frozen fish?

[SE18]

sorry to show my ignorance but someone suggested I stock little fish like minnows in my canal which freezes solid every year

I told the person the canal freezes solid and that I'm not installing an air or heating system

he said there are some minnows that can remain frozen in ice and when spring thaw comes, they return to life

I've heard this happens with some types of frogs but never heard fish could do that?

 

[Mmathis]

But why would you want to?

Wait, let me start over. That sounded sarcastic, and sarcasm wasn't my intent. You don't have fish at all, right? Shallow canal and if you had fish, they would freeze in winter. So, as a way to HAVE fish, the suggestion was to acquire some that are "freeze tolerant." OK, I see and that makes sense (sorta).

What about digging a spot out that is deeper than the rest of the waterway -- then the little guys would have some place to go where maybe freezing wouldn't be an issue....?

 

[JohnHuff]

I have not heard that frozen fish can return to life. Yup, I just checked my freezer, it's not happening.

 

[SE18]

thanks; I'll stick to tadpoles

 

[Dave 54]

Not many fish use anti freeze an the ones tht do live at the poles cant see the minnows surviving the inter if your canal freezes solid Im sorry to say .
I think the only thing you could do is to try to net them and bring them indoors for the winter months .

rgrds

Dave

 

[pecan]

Careful if your canal is connected to any water way. It is illegal to release many fish especially tiny ones like minnows and mosquitofish in water ways in most states and if it is connected they will spread.

Mosquitofish are not supposed to be hardy to our climate, but they survive every year in my pond

The mosquito abatement guys who put them in my pond the first year said they just disappear over the winter and they can restock them every spring. I questioned his suggestion that they "disappear" every winter. Wondered if maybe there was a mosquitofish rapture ever January. They also made me swear on my life they would never enter any other body of water, period. Then I wondered if they get raptured ever winter then why would I have to make this promise?

3 years later, the mosquitofish are still in the pond, never raptured and I can imagine the damage they would do in any local water ways.