goldfish inside for winter?

[mishakaal]

Hi !!

We bought a house this summer and it came with a nice pond in the backyard! :)
There was already a bunch of goldfish in it (13) and I've managed to keep everyone alright through the summer but now that it's getting colder I'm starting to worry.

I thought about bringing the fish inside for winter but I'm not sure how much space they would need ? I was thinking huge totes or kid pool or something since I don't have big aquariums for them.

They would be in the basement but it wouldn't be THAT cold so I would still have to feed them all winter I guess ? .. and I've read goldfish are messy so I can't crowd them like they would be in the 3ft deep part of the pond for winter. ( only a small part of the pond is 3ft the rest is a bit over 2ft. )

The guy that sold the house said that he let them outside all the time and most of the fish make it , but some get caught in the 2ft when it freeze. :(

So basically, I'm asking for ideas on what to do with them! I've never had goldfish or a pond before!

Thanks !

[OldMan]

Do you have a filter that can be moved in with your fish? If you do, I would be very tempted to get a kiddy pool and move the fish. You should still have some time to get things ready since the goldies can take fairly cool weather. I am new to tubbing and have no experience beyond this summer so maybe a more experienced pond person will be along with some real experience with goldfish.

[Pamelajo]

I would bring them in for the winter, you are further north than I am and ponds here must be 3 1/2 feet to ensure fish make it. You would not need heater for them in the house. A kids pool might work or a big plastic tub. I have a big deep one that is like a trunk I use for camping. It probably holds over 30 gallons and I got it on sale for around $10 at canadian tire.

[mishakaal]

Thank you both for the quick reply !

I'm in Quebec now Pam, so it's even colder haha :(

I should have mentioned the fish are about 4-5 inches long

I already have 2 totes that I used for snail breeding. One is 46g and the other is 30g. I'm wondering if they will be too crowded in there since they are used in a pond ?

I have some aquaclear that i don't use but I would have to cycle all that before I put them in or can I use some pond water and maybe the media in the pond filter? ( last time I checked it's full of larvae bugs and uglies ) The filter in the pond is a big thingy with a huge pipe, i don't know if I can bring that inside.

[Pamelajo]

Depending on how many fish I would probably set up both. Aqua clears will help. If you do not want the uglies from the outside filter, shove some extra foam in the ones you have running in the house. Then use them in the filters on the goldfish tubs. I would also monitor for the first few months because you may need to do waterchanges more the once a week.


When did you move all the way out there? I may have to send you longjohns this year. You were in Creemore before that right???

[CACAdmin]

Having never kept goldfish, I don't have any other advice to offer but am certainly glad to hear you are working on plans to overwinter them indoors. They may be used to a large pond but I'm sure will adjust to the indoor tubs... and so much better than taking a risk leaving them in the pond.

[gadgetgirl]

How big is your pond? My father has a 2000-odd gallon pond in his backyard; his yearly routine is to overwinter the fantails indoors and leave the comets and koi in the pond, they are too large for his 55 and 75 gallon tanks. He uses a stock tank de-icer (they can be found in fish stores and usually cheaper in farm supply stores, probably in Home Depot type stores as well for less than $50) and he covers his pond with his old garage door. He leaves the (in pond) pump running for water movement. All these measures ensure that the water doesn't freeze more than about 2" deep at the top. Covering it helps keep the 'heat' in, and the snow insulates it as well. He leaves an open strip over the pond so he can keep an eye on everything in the pond, but most importantly, he checks everything at least twice a day.

I always feel sorry for the fish in the pond, especially when it got to -42C last winter, but everything worked well. Any fish lost to winter kill were 1-2" spawn from the previous year.

If you are going to move them indoors, use pond water in your tubs at first - if your pond had been filled with mostly rainwater it's composition (Gh Kh Ph etc) will be different compared to your tap water. Goldfish are hardy but . . . no point in unnecessary drastic changes.

I think Pamelajo and I have the same 'trunk tub' and for the same purpose! And I think a few of those would be ideal for temporary fish tanks too.

The sooner you can start cycling your filters, the better it is - in Dad's pond I cycled a Whisper 60 - I hung it over the edge of a rectangular mop bucket that was filled with rocks to weight it down; the mop bucket sat on an underwater shelf.

Hope that helps in your decision making!

[mishakaal]

Thanks all for the ideas!

If I decide to use the foam that is in the pond filter.. will it cycle faster ( like we do for aquariums inside taking media from one filter to another) ??

Do you have a picture of the trunk tub, I'm not sure I understand what it looks like. ??

I don't know the size of the ponds in gallons but it's not 3ft deep everywhere so that's what worries me.

[gadgetgirl]

Something like this:

http://a116.g.akamai.net/7/116/8068/infinite/www.canadiantire.ca/media/images/products/images/HouseHome/StorageOrganization/HouseholdOrganization/0423432_450_CC_v1_m56577569830892727.jpg

Rubbermaid Hinge Top Tote, 151L
$18.99
Product #42-3432-4

Pulled it off the Canadian Tire website. There's others too, of different sizes. You wouldn't have to use the lid unless your fish are explorers :eek:

Using your existing 'cycled' material from your pond filter will definitely help.

[mishakaal]

Perfect!! That's almost the same thing I have, mine holds 46gallons and I think I'll buy another 46g one instead of using my 30g.

Thanks again!!

[Pamelajo]

Mine is a little deeper and grey with a blue lid, but gadget's looks like thicker plastic. Her's would be sturdier than the one I have.

[mishakaal]

When did you move all the way out there? I may have to send you longjohns this year. You were in Creemore before that right???

Pam, I re-read all the answers and realized I never saw this part of your message.

I moved last April, hubby quit his job and found something in QC city, his new boss lent us one of her house until we found something in July. Poor fish were 25hours in their bags, the move took longer than planned. They were all right but I lost some of them while we were staying at the boss' place, they were in tubs with small filters.. ug nightmare. Almost lost all my brigs too, I only have an adult jade and a few ivory and pink babies left :( The water is softer at the new place.. I miss the hard water from Ontario!! We were in Stayner, not Creemore.

Lol I had to google longjohn... I hope we won't get 5 meters of snow like they got last year :no:

And to keep on topic, I bought a small kid pool which holds about 250gallons for 16 bucks !

[Pamelajo]

I am trying some of Mel's oyster shell to bring up my KH. The water in Stayner was probably a lot harder than mine. My ph is good just the Kh is too low.

[mishakaal]

Yeah i just bought some in my area and put it in the tank yesterday. I'm just not sure how much to add, I don't want to make a drastic change.

Here the ph is about 7.4 but my kh is 3 or 4 degres (depends on the kit I use, weird) and the gh 6 I think ? In Stayner it was liquid rock hehe

[Pamelajo]

I am starting off with 1 tbsp in the filter in nylon knee highs on my 55, 32, gallon and had to just throw it in on my other 32 and 20 as it only has sponge filters. Will adjust over time. 1/2 tbsp on my 10g. Mel said it would take awhile to start showing. So in a couple of days with check it. The nice thing about it is unlike crushed coral this dissolves so you can actually see when you need more.