personally I didn't have to do anything to protect my fish from the elements but if you live somewhere that gets snow then you might want to cover the pond like your plants and then if it doesn't freeze all the way then great, but if it does then yes you would need to bring them in but the only problem with that Is that if they are used to a pond they will be very stressed in a aquarium. I've had several good fish die that way. But if that's the only option I suggest you put 3 in the 20g and put 5 in the 29 and try to find either a very large container that can be kept indoors or try to squeeze the rest In the 29g. Remember they produce a whole lot of waste so you have to be careful with ammonia levels.

EDIT: as for size I would guess that they are going to be 10-12 inches at maximum but I recommend NOT feeding your goldfish from now until then because they will grow very fast and soon be too big to all fit in those aquariums at once. Just let them eat the algae in the pond (unless there's no algae then you do need to feed them but keep it to a minimum so they will also produce less waste). Hope that helps send me a private message or come back to this thread and let me know how they did!

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[NatureFish]

Sorry that was a long post!


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[Pleco1415]

Sorry that was a long post!


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I feel safer bringing the fish inside as the weather is always unpredictable. I live in Canada so we get decent winters here though last winter was terrible it got as low as -20 a lot different from the -10 winters we usually have. I actually have 3 tanks though the 40 g has a RES turtle in it so I don't think I even wanna try putting fish in there because I'm sure they will disappear over night. Anyhow the pond is around 70 gallons so do you think if I put a heater in there they will be fine throughout the winter? And will I have to worry about filtration in the pond if I keep them outside?


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[NatureFish]

If you keep a heater it should be fine but your still try to cover it. Also you may want to set up a mini water feature for filtration and oxygenation. Put a sponge filter media over the pump and that will act like a filter. You may want to do partial water changes with Luke warm water if it starts to get too cold even with the heater.


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[Pleco1415]

If you keep a heater it should be fine but your still try to cover it. Also you may want to set up a mini water feature for filtration and oxygenation. Put a sponge filter media over the pump and that will act like a filter. You may want to do partial water changes with Luke warm water if it starts to get too cold even with the heater.


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Will the cords from the filter and heater be ok if they freeze? I have them plugged in to an insulated GFI outlet so I am not worried about that but it's the cords that I have to worry about as they go from the outlet into the pond and are visible.


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[jlk]

Will the cords from the filter and heater be ok if they freeze? I have them plugged in to an insulated GFI outlet so I am not worried about that but it's the cords that I have to worry about as they go from the outlet into the pond and are visible.


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Use only heaters and filters intended for outdoor pond use. Your going to need a substantial heater to prevent this pond from freezing solid in -20f or less temps and it's going to be quite costly to operate. A less expensive option (if you have the space) would be a livestock trough/similar large tub indoors.


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[Pleco1415]

Use only heaters and filters intended for outdoor pond use. Your going to need a substantial heater to prevent this pond from freezing solid in -20f or less temps and it's going to be quite costly to operate. A less expensive option (if you have the space) would be a livestock trough/similar large tub indoors.


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I only use pond pumps though one of them is an Aquaclear 50 does that count? I've heard about solar heaters any experience with those?


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[jlk]

I only use pond pumps though one of them is an Aquaclear 50 does that count? I've heard about solar heaters any experience with those?


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Afraid you got me on the AC50- I was not aware aquaclear made anything for ponds/outdoor use.

No personal experience with solar heaters although I have tried solar pumps and de-icers in the past with very limited success. Love the idea of solar technology for running pond equipment but the expense of the equipment to power what I run makes it cost-prohibitive. Hopefully, the technology and cost will improve to make it a more reasonable option in the future!


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[Pleco1415]

Afraid you got me on the AC50- I was not aware aquaclear made anything for ponds/outdoor use.

No personal experience with solar heaters although I have tried solar pumps and de-icers in the past with very limited success. Love the idea of solar technology for running pond equipment but the expense of the equipment to power what I run makes it cost-prohibitive. Hopefully, the technology and cost will improve to make it a more reasonable option in the future!


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The Aquaclear I am talking about is a power head that can be fitted with a filter attachment. Not talking about the H.O.B.


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[jlk]

The Aquaclear I am talking about is a power head that can be fitted with a filter attachment. Not talking about the H.O.B.


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I have a couple AC powerheads. Problem is, these items were designed for use in tropical (indoor) tanks. I run them in 'cold' water tanks but the temps never drop below 65f. I honestly don't know how (or even if) they would be functional in freezing or subfreezing water. If your heating the pond substantially, I imagine an ac50 would continue to be functional although I do not know if it's wiring is designed to withstand the weather extremes on a regular basis.


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[NatureFish]

Sorry if I wasn't much help just thought I'd share my own experience!


NatureFish
????

 

[Pleco1415]

The cord looks pretty thin like a house hold one but then again how would it be water proof? If I do end up keeping them out there for the winter I won't use the Aquaclear because I don't feel comfortable with the whole cord thing. I have this other pump that I have in there now and it has a very thick round cord so I'm presuming it's meant for outdoor use though it only circulates it has no filter attachment. It's called an Ototto TP-1500 i think it's rated for up to 70 gallons. My pond is somewhere around that size.


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[Pleco1415]

Sorry if I wasn't much help just thought I'd share my own experience!


NatureFish
????

That's ok any advice helps!


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[Pleco1415]

Hey guys I was at my LFS today and I was asking how to maintain the pond during the winter. The guy told me I can ether bring them in the garage in a rain barrel so it doesn't freeze but it's cold enough for them to hibernate or keep them in the pond outside with a lot of surface agitation so it cannot freeze. Does this sound right? This is the first time I've had to deal with pond fish so I'm not too sure.

 

[jlk]

Is your garage heated? If not, you will need surface agitation and possibly a deicer to handle -20f temps. Surface agitation on a pond only works for temps in the 30's- anything lower (in addition to snow/ice) will need additional means to keep a pond from freezing.


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[Pleco1415]

Is your garage heated? If not, you will need surface agitation and possibly a deicer to handle -20f temps. Surface agitation on a pond only works for temps in the 30's- anything lower (in addition to snow/ice) will need additional means to keep a pond from freezing.


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I think I might try the garage idea. The garage is not heated but it never freezes in there. I take it they don't need an actual filter if they are hibernating as they will not be eating and producing waste, am I right? I will have an air stone running that's for sure.


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[enrgizerbunny]

I'm not really experienced with wintering fish, but couldn't a good de icer pump combined with a heater be a possible solution? Also, how deep is this pond? Sustained temps of -20 is cold, but you need only liquid water that has movement to keep them alive. My boss has a small pond that winters 5 fish without a spitter. It has a filter on it, but the out put isn't facing the surface, because I never saw movement this winter and the surface froze solid.

We get into the teens with occasional single digits, not negatives so the ground remains relatively warm enough to provide an insulation layer. Just my two cents, about all it is worth.

I'll be wintering above ground with a de-icer running. Last winter with no fish I got about an inch of ice on top, but there was plenty of water below and the pump kept a hole in it. 70 gallon tank, 560gph submersible pump.

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