what are good pond temperatures?

what are safe temperatures to introduce plants and fish into the pond?
i have been overwintering my hardy lillies and goldfish inside. they
are used to 20=B0C water. right at sunset the water is 15=B0C. in the
morning the temperatures drop to 12.5=B0C

can i put them in or should i wait?

(non-metric)

20=B0C =3D 68=B0F
15=B0C =3D 59=B0F
12.5=B0C =3D 54.5=B0F

wrote in message
oups.com...
what are safe temperatures to introduce plants and fish into the pond?
i have been overwintering my hardy lillies and goldfish inside. they
are used to 20°C water. right at sunset the water is 15°C. in the
morning the temperatures drop to 12.5°C

can i put them in or should i wait?

(non-metric)

20°C = 68°F
15°C = 59°F
12.5°C = 54.5°F

Anything temp over feeding temp (50-55) is probably OK. But I'd probably
hold out for 60. Mine were in the pond all winter and they are just now
reaching temps similar to yours. I tried feeding them some wheat germ a few
days ago and duckweed yesterday, but no one was terribly interested.
Although there is the odd one sucking something (Algae?) off the liner.

Just make sure you SLOWLY match the tank water in your transfer bucket to
the pond water before you throw the fish in the pond. i.e. make sure the PH
and temp of your transfer bucket matches the pond water. Also check the pond
for Ammonia and Nitrates and allow time for your Biofilter to get going.

thanks for the response. i also brought my filter inside to overwinter.
it was a couple hundred dollars and i didn't want to run the risk of
have it ice over and crack. the filter has been with the goldfish
inside so it should be ok.

i'll give the pond a few more weeks until it's over 60=B0F all the time
like you say. it'll be somewhat tricky bring the water temps down
slowly but i'll figure out something. i know it's much harder for them
to go into cooler water than warmer and don't want to loose any of
them... even if they are $0.25 feeder goldfish.

wrote in message
oups.com...
thanks for the response. i also brought my filter inside to overwinter.
it was a couple hundred dollars and i didn't want to run the risk of
have it ice over and crack. the filter has been with the goldfish
inside so it should be ok.

i'll give the pond a few more weeks until it's over 60°F all the time
like you say. it'll be somewhat tricky bring the water temps down
slowly but i'll figure out something. i know it's much harder for them
to go into cooler water than warmer and don't want to loose any of
them... even if they are $0.25 feeder goldfish.


I know what you mean about the losing the GF. Mine were only $0.22 CND
feeders, but I spent a few hundred bucks to keep them safe outside through
the winter. Fortunately they all made it.

15°C isn't an absolute, but as you say the less the temp drop the better.
You must be in Zone 5/A based on your water temps. May 1st is probably a
good day for their move to the cottage.