Basement Fish Pond

In winter here in Winterpeg, I have to bring my fish inside. Here is a photo of my setup in my basement with all of my goldfish swimming around. If I were to get rid of the goldfish would this pond work for 2 or more Koi for the winter?

 

How many gallons is this basement pond? Looks to small for Koi.

 

No apparent biofiltration.

 

No biofiltration, you are right. It is maybe 100 gallons

 

Do like colleen does in Canada .She keeps hers outside .As they get older and bigger it will get harder

 

Can't keep them outside - we get -40C

 

100 gal is much too small for Koi. You probably have too many goldfish in it now.

 

I would buy a 2x4 sheet of double walled plastic from Home Depot and place it over the top of your indoor pond.
That will help reduce evaporation and mould from developing inside your house over the winter.
If you're using an HRV, it will reduce the work the HRV has to do.

 

Yeah in Canada you are gonna have to green house or cover the pond.

 

I like your goldfish!

 

Nice to have them indoors for the winter

One suggestion though, either cover the top of the tank or drop the water line. You don't want to lose any fish by jumping out of the tank.

 

I thought of building a winter pond in my basement, and bring in all my fish, it would be so cool to be able to have them indoor, but then I worry that the in and out would be more stressful for them than the staying outdoor for the winter

 

I did that the first few winters I had a small preform pond. I didn't want to leave them outdoors over the winter in only 18 inch deep water. When we dug a 3 foot deep pond I left them outdoors all year.

I don't feel the fish were stressed at all. I never lost one during this time and they received food and water changes during the time they were indoors.

Used a 150 gallon stock tank and mature filter I pulled from the outdoor pond. Fish were fine.

 

I think the concern is that catching the fish will cause stress. I know my big koi get very freaked out as soon as they realize I am using the net to try to catch a fish vs skim leaves. I always worry that they will hurt themselves in the frenzy of trying to get away from the net. They do the know the difference - when I am skimming for leaves, they will swim right up to the net, no problem.

 

Funny how they know the difference, silly fish

I would guess some fish do experience some amount of stress being caught. But it depends on the fish and how your trying to catch them. Some of my fancy goldfish swim right to my hand and I pick them up and move them without a net (not much stress there) The commons are not always so easy to catch.

 

My goldfish are the same way - they will swim right INTO the net. They're not real bright. haha!

 

Thank you all for your input a year ago and I am more determined than ever to have koi in my pond outdoors which means overwintering them. So next spring I am going to put them in my outdoor pond and bring them in next winter. Because the pond is in the basement and we live in a very cold dry climate, house humidity is not a problem. I still think this pond will be large enough for 3 Koi over winter if I look after the water quality. I need to know the size and type of biofiltration and pump I will need.