What do I have to do to bring my pond goldfish in for the winter?

Question

I need to bring my goldfish that I kept in a preformed pond in for the winter. How do I go about setting up an aquarium. Do I need an air pump? Do I have to let the water(My house is on a well) sit for a week before putting in the fish? Do I need a heater?

Thanks

Answer 1

My mom has a pond, and every winter she sets a special heater in her pond. she bought it at a pet store or walmart. it will not melt your plastic on your pond and it keeps the fish alive throughout the winter. the pond never freezes.

We live in Indiana and my mom has never had a problem with the fish by the heater. there is one fish in the pond that has survived 5 winters! the fish "chill" at the bottom of the pond and they eat the algie, you do not have to feed them during the winter because they will not come to the top.

You do not have to bring them in to an aquarium if you don't want to, they will survive in the pond if you just buy the safety heater.

My mom's house is on a well also. you don't have to let the water sit for a week. Just get them used to the temp.

Hope this helps you! -- Laura Kay

Answer 2

Goldfish are coldwater fish and if you put a heater in their tank, you are causing them a great deal of stress. They need temps in the range of 60-65 degrees.

If your pond is deep enough that it does not freeze all the way to the bottom, they will be fine outside. If you decide to leave them out, keep checking the water temp and stop feeding them when the water temp gets down to 55 degrees.

In the spring, start feeding again when the water reaches 55 again. Once it freezes over, in the fall, never ever hit the ice with anything. Many, many people have killed their prized koi by breaking the ice up for them. The shock waves will kill the fish under the ice. If you want an open patch of water, you will need to put a heater in and a bubbler to keep it from freezing.

You don't say how many you have, or how big they are... That makes it tough to say how big the tank needs to be. There is no chlorine in well water, that is something cities put in to kill bacteria. You can use your well water right away.

Goldfish need about 2-3 gallons of water per inch of fish, they are very dirty fish. You should have a filter and an air pump. No heater! Room temp is fine for goldfish.

Set up the tank and fill it with water and gravel. Let it sit overnight. Bring in a couple of fish and let them stay in the tank for a week or two. Then bring in a couple more and wait another two weeks. This should be enough time for the nitrogen cycle. You can now bring in the rest of the fish.

Answer 3

it depends on what part of the country you live in and how deep is your pond? if your pond is deep enough and will not freeze solid it would be best to leave the fish outside or you could buy a pond heater that will prevent it from freezing solid
if you decide to bring your fish in make sure you get a large enough aquarium or container to keep them in, you will need some kind of filtration (nothing elaborate) set it up and let it run for a day or two before you put your fish in, do not heat the fish,
inside the house will be warm enough, do not feed the fish as much as you did during the summer and try to change some of the water halfway through the winter
the easiest way to catch fish out of a pond is to drain the water
out till its 2" deep then get them
put fresh water back in pond and make sure all plants are okay for winter

Answer 4

Gold fish do not need a heater indoors. Also if the pond does not freeze solid you don't need to bring it in for the winter. when the temperature gets below 50f goldfish will begin to hibernate often living under the ice on the pond with out any harm. when the pond temperature gets above 50f again you can start feeding it again. Do not feed it under 50f degrees. It will kill it. it can not digest food when it's that cold.

Answer 5

Goldfish is basically a sturdy fish and can withstand cold temps just not freezing. If you want to put them in for the winter, get a tank and a filter pump. You can visit your local pet store and buy a book on how to set up the type of tank you want. You'll also need to buy a heater if it gets too chilly. Heater for fish tanks can be bought ONLY in fish stores because you might cook the poor fish if you don't get the right type.

Answer 6

If the pond is deep enough NOT to freeze solid, your gold fish will have a better chance in the pond....they are hardy and can withstand winter...as long as they do NOT freeze solid...they can be frozen in ice, just as long as they are not frozen solid. Good luck

Answer 7

to start off with you should run a filter for about a month put them in zip-lock baggies with water from the pond to acclimate them, i don't know about the air pump, put lots of diff. plants in the tank, u don't need a heater

Answer 8

I think you leave it there in the pond if there is running water, they just need the water to not freeze. call a pet store. they can help better than I can.

Answer 9

there is no need to do this - it will just cause them stress. just make sure the pond does not completely freeze and they will be fine. just break up the ice on the surface

Answer 10

how cold is your winter?

goldfish can withstand temps up to 41 degrees F or 5 degrees C.