Koi in the winter

I live in Ottawa and of course, it will get very cold here in the winter. I
plan to keep most of my fish in the pond and will do all the right things
like keeping the water open etc. What I am contemplating is bring in my four
8 inch Koi into the house for the winter. My plan would be to buy a kiddies
plastic pool, probably 4 feet across and 1 foot deep and put it in my
basement. Is this a good idea? Do the Koi need a cold winter to rest or will
they be alright in my indoor pond? I figure I would aerate the pond, used
timed lights and basically enjoy them over the winter.

Any thoughts out there?

Scott

On Sat, 24 Jul 2004 15:57:58 -0400, "Scott M."
wrote:

I live in Ottawa and of course, it will get very cold here in the winter. I
plan to keep most of my fish in the pond and will do all the right things
like keeping the water open etc. What I am contemplating is bring in my four
8 inch Koi into the house for the winter. My plan would be to buy a kiddies
plastic pool, probably 4 feet across and 1 foot deep and put it in my
basement. Is this a good idea? Do the Koi need a cold winter to rest or will
they be alright in my indoor pond? I figure I would aerate the pond, used
timed lights and basically enjoy them over the winter.

Any thoughts out there?

Scott



The koi will do better staying in the pond, unless the pond freezes
solid. They will be okay in your basement, provided the water is kept
clean (change 20% of the water every week) and cool.

Phisherman wrote:
On Sat, 24 Jul 2004 15:57:58 -0400, "Scott M."
wrote:


I live in Ottawa and of course, it will get very cold here in the winter. I
plan to keep most of my fish in the pond and will do all the right things
like keeping the water open etc. What I am contemplating is bring in my four
8 inch Koi into the house for the winter. My plan would be to buy a kiddies
plastic pool, probably 4 feet across and 1 foot deep and put it in my
basement. Is this a good idea? Do the Koi need a cold winter to rest or will
they be alright in my indoor pond? I figure I would aerate the pond, used
timed lights and basically enjoy them over the winter.

Any thoughts out there?

Scott




The koi will do better staying in the pond, unless the pond freezes
solid. They will be okay in your basement, provided the water is kept
clean (change 20% of the water every week) and cool.

I'd also include netting. At that depth they will most
likely jump! If at all possible I'd go for a deeper
indoor pond.

--
Bonnie
NJ

Phisherman wrote:
On Sat, 24 Jul 2004 15:57:58 -0400, "Scott M."
wrote:


I live in Ottawa and of course, it will get very cold here in the winter. I
plan to keep most of my fish in the pond and will do all the right things
like keeping the water open etc. What I am contemplating is bring in my four
8 inch Koi into the house for the winter. My plan would be to buy a kiddies
plastic pool, probably 4 feet across and 1 foot deep and put it in my
basement. Is this a good idea? Do the Koi need a cold winter to rest or will
they be alright in my indoor pond? I figure I would aerate the pond, used
timed lights and basically enjoy them over the winter.

Any thoughts out there?

Scott




The koi will do better staying in the pond, unless the pond freezes
solid. They will be okay in your basement, provided the water is kept
clean (change 20% of the water every week) and cool.

I'd also include netting. At that depth they will most
likely jump! If at all possible I'd go for a deeper
indoor pond.

--
Bonnie
NJ

I built in indoor pond out of landscape timbers. I stacked them like a log
cabin nailing them together with spikes. Put rigid insulation down on the
floor and the sides. Then I bought a pond liner fairly cheap in the fall
when the stores were selling out of the left overs. I keep my house about
70°F during the winter so the fish were fine.

"Scott M." wrote in message
...
I live in Ottawa and of course, it will get very cold here in the winter. I
plan to keep most of my fish in the pond and will do all the right things
like keeping the water open etc. What I am contemplating is bring in my
four
8 inch Koi into the house for the winter. My plan would be to buy a
kiddies
plastic pool, probably 4 feet across and 1 foot deep and put it in my
basement. Is this a good idea? Do the Koi need a cold winter to rest or
will
they be alright in my indoor pond? I figure I would aerate the pond, used
timed lights and basically enjoy them over the winter.

Any thoughts out there?

Scott

Subject: Koi in the winter
From: "Mickey"
Date: 07/24/2004 4:13 PM Pacific Standard Time
Message-id:
Wrote:
I built in indoor pond out of landscape timbers. I stacked them like a log
cabin nailing them together with spikes. Put rigid insulation down on the
floor and the sides. Then I bought a pond liner fairly cheap in the fall
when the stores were selling out of the left overs. I keep my house about
70°F during the winter so the fish were fine.
---------------------------------------------------------
This is what we did for our outside pond. I stained it, put on several coats of
waterproofing, put in insulation, stuck in a liner, put two leather strips on
the ends like handles, then put old fashioned travel stickers on the outside.
It looks like an old fashioned steamer trunk. The size is 6x4, and we love it.
We put a ledge of a few inches all around it. You can sit and look in relaxed
with your arms on the wood and diet coke sitting next to you.

Many people in the cold north bring their koi in for the winter. I think
your idea of an indoor pond is probably too small for that many fish. The
indoor pond would need to have some form of a filter to keep the ammonia and
nitrites in check, or you will definitely do more damage to the fish
bringing them in, than leaving them out. I have seen nice quarantine ponds
made with 4X4 timbers and a liner, about 4' by 8' with a depth of about 3'
would make a nice pond. A shelf over the pond to put in a half whiskey
barrel made as a Skippy should be adequate.
--
RichToyBox
http://www.geocities.com/richtoybox/pondintro.html
"Scott M." wrote in message
...
I live in Ottawa and of course, it will get very cold here in the winter.
I
plan to keep most of my fish in the pond and will do all the right things
like keeping the water open etc. What I am contemplating is bring in my
four
8 inch Koi into the house for the winter. My plan would be to buy a
kiddies
plastic pool, probably 4 feet across and 1 foot deep and put it in my
basement. Is this a good idea? Do the Koi need a cold winter to rest or
will
they be alright in my indoor pond? I figure I would aerate the pond, used
timed lights and basically enjoy them over the winter.

Any thoughts out there?

Scott

"RichToyBox" wrote in message news:8iCMc.153463$a24.111591@attbi_s03...
Many people in the cold north bring their koi in for the winter.

A friend [in zone 6] brings his fish and plants inside and keeps them
in a couple of rubbermaid stock tanks. That is what his basement is
for, he says. He has grow lights, too.
--
Crashj

"Crashj" wrote in message
om...
"RichToyBox" wrote in message
news:8iCMc.153463$a24.111591@attbi_s03...
Many people in the cold north bring their koi in for the winter.

A friend [in zone 6] brings his fish and plants inside and keeps them
in a couple of rubbermaid stock tanks. That is what his basement is
for, he says. He has grow lights, too.
--
Crashj
---------------------------
I'm in zone 6 and my koi and goldfish thrive outdoors all winter.
--
Carol....
"I used to eat a lot of natural foods until I learned that most
people die of natural causes."
~~~~~~{@
"They laugh because I'm different, I laugh because they're all the same."
http://www.heartoftn.net/users/windsong/index.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On Sat, 24 Jul 2004 15:57:58 -0400, "Scott M."
wrote:

I live in Ottawa and of course, it will get very cold here in the winter. I
plan to keep most of my fish in the pond and will do all the right things
like keeping the water open etc. What I am contemplating is bring in my four
8 inch Koi into the house for the winter. My plan would be to buy a kiddies
plastic pool, probably 4 feet across and 1 foot deep and put it in my
basement. Is this a good idea? Do the Koi need a cold winter to rest or will
they be alright in my indoor pond? I figure I would aerate the pond, used
timed lights and basically enjoy them over the winter.

Any thoughts out there?

Scott



The koi will do better staying in the pond, unless the pond freezes
solid. They will be okay in your basement, provided the water is kept
clean (change 20% of the water every week) and cool.