Pond Depth for goldfish zone 5

[Anon]

Hello

I’m currently planning a zone 5 pond for goldfish and turtles, and I’m wondering what depth would be deep enough for the goldfish. Ideally I wouldn’t have to use a heater or bubble maker, but if I do let me know! Don’t worry about the turtles, I’m just gonna bring them inside.

Thanks!

 

[addy1]

I added to your title so they know you are zone 5.

I am 6b my one pond is around 2.5 feet and the few fish in it do fine. They are there only because eggs or fry traveled down the garden hose water flow.

 

[Lisak1]

Ponds in our zone (5B) are built as shallow as 24 inches and the fish do fine over winter. BUT you do need to consider a way to keep a hole in the ice - most effective is a de-icer (not a heater, per se - just a floating device that warms enough to maintain a small hole).

Another very important factor to consider is the overall size of the pond - a pond 24 inches deep but only a few hundred gallons could freeze solid, where the same depth at several thousand gallons would be fine all winter.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

Hello

I’m currently planning a zone 5 pond for goldfish and turtles, and I’m wondering what depth would be deep enough for the goldfish. Ideally I wouldn’t have to use a heater or bubble maker, but if I do let me know! Don’t worry about the turtles, I’m just gonna bring them inside.

Thanks!

I'm in zone 5 and Mine is 3.5' deep, but I went deeper than necessary. I personally wouldn't do anything under 2.5', though. As Lisak1 said, you'll need something to allow oxygen in and gases out. I've used a Pond Breather for about four years now and it's been perfect. I'd highly recommend it, although the price has gone up quite a bit since I bought mine.

I'm curious about the turtles. Pets? Will they be in an enclosure they can't escape?

 

[Anon]

I'm in zone 5 and Mine is 3.5' deep, but I went deeper than necessary. I personally wouldn't do anything under 2.5', though. As Lisak1 said, you'll need something to allow oxygen in and gases out. I've used a Pond Breather for about four years now and it's been perfect. I'd highly recommend it, although the price has gone up quite a bit since I bought mine.

I'm curious about the turtles. Pets? Will they be in an enclosure they can't escape?

The idea is that it will double as a box turtle habitat. So yes, it will have a wall around it.

 

[Mmathis]

The idea is that it will double as a box turtle habitat. So yes, it will have a wall around it.

Please tell me that your box turtle habitat is not aquatic!

 

[JBtheExplorer]

Please tell me that your box turtle habitat is not aquatic!

I'm glad you joined this topic. I would've tagged you had you not already joined in.

 

[Mmathis]

I'm glad you joined this topic. I would've tagged you had you not already joined in.

Please, always feel free to tag me. I just happened to notice the turtle reference on the first post, but assumed the OP meant semi-aquatic turtles. I might not have caught the later “box turtle” reference.

And I have to be careful with my pond story, because technically, the pond was created because of my turtles — I wanted to have a fresh water source always available to them, and decided that a garden pond with plants and goldfish and good filtration was the best course of action.....even though the part that the turtles have access to is only a teeeeeensy fraction of the actual pond. To anyone who does know, it might sound like my entire pond was dedicated to the turtles.

 

[bettasngoldfish]

I'm in zone 5 and my pond is 3 feet deep (which is what I believe the usual recommendation is as to not freeze solid during the coldest part of the season) I use a pond de-icer and airstones during the winter months. Never had a problem with freezing (even in my stock tanks or above ground pond which are not as deep but I heat and cover them)

 

[Anon]

Please tell me that your box turtle habitat is not aquatic!

Definitely not

I have plenty of space for a land area, as box turtles are obviously not fully aquatic.

 

[Mmathis]

Definitely not

I have plenty of space for a land area, as box turtles are obviously not fully aquatic.

Oooh, no, not the least bit aquatic. They need just enough water for a good soak (and poop), water depth to but not above depth of carapace— so a few inches. They aren’t swimmers or divers.

 

[mrtrumpet]

My previous pond in upstate NY, a winter paradise, had koi and goldfish and was 3.5 feet deep at the center. All fish survived the 4 winters I lived there. I occasionally put a heater in the pond, but mostly kept a hole open with a bubbler. It was a lot cheaper electrically than using the heater.

 

[mgmine]

In my experience turtles and small fish don't go well together. For that matter frogs and small fish don't go together either. I don't learn and just lost $22 dollars worth of Koi to a normal size frog. As far as depth goes, I live in upstate NY and my pond is about 4 feet deep in the middle. The deeper it is the more water and the more water the more chance the fish have to survive when it freezes over in the winter.