New Goldfish Pond
- Thread starter fishboy7
- Start date
Fishboy, sorry I missed this one first time around. I have had a yard pond for 10 years now. Unless you're in the very far north I would be surprised if it actually froze all the way to the bottom, assuming the bottom is in earth and not concrete lined or something. Mine here in west Tennessee freezes completely over some years, some years it doesn't. Size is roughly rectangular, maybe 8 ft at the longest and 4 ft at the widest part. Depth ranges from around 1 ft to 2 now as fallen leaves and such build up soil deposits over time.
If grandma (or you) could dig out even a small area, say a couple of feet across, down a foot or two deeper the fish can probably over-winter on their own. If the pond is intentionally planted--even if it weren't it would acquire plants on its own with amazing speed--it's going to be a real bitc....er, I mean "challenge"
to get all the fish out every fall.
I started out with six very common goldfish, some parrot feather and another plant I can't remember the name of, and lillies from Home Depot. Only "filtration" was a little pump to power a fake waterfall from the rocks at one end. The fish are completely self-regulating as to population. The message, I guess, is don't over-think the project. It's its own little world now and will most likely do just fine on its own.
If grandma (or you) could dig out even a small area, say a couple of feet across, down a foot or two deeper the fish can probably over-winter on their own. If the pond is intentionally planted--even if it weren't it would acquire plants on its own with amazing speed--it's going to be a real bitc....er, I mean "challenge"
to get all the fish out every fall. I started out with six very common goldfish, some parrot feather and another plant I can't remember the name of, and lillies from Home Depot. Only "filtration" was a little pump to power a fake waterfall from the rocks at one end. The fish are completely self-regulating as to population. The message, I guess, is don't over-think the project. It's its own little world now and will most likely do just fine on its own.
I was gonna chime in with digging out at least some of it down to 3' or so - this will solve the over-winter problem (in most areas anyhow, though I don't know where you're at), and will help prevent predators from eating the fish.
The pond we're building this fall/next spring will be 3' deep at one end and 4' deep at the other. We're in Georgia, so we don't actually "need" it that deep for freeze purposes, but I wanted it that way for more volume and for safety for the fish. We probably will end up with a net over it anyhow since I have a dog that LOVES to swim, and I'd prefer that she not do that in the pond, but we'll see how that goes.
The pond we're building this fall/next spring will be 3' deep at one end and 4' deep at the other. We're in Georgia, so we don't actually "need" it that deep for freeze purposes, but I wanted it that way for more volume and for safety for the fish. We probably will end up with a net over it anyhow since I have a dog that LOVES to swim, and I'd prefer that she not do that in the pond, but we'll see how that goes.
GoldLenny
Senior Member? Do I get a 5% disc.?
in michigan you are going to need to get below the frost line for sure. i know the st. marys river that we vacation at freezes solid down to five feet or so although that is the farthest norh you can get in mi. so if you are south of the u.p. you may not need to go quite that deep. but you will need probably three feet at least...
Posted on mobile.aquariacentral.com
Posted on mobile.aquariacentral.com
I live in northern WI, and here the pond needs to be at least 4 or 5 feet deep to avoid freezing, and you need to keep the ice open in a small area, and even then it's not a sure thing. I know someone who has a 2000 gallon pond who overwinters his fish outside, and he always loses a few, especially around February-April, when the weather gets weird. I put my gf and koi in flitered, 100 gallon cattle troughs. You can get them from Fleet Farm or most hardware or feed stores. If you keep them somewhere where it gets cool, around 50 degrees, they will just go into "hibernation." Attached garages or unheated basements work perfectly for this. Then you literally leave them alone till spring (when the weather gets and stays over 55 degrees or so). The most important element to overwintering this way is to NEVER FEED THEM. If they get food in their systems, then go back into hibernation, the food doesn't get digested, and the fish die painfully. I would definitely reccommend not overwintering them in your pond if your weather is anything similar to northern WI (for reference, I live in a horticultural Zone 3, meaning it gets -30 or -40 in the winter), because of all the sad stories I've heard. I do love my method, though. It's been 5 or 6 years now, and I have never lost a fish. Good luck!
