What to do with empty pond? Leave it or what?
- Thread starter fIsHy13
- Start date
Put them in at spring time. The shock of doing it in winter will most likely kill them. As for draining the water I don't see a need to. Did you have a means to keep the water open? How did your goldfish die?
this maybe completely off topic but would leaving a pond empty hurt the pond in some way? i only ask that because inground pools should never be drained out completely for a extended time.
I think it would depend on the construction of the pond. Rubber lined pond or plastic preform would be fine empty. Actually I can't think of a pond that would be hurt by being empty? Unless it was built like the pools you are mentioning =:>
Yeah, it should be spring within a month or so. Sorry about the fish you lost, I know how that must feel.
I would do this if I were you, so you can be better prepared next winter:
1. Save some money if need be and setup a kiddy pool, or large enough tank (dependant on the number of goldfish you'll have) for indoor over-wintering the fish. Remember, most goldfish can and will grow to and possibly over a foot if given enough space, so make sure their indoor home will be as suitable to their needs as the pond.
And I agree that you probably should keep them indoors for a month or two while you get the pond cleaned up and reorganized to allow them to grow so they'll have better survival odds outdoors.
2. Also invest in a heater for your outdoor pond incase temps dip unexpectedly, and also get one for their indoor setup, to avoid temp shock to the fish.
3. Next, if you don't have some already, get some hardy aquatic plants for the pond, and the indoor setup for quickening cycling as well as added natural filtration.
4. One tip I might add for over-wintering, goldfish require a depth of 30 inches or more to survive colder temps, as long as the pond doesn't freeze solid, they should be fine. The hardier of the goldfish family as far as temperature tolerance goes, is the comet. The others are fairly vunerable.
If there's anything else I can help you with, please PM me. I should read over this forum more, because I know it's not nearly as active as the others here. So please if you need help and haven't gotten any replies here, I should be available, as I often come here to read over others' posts. Good luck with planning what to do next.~Angela
I would do this if I were you, so you can be better prepared next winter:
1. Save some money if need be and setup a kiddy pool, or large enough tank (dependant on the number of goldfish you'll have) for indoor over-wintering the fish. Remember, most goldfish can and will grow to and possibly over a foot if given enough space, so make sure their indoor home will be as suitable to their needs as the pond.
And I agree that you probably should keep them indoors for a month or two while you get the pond cleaned up and reorganized to allow them to grow so they'll have better survival odds outdoors.
2. Also invest in a heater for your outdoor pond incase temps dip unexpectedly, and also get one for their indoor setup, to avoid temp shock to the fish.
3. Next, if you don't have some already, get some hardy aquatic plants for the pond, and the indoor setup for quickening cycling as well as added natural filtration.
4. One tip I might add for over-wintering, goldfish require a depth of 30 inches or more to survive colder temps, as long as the pond doesn't freeze solid, they should be fine. The hardier of the goldfish family as far as temperature tolerance goes, is the comet. The others are fairly vunerable.
If there's anything else I can help you with, please PM me. I should read over this forum more, because I know it's not nearly as active as the others here. So please if you need help and haven't gotten any replies here, I should be available, as I often come here to read over others' posts. Good luck with planning what to do next.~Angela
Riso-chan said:
Oh Angela if only that were true...it just seems soooo far away..but it is February already... haven't seen the fish in the pond since December. I get my fish fix with the goldies in their fish tank and the koi in quarantine out in the greenhouse....
Thanks, Angela. I'll keep your tips in mind and defiantely PM you if I have a problem. One thing I am worried about is frogs and goldfish together. Right now there is a hibernating frog in the pond, and when spring/ summer comes, other frogs are bound to come to the pond, jump on the first frog they see and do what comes naturally. Won't the goldies eat the tadpoles/young frogs? Plus, if there is quite a big frog, and quite a small goldfish, will the frog EAT the goldfish? It's a worrying thought...