Help! first time wintering koi and goldfish outside

Aoi_Goldfish

Aoi_Goldfish

Blue fish and love for wildlife
Sep 10, 2007
36
0
0
38
TN
This winter will be the first time I have kept my goldfish and my 2 koi outside in a 300 gallon above ground tank. I live in TN and here recently we haven't had snow, but we get ice. I realize that I would need some kind of way of keeping an opening at the surface.

Would I need some kind of water heater, to keep the water somewhat warm, say around 50 or 60? My tank is tall, over 3 ft and it's primarily a cube shape excluding the height which it is taller. My filter is a homemade one with the filter in the tank pumping water into a 5 gallon custom made filter hanging about 17 inches above the water. Would that be enough to keep the water from freezing? The hose leading into the filter from the pump is that flexible pond tubing (1in diameter).

Also what would the feeding restrictions be for wintering them outside?

Any help would be welcome. :thumbsup:
 
Aoi_Goldfish said:
This winter will be the first time I have kept my goldfish and my 2 koi outside in a 300 gallon above ground tank. I live in TN and here recently we haven't had snow, but we get ice. I realize that I would need some kind of way of keeping an opening at the surface.

Would I need some kind of water heater, to keep the water somewhat warm, say around 50 or 60? My tank is tall, over 3 ft and it's primarily a cube shape excluding the height which it is taller. My filter is a homemade one with the filter in the tank pumping water into a 5 gallon custom made filter hanging about 17 inches above the water. Would that be enough to keep the water from freezing? The hose leading into the filter from the pump is that flexible pond tubing (1in diameter).

Also what would the feeding restrictions be for wintering them outside?

Any help would be welcome. :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

Firstly, Do not feed your fish after your water temp reaches near 50 degress, fish cannot digest food very good at this temp. Dont wory the KOI will survive. Mine live 2 plus months with no food. If all your pond does is ice over you should get a floating heater to keep the ice open and allow for gas exchange. you can also add an airstone about halfway down from the surface beaneath the floating heater for aeration. Heating the entire volume of water is not neccasary. KOI are hardy. I remove my pump/shut down my waterfall during the winter. My temps reach sub-zero.
 
Above ground can be a bit tricky. Much of how the pond survives the winter depends on its location, and how its made. What is your "tank?" A stock tank?

The main thing you need to do is just keep it from freezing over. You don't have to heat it like an aquarium.
You can get a floating deicer, or a stock tank heater (the kind that floats or sits on the bottom in a wire cage.
I have stock tanks above ground that I overwinter my lilies and a few fish. I use stock tank heaters and I don't have any problems overwintering. Where I live if I didn't use the heaters the tanks would freeze solid.
 
What sized heater?

Well the tank is a kind of stock tank. It's about 3 ft tall and in a cube shape the rest of the way around. A really tall cube. It's located where it gets majority shade, though it does recieve some sunlight at certain times of the day. I don't feed the goldfish when its below 50 F. I'm thinking about getting one of those caged stock tank heaters. I don't think I'll have a problem with the water freezing over due to the custom filter setup I have, for the water (coming out of homemade filter) comes out the bottom of the 5 gal bucket filter (suspended 10-15 in. above tank water) and drips/trickles back into the tank.
We get ice more than snow, but I think the constant motion may keep the water from freezing, but I'm investing in a caged stock tank heater anyways. How do I go bout picking out the right sized stock tank heater?
 
I'd look at a farm supply store in Tennesee around you, all you need is a stock tank heater. I'd get one that has a thermostat. so it's only running when it has to. It will save money on your electricity.
 
Thanks for the help. I'm currently investigating different ones. I think I like the submersible ones with the cage around it. The thermostat is a really good idea.
 
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