Back home after 4 months....

[Ronfire]

This year I thought I would winter the goldfish instead of finding them a new home each year.When we left for Arizona for the winter I shut the pond down and covered it with plywood, and a tarp with hay inside to help insulate it. The pond is only about 20" deep so I was concerned with it freezing solid, it was even to shallow to have the Pond Breather sit in properly. When I left the pond had drained down about 5" in 2 days and knew I had a leak but had to leave. The house was shut up for the winter and water shut off and blown out in case it froze with a power outage. Had to hope for the best with aprox. 30 feeder gold fish for the winter
Just got home yesterday and uncovered the pond to find I still had most the fish alive and only had 2 fatalities. There is still ice in the pond and a large lump of it in the bottom around one of the Lilly plants, surprised it was not floating . The fish where all under the ice lump and not in the open area and seem to be doing well after I topped up the pond. I probably lost around 1/3 of the water. I am planning on a complete rebuild this spring with a new liner so I am not concerned with the small leak for now.

 

[j.w]

Yay, glad most all of them made it!

 

[Tula]

Welcome home

 

[addy1]

They are pretty tough those goldfish. My hubby bought a foreclosure, years ago, found a small pond in the front yard. It was a preform, maybe 200 gallons, shallow, covered with plywood. He took off the plywood and there where live fish in the water. This was after a really cold winter.

 

[JamieB]

The top of my mini pond froze over this winter, killed a few of mine. But they survived. I’ve had them survive in just a few inches of water under ice, they are sturdy fish!

 

[Ronfire]

Friend of mine thought all her goldfish where gone so she drained the pond. Two months later moved a rock and found 2 fish in a bit of water underneath.