We are zone 7a, and they SAY 0 - 5 degrees F but it rarely gets anywhere near this low here. We are in the eastern part of MA (specifically Cape Cod), so we stay a bit warmer thanks to the ocean (although the wind chill can get pretty nasty). In an average winter, we may get snow 3-4 times, and usually, only 3-4" which is completely gone in 2-3 days. All of the adult fish will stay out. To say 50-60 fish sounds like a lot, but not many are all that big. We have 8 comets that average around 8-9"... 7 shubunkins, which are only 6-7" and they will have the "bog" to themselves (til spring this is known as the comet pond LOL)... IF there was only water in the bog, it would be around 2500 gallons, but there is a couple tons of pea gravel in there as well (towards it being a bog), so guessing they have a good 2000 gallons of water. The rest are koi, with the smallest being around 8-9" and the largest being MAYBE 22" (and it is a butterfly, so the reality is a smaller fish than it sounds) with an even size range in between, and they have the main pond which I guess is about 6400-6500 gallons (pond calc says it is bigger, but I dont think so).
We have about 140-150 babies inside ranging from fry to 3.5"... They will winter over inside, as I am having a blast watching them develop. We'll likely place most of the comet babies in the spring, but for now, the older comet babies have the new pond hubby just built in the basement for plants, and the older koi babies (and a few Shunkin babies) have taken over the QT pond (also in the basement).
IF it looks to be a nasty winter, we may at the last minute bring the others inside, but if it is the average winter, they will be fine outside. The last time we truly had a bad winter was in 2005, when we got slammed with 37". Just going to keep an eye on the pond temps.
We have about 140-150 babies inside ranging from fry to 3.5"... They will winter over inside, as I am having a blast watching them develop. We'll likely place most of the comet babies in the spring, but for now, the older comet babies have the new pond hubby just built in the basement for plants, and the older koi babies (and a few Shunkin babies) have taken over the QT pond (also in the basement).
IF it looks to be a nasty winter, we may at the last minute bring the others inside, but if it is the average winter, they will be fine outside. The last time we truly had a bad winter was in 2005, when we got slammed with 37". Just going to keep an eye on the pond temps.
