Taking goldfish outside to a small pond ... how warm should it be outside?

Question

I have 3 goldfish that I brought in to an aquarium last fall. They are in a 6 gallon aquarium with a filter but no heater. I want to take them back outside soon to their original home in a shallow pond, about 10-15 gallons unfiltered. If I put them in a bag, would they be able to adjust to the temperature if the night temps are in the 50's? Any suggestions?

Answer 1

It sounds like you have more of a fountain situation "shallow pond 10-15 gallons" and as such, in during the winter is not a bad idea if you want to keep them alive. I believe that you can take their current water in a X-large ziplock bag, add the fish and lay it in with the new water for several hours so that the adjustment is gradual. They should do fine. Good luck!

Answer 2

No. Goldfish can take colder temperatures. They can do well up to freezing, but become sluggish. They actually like the colder water for part of the year. Avoid a freeze-over, though, of an ice layer forming across the water's surface. Break the ice and keep the water deep in such colder temps.

Answer 3

That pond is really far too small for even one goldfish to be honest with you. Take a little time and expand it to 60-75 gallons before you add your goldfish to it. Even that size is quite small and easy to manage.

MM