Outdoor Pond --- what to do with my KOI???

[Perodogo]

:question: Hello everyone. This may sound silly but I'm just wondering if there are any reefers out there who also have outdoor ponds?? I've been stressing about what to do with my KOI's now that winter is approaching. Has anyone left theirs outside all winter? If so, what type of heater/deicer did you use? How deep does your pond have to be for the fish to survive our harsh Canadian winter? Or would you advocate bringing the fish indoors (which I'm not too crazy about since I really don't have the space for another aquarium)?

My pond is about 1000+ gallons - approximately 24 inches deep and most of my fish are 4" - 8" (although my biggest one is about 10").

Any advice is appreciated.

Cheers

[Aquattro]

I think as long as your pond runs below the frost line, you can leave them in. Unfortunately 24" isn't below the frost line.

[Richer]

I know of a few people up here who keep winter koi in their pond... and you don't need to live here to know that it gets colder here than Calgary. Like reef_raf said, as long as your pond is deep enough under the frost line and you have enough circulation, your koi should be ok... unfortunately, I have to agree with the fact that 2 feet isn't enough. I believe one of the people here told me that his pond is 4-5 feet deep. Another option you can consider is buying a kiddie pool and putting your fish and plants in there. A couple of flourescent lights should be enough to keep your plants alive until the thaw comes again.

HTH
-Richer

[UnderWorldAquatics]

as the others said, you will need to bring them inside, way too shallow! My current pond is 4' deep and I bring mine in for the mild kelowna winters

[Buccaneer]

Go to the UFA and get a horse Trough heater ... it just floats on the surface and does not allow it to freeze up. Good even for Edmonton winters :razz:

[Delphinus]

Steve is that what you use? What is the cost like to run one of those heaters?

What about building a plywood tank in the garage? There's an article in the latest AFM that talks a bit about this dilemma and an include a bit of a how-to for a plywood holding tank.

I dunno, it's just a thought...

[Bob I]

Rossb just built himself a 4'X4' indoor pond to overwinter his goldfish, and they are former feeders, not even Koi. It all depends on how much you value your critters. :biggrin: :eek:

[Buccaneer]

Steve is that what you use? What is the cost like to run one of those heaters?

What about building a plywood tank in the garage? There's an article in the latest AFM that talks a bit about this dilemma and an include a bit of a how-to for a plywood holding tank.

I dunno, it's just a thought...

Hey Tony ... I dont know what the cost to run is ( never stopped to figure it out ) but it works and I dont have to spend any time/money on a holding tank ( which I would have to drop a heater in as well ) as my garage is not heated ... I figure not having to move them and just dropping a trough heater in is a simple and effective solution with minimum amount of hassle.

[BMW Rider]

I have a 60 gallon tank that I winter my pond fish in. My pond is too shallow as well to keep overwinter. The tank sits in my breakfast nook, and its kind of nice having the fish there to watch during the winter months. I don't have any koi though, just pond comets. My pond is a bit small to keep koi as they mature. I just run the tank on a Fluval 403 filter and a small air pump. Has kept them alive for 4 winters that way. I even built a new stand for it last year so it looks a bit nicer now.

[Delphinus]

What's the evaporation like in a heated outdoor pond given our relative humidity at "negative 10%" in the wintertime? Do you drop in buckets of water or do occasional water changes? (I don't have a pond so I actually have no idea how you guys do it?)

[Buccaneer]

What's the evaporation like in a heated outdoor pond given our relative humidity at "negative 10%" in the wintertime? Do you drop in buckets of water or do occasional water changes? (I don't have a pond so I actually have no idea how you guys do it?)

You know what Tony ... we dont touch the pond till spring ... they feed off the algae or whatever is in there and we do a water change in the spring ... the trough heater only keeps it from freezing so the water is still chilly.

[Beverly]

I have a friend in Wisconson who keeps a large goldfish pond. I'm sure it's much deeper than 2'. She overwinters her gf outdoors. She's built a moveable shack over the pond as well as uses one of those stock heaters and probably some kind of aeration. Also, at low temps, the gf do not feed. I imagine koi could be treated similarly, though adult koi grow to 2' in length whereas gf grow to about a foot in length.

[Perodogo]

Thanks for all the replies. It is a bit of a dilemma and I've been on either side many times. I had originally intended not to stock my pond with livestock since I knew I'd face this problem, but being a fish hobbyist for many years, I just couldn't resist. You see, my pond is a bit of an after thought --- I really just wanted to circulate the water from our lake to my waterfall/stream but the control board declined my application--- so we had to create a pond as a collecting area for the stream. But now that I have several KOI's in there, I'm really enjoying them.

I have a coworker who has a small pond (approx. 300 Gal) and a lot shallower (18" deep) and he successfully kept his 4 KOI's outdoors last winter. I believe he used the same heater Steve was talking about, so I think I'll try that. I've also thought about keeping them in my garage, but I think my wife will divorce me first before that happens --- no room there either.

Cheers

[rossb]

Go to the UFA and get a horse Trough heater ... it just floats on the surface and does not allow it to freeze up. Good even for Edmonton winters
I tried the trough heater last fall and although it kept the pond clear we estimate it cost 40 bucks to keep a 2000 gallon pond open in November. It would be less if you also covered the pond.

This is my fourth year with an indoor pond and my fish have grown from 1" to 10-20 inches. For the last three years I had a rigid liner that I cribbed with wood and I brought them into the basement. I also have a turtle so the pond works well. Sunnyside has the rigid liners on for 1/2 price right now. I also have a large biological filter to help with the turtle waste.

This year I made a 4X4X2 pond that is connected to a 90 gallon tank and a 60 gallon filter. It works very well and the fish do well all winter. I am just finishing the new pond and it will fit in nicely in the basement.

I have a link to a DIY floating heater that uses a 25 W bulb that also works. The fellow that tried it lives in sylvan lake and he says it kept a 12" square open on the top of the pond..but his pond is 5' deep. it might work if you added some bubble wrap over the rest of your pond. He wasn't worried about the fish... :rolleyes:

My call is either be prepared to spend the money on the heater or build an indoor pond. (the new one with liner cost me $150 bucks). I have pictures and plans on request.

[fishdude]

Well!
Where do I begin.
I've known people with ponds less than two feet deep that have kept koi successfully over the winter. Just keep the surface from freezing over.

If you don't intend to keep them over the winter; I have attached a fantastic recipe for you to enjoy in the upcoming winter months.

http://www.webindia123.com/cookery/region/bengal/telkoi.htm

[UnderWorldAquatics]

^ I love the recipe :mrgreen:

[DOO-E]

We winter our koi and goldfish in our pond. There is somebody here that has a pond yoursize. All he does is cover it with a few layers of black plastic and put a trough heater in the pond. The water will heat the air and keep the pond warm. But make sure it isnt too warm otherwise you will have to run outside 3 times a day to feed your fish. Sorry forgot to mention make the black plastic into a dome not flat it needs to me in a dome shape.

[Buccaneer]

I tried the trough heater last fall and although it kept the pond clear we estimate it cost 40 bucks to keep a 2000 gallon pond open in November. It would be less if you also covered the pond.



That explains why we did not notice a bump in the electricity ... our pond is only maybe 400G ( not really sure as it is irregular in shape ) :mrgreen: