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Hello, folks!
As I've mentioned in early posts, we have a red-eared slider who is now spending the summer months outside.
After being an indoor turtle for over 12 years, she now spends the warm months in a large kiddie pool setup, with bricks to bask on.
My ultimate plan is to set her up in a naturalistic Rubbermaid stock tank pond setup, with substrate, rocks, and live plants and fish. Whether or not the tank will be buried, half-buried, or exposed is still being disputed.
Since the turtle will probably be coming inside during the coldest months, and the plants will mostly be annuals (water lettuce, etc.) that won't survive the winter anyway, I was wondering if it would be worthwhile to bury the stock tank to insulate it. The only problem would be the fish.
The only fish in the pond would probably be "feeder" fish, which are usually rosy red minnows and goldfish. The only problem with goldfish is that they usually need an opening in the ice to survive the winter months, even if the pond is insulated. They are also larger, and might contribute to the bioload almost as much as the turtle. So I might stick to the rosy red minnows.
My question is, how hardy are rosy red minnows in terms of winter survival?
I know that they are tolerant of almost any temperature above freezing (32-100 degrees Fahrenheit), but I was wondering more about ice tolerance. Since rosy red minnows are smaller than goldfish and require less oxygen, might they survive the winter better under the ice (even without a deicer) than large fish like goldfish and koi?
(I'm aware that rosy reds are the same as fathead minnows, which we appear to have native here in northern New England.)
Installing a deicer for feeder rosy reds that survive our RES's onslaught seems a bit of a big investment, but just because they are feeders doesn't mean I intend to leave them all to die and freeze in a block of ice every winter.
I wouldn't mind a major die-off, I just wouldn't want to sentence them to death without a chance of escape every winter.
Has anyone had any experiences with rosy red minnows and their winter survival, especially without a deicer or an opening in the ice?
Also, if the stock tank remains above ground, will all the water and minnows inside freeze into a block of ice?
As I've mentioned, we live in northern New England, where the temperatures can drop below -20 degrees Fahrenheit, which is why I am wondering if they could survive.
Any input would be appreciated.
Thanks! God bless!
As I've mentioned in early posts, we have a red-eared slider who is now spending the summer months outside.
After being an indoor turtle for over 12 years, she now spends the warm months in a large kiddie pool setup, with bricks to bask on.
My ultimate plan is to set her up in a naturalistic Rubbermaid stock tank pond setup, with substrate, rocks, and live plants and fish. Whether or not the tank will be buried, half-buried, or exposed is still being disputed.
Since the turtle will probably be coming inside during the coldest months, and the plants will mostly be annuals (water lettuce, etc.) that won't survive the winter anyway, I was wondering if it would be worthwhile to bury the stock tank to insulate it. The only problem would be the fish.
The only fish in the pond would probably be "feeder" fish, which are usually rosy red minnows and goldfish. The only problem with goldfish is that they usually need an opening in the ice to survive the winter months, even if the pond is insulated. They are also larger, and might contribute to the bioload almost as much as the turtle. So I might stick to the rosy red minnows.
My question is, how hardy are rosy red minnows in terms of winter survival?
I know that they are tolerant of almost any temperature above freezing (32-100 degrees Fahrenheit), but I was wondering more about ice tolerance. Since rosy red minnows are smaller than goldfish and require less oxygen, might they survive the winter better under the ice (even without a deicer) than large fish like goldfish and koi?
(I'm aware that rosy reds are the same as fathead minnows, which we appear to have native here in northern New England.)
Installing a deicer for feeder rosy reds that survive our RES's onslaught seems a bit of a big investment, but just because they are feeders doesn't mean I intend to leave them all to die and freeze in a block of ice every winter.
I wouldn't mind a major die-off, I just wouldn't want to sentence them to death without a chance of escape every winter.
Has anyone had any experiences with rosy red minnows and their winter survival, especially without a deicer or an opening in the ice?
Also, if the stock tank remains above ground, will all the water and minnows inside freeze into a block of ice?
As I've mentioned, we live in northern New England, where the temperatures can drop below -20 degrees Fahrenheit, which is why I am wondering if they could survive.
Any input would be appreciated.
Thanks! God bless!
