Very little pond in the New England

[Melrosefish]

I bought my home 3 years ago and inherited a very small fish pond. The past two years I bought several comet goldfish in the spring and they would die mid-summer. This year our fish have not only survived but reproduced! I now have 2 adult comets 5in long each and 2 rapidly growing fry- nearly 2in already. It never downed on that the fish would survive and I'd need to worry about caring for them in the winter. Given these fish are 28cent comets I'm not up for spending big money on fancy heating systems or even a very large tank to bring inside (an I really not want to clean a tank). Pls offer any advise on how to best keep them alive during the winter. My pond is aprox. 4feet by 3feet oval and aprox 18in deep. I have become attached to my fish and the babies!

 

[Tula]

They might over winter in your pond just fine, although you do have some cold winters in Boston. I use a pond de-icer to keep a round area unfrozen to let gases out. Some folks also use an air pump and put the air stone in the pond , just don't rest it on the pond bottom as it cools the water too much. You'll want to stop feeding them when the water temps approach 50 degrees. Kim

 

[addy1]

I just use an aerator, keeps a hole in the ice. We don't get as cold as you, but it does work.

 

[Mmathis]

Welcome!

How big (or "small") is your pond, especially, how deep?

 

[Melrosefish]

I did include the dimensions in my post- it's about 4ft by 3ft oval and 18in deep. Thanks!