Chickening Out on Overwintering Pond: Advice for bringing fish in?

[PineSong]

Yesterday when I checked my pond, I saw a dead white cloud, and now I feel like I want to bring in the remaining fish.

On one hand, I hear from many sources that my white clouds should be fine as long as the pond doesn't freeze, and it hasn't frozen.

On the other hand, maybe my white clouds are senior citizens--I bought them 1.5 years ago. I'm picturing them out there like Grandpa Simpson without a sweater on--chilled to the bone, not enjoying life in a larger environment as planned when I set up the tank.

There were only 4 of them out there. Catching any survivors will be a struggle unless I can catch them when they are hybernating/sitting still. But...

Assuming I catch them and the goldfish...what's the best way to bring them in and warm them up without shocking them? Just leave them in a bucket to come up to room temperature, then add tank water to warm? Do I need to be more gradual and keep them for a day or so at room temps (68 degrees in my house)  before adding them to a heated tank (more like 76 degrees) in my tanks?

[Zenzo]

How cold does it get outside? If the water temp stays 40 or above, I would leave them outside. The temp of my outside pond is currently in the mid 40s, and my goldfish are swimming around and active just fine (multiple years). 

[dangerflower]

I feel you. I found one of my medaka dead a few weeks ago and I'm so paranoid about leaving them outside now 😞 last year I heated the pond but I really wanted to try not doing that this year since they are supposed to do just fine in the cold. 

I think letting them acclimate to room temp in a bucket over the course of the day or maybe overnight sounds like a good plan for bringing them in.

You could also try to insulate the pond - covering the top with clear plastic (like a piece of acrylic or something) or even bubble wrap can help hold some heat in there. 

[PineSong]

On 12/16/2022 at 12:57 PM, Zenzo said:

How cold does it get outside? If the water temp stays 40 or above, I would leave them outside. The temp of my outside pond is currently in the mid 40s, and my goldfish are swimming around and active just fine (multiple years). 

I'm in central Kentucky, so it will freeze for days at a time but probably not weeks at a time, and the pond has frozen over once already this year other than the hole where the airline is. I bought a pond de-icer to use for when ice returns, so I do have the ability to keep liquid water and air exchange, but...my fears are more that my WCMMs are old so I think it might be hard on them, and it's only one goldfish so if I bring in the WCMMs the goldfish will be alone 😞  

I don't think I have it in me to leave one fish alone out there. Too much Italian grandma blood.

[rockfisher]

There a video of muck buckets Dean uses to bring in fish to over winter. I made a few and they work. I got lazy and now just use a muck bucket with a sponge filter in them. I like the muck buckets because they are round and the fish seem to swim around more. 

[SandSea]

Dear Grandma blood, I used the spare bathroom tub for months, to keep my fish. I removed the regular drain cover & used a flat rubber stopper with a rock on top, https://www.amazon.com/DANCO-Suction-Stopper-1-Pack-89042/dp/B00G99DMVU/ref=asc_df_B00G99DMVU/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=198091011796&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7150388879968716568&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=t&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9012383&hvtargid=pla-349074179758&psc=1

You could use a sponge filter with an air stone. I was lucky in that I have a raised tub in the spare bathroom, so I was able to put one of my canister filters on the floor and that actually worked really well for the several months I had them in there. One of my glass tanks started leaking and we had an acrylic one made for us, along with a custom stand, which is why the fish were living in the tub.

so anyway if you have a spare bathroom with a tub that you are not using I imagine the fish would love it and they could all stay together, fish are people too.

Edited December 16, 2022 by SandSea

[nabokovfan87]

On 12/16/2022 at 9:53 AM, PineSong said:

Assuming I catch them and the goldfish...what's the best way to bring them in and warm them up without shocking them? Just leave them in a bucket to come up to room temperature, then add tank water to warm? Do I need to be more gradual and keep them for a day or so at room temps (68 degrees in my house)  before adding them to a heated tank (more like 76 degrees) in my tanks?

I would move them indoors, but unheated for a week and slowly let them acclimate to new temps.  Here is a video that might be helpful, but is also just fun to watch.  Very sorry for your losses with the white clouds.  😞

 

@SandSea I think maybe an autocorrect issue with your post?

[PineSong]

On 12/16/2022 at 3:16 PM, SandSea said:

so anyway if you have a spare bathroom with a tub that you are not using I imagine the fish would love it and they could all stay together, fish are people too.

Thank you for understanding! Alas, I have only one bathtub. 

The bad news is that it appears the only survivors are the sole goldfish and one of the white clouds. There were at least 4 of the original 5 white clouds present and accounted for about 2 weeks ago, so I know they survived the freezing weather and were still around when it was merely cold, but to lose 3 of them in the past 2 weeks does not feel random/aging related 😞

On 12/17/2022 at 3:36 AM, nabokovfan87 said:

I would move them indoors, but unheated for a week and slowly let them acclimate to new temps.  Here is a video that might be helpful, but is also just fun to watch.  Very sorry for your losses with the white clouds.  😞

Thanks for that. I did bring in the survivors and left them in that bucket in the kitchen while I went to a concert. When I came home, I filled a 10g half with icy pond water and half with new water. After that sat for an hour, it was still in the 40's!

I floated the fish in that and gradually added tank water, then released them into the unheated tank. Luckily, I had stashed a few extra sponge filters in the pond when I broke down guppy tanks over the summer, so I grabbed one of those and stuck it in the tank.

I'm not adding a heater. Not sure whether I will leave the white cloud where he is or eventually put him back in the 20g he lived in before the pond, but for now don't want him to have any more changes. I think I will rehome the goldfish to a larger pond home in spring. I know I do not want to keep goldfish indoors* but I can keep him until spring for sure and I know a lovely home he can move to if I can talk the pondkeeper into it.   *No room for a tank the size this comet would need as an adult, and if I had the room I'd use it for a 40 breeder or 55 full of tiny fish.

I think my summer tub 2023 will be just for my koi swordtails and male guppies again, with no more overwintering attempts. 

The emergency pond tank: it ain't pretty, but it ain't frozen. I'll spruce it up after they adjust.