Moving fish - in winter?

[Grenage]

Good evening!

We're moving house early this year, and we've got a pond that we inherited with the house. I like it a lot, and will be creating one in the new garden, but this pond takes up most of the room in a small garden. For the purposes of sale, I really need to get rid of the pond, and reinstate the lawn.

I will need to relocate the goldfish, for which I am sure I can find homes - but is it safe to move them in the colder months, when they have slowed their metabolism?

If I have to wait until it warns up, so be it; I just don't want to harm 20 - 30 perfectly healthy fish. Any expert input would be much appreciated!

 

[sissy]

better now in my opinion as there whole body slows down this time of the year .They are getting ready to spawn come spring and to me more prone to getting sick .That is just my opinion from people who live in colder climate here that move there fish indoors every winter and have no problems

 

[bettasngoldfish]

Just so we have a better idea on the situation it would help to know where the pond is located? Winter temperatures can be very different and may make a difference on the answers you get.

Also do you actually have anyone lined up as a new home already? It may not be as easy as you think to find suitable homes for that many fish.

 

[sissy]

I was figuring he must have temps same as Dave .So guessing that would be a great question since we really have no clue on weather and how big the fish actually are .Are the ponds you are moving them to already established and do they have a place to keep them until they can be introduced to the ponds

 

[Meyer Jordan]

I know that this is in disagreement with others, but moving any fish whose metabolism has already begun to slow due to cold water temperatures is certainly going to subject them to much greater stress than moving them in the middle of Summer. Stress that will cause them to expend energy reserves that they need to over-winter. Stress that may compromise their immune systems, exposing them to infections and disease.
If you can wait until warmer weather, then I would certainly encourage that you do so.

 

[Dave 54]

I know that this is in disagreement with others, but moving any fish whose metabolism has already begun to slow due to cold water temperatures is certainly going to subject them to much greater stress than moving them in the middle of Summer. Stress that will cause them to expend energy reserves that they need to over-winter. Stress that may compromise their immune systems, exposing them to infections and disease.
If you can wait until warmer weather, then I would certainly encourage that you do so.

I am totally in agreement with Meyer on this guys , there s no way I would subject our koi to the stresses of a move during winter the very time when they are in acctual fact nearer to being dead than alive (the lower the temperature gets to 2c the greater the risk).
It would definately use up much needed reserves of energy and could easily damage their immune system, you have the stress of bagging them up , transporting them as well as leaving you with the problem of getting them settled into a new enviroment at the wrong tme of year , it would be nigh on impossible to match temperatures correctly nor the unique make up of their original pond which all adds to extra stress .
As well as leaving them open to asMeyer aptly puts infections disease an I will add one more death.
So personally I would leave it until late spring eearly summer before any move .

Dave
A water temperature of 2c puts them in that state.

 

[Grenage]

Good morning; thank you for your replies.

I suspected it might be a bad idea to move them while they aren't being fed. It's not exactly Sweden down in the south UK, but the temperature drops to Freezing (sometimes) during the night - and around 7-10 during the day. I haven't started looking for homes, as I didn't yet know when it would be safe to move them out; if I cannot find homes, then I will have to keep the pond - I'll just move it to the side of the garden.

There are about 10 large goldfish (6-9"), and one fish that looks like a Koy - he's probably about 12"; the rest are fry; and I would guess at up to 20.

I think the most sensible thing may be to relocate the pond regardless; I'll lose a large border (raised), but it will give me the back-fill for the old pond, and I can minimise the stress.

 

[sissy]

I went to an expert pond builders seminar today and asked the question of moving them and he said it really would depend on the temps of the water .Here he said you could still move them as they are not resting as much .He told me also as long as the water where you were moving them to was the same temp. it is better .He was from aquascapes .He said as long as you take extra care in the moving of them it can work better fall and early spring and should be done well before they start spawning .Mid summer as long as water temps. are the same or close and that you treat the water with a stress coat product .It will help them protect there slime coat and keep them from stressing out .He also said never move them from warmer water to colder water and just the same the other way round .He said they move there fish year round but are experts but only do it with great caution taken for the fish health .I talked to him after words about fish moving also .He went into it in great detail though so it was easy to understand .But temps of both water areas seemed to be the most important part .He seems to prefer himself to move them while they are in resting mode .He never likes to move fish during there spawn times it can cause way to many problems .

 

[Meyer Jordan]

I went to an expert pond builders seminar today and asked the question of moving them and he said it really would depend on the temps of the water .Here he said you could still move them as they are not resting as much .He told me also as long as the water where you were moving them to was the same temp. it is better .He was from aquascapes .He said as long as you take extra care in the moving of them it can work better fall and early spring and should be done well before they start spawning .Mid summer as long as water temps. are the same or close and that you treat the water with a stress coat product .It will help them protect there slime coat and keep them from stressing out .He also said never move them from warmer water to colder water and just the same the other way round .He said they move there fish year round but are experts but only do it with great caution taken for the fish health .I talked to him after words about fish moving also .He went into it in great detail though so it was easy to understand .But temps of both water areas seemed to be the most important part .He seems to prefer himself to move them while they are in resting mode .He never likes to move fish during there spawn times it can cause way to many problems .

I find it surprising that a representative of Aquascape would recommend using Stress Coat when transferring fish. Stress Coat is no more than a Chlorine neutralizer, certainly not a sedative or anesthetic. It will induce the fish to secrete more slime because it is basically an irritant. Hardly a stress reducer. If anything, it would just add to the stress already imposed on the fish.