In Ontario You will need more than 5 ft to overwinter these fish outdoors. I am not aware of what depth is needed in Alberta.

I've seen breeders here in Ontario keep these fish in large & deep tubs which are temperature controlled and has a good filtration system. The tubs were well over 100 gals and about 4 feet in depth. Do you have a wet room where you can set up these kinds of tubs and preferably set near your sink. You should contact local koi breeders for equipment suggestions. Note that because these fish do produce a large amount of waste, you will need to invest in a really good filter, plus to be prepared to do scheduled partial water changes. Since these are expensive fish, it may be worth your investment to get the right equipment.

the stock tank I am looking at is 150 gal, and only 2 feet deep. I was going to set up in my sunroom, like a indoor pond, with a good filter system, but I don't think 150gal will be big enough, just wondering what others have experienced. My pond is not near deep enough to over winter them in Alberta.

You have a lot of fish, not for the size of your pond (your pond must be amazing!), but for overwintering indoors. I have read of one person building a structure out of wood and clear plastic and placing it over their pond, sort of a low height mini greenhouse which warms up in the winter sunlight and helps keeps things just a tad warmer. By the way, Garden Web also has a "ponds and aquatic plants" forum, so that might be the place to ask (check under the other forums section).

My pond is only 300 gallons and 18 inches deep so indoor overwintering is a must. I have two 7-inch koi and three small fantail goldfish (2 inches long?) as well as a baby fish that I just discovered (believe it or not, the floating plants grew so good this year I didn't realize I had a baby fish until recently). I was most excited about that.

Anyways, I overwinter in a stock tank (the kind that you buy at a farm supply place) but I believe my tank is only 129 gallons at most, probably only 100 gallons because you don't fill them right to the top. For filtration I built a mini version of what is called the adams filter, basically a submersible homemade filter built with any pond pump and a Rubbermaid container. I can find you directions if youÂd like though I donÂt think itÂs suitable for Âbig applications such as yours. This year I bought a new filter (pressurized external filter which sits behind the pond) so I think I am going to bring that indoors and just run it to the stock tank.

When I transfer the fish from outside to inside itÂs usually early October and the pond water is cold. I fill the stock tank with pond water and then bring the fish inside right after that. That way they are going into the same temperature water. If the water is chilly, the fish arenÂt very active but it gradually warms up to room temperature and the fish resume normal activity. I might add a bit of salt to the water (pure salt or sea salt only) at first to help the fish deal with the stress of being moved. This salt gradually gets removed from the tub when I do regular water changes.

With your volume of fish, you may have to invest in a few stock tanks and powerful filtration. No matter what, doing water changes regularly is important and water tests are important for the first few weeks indoors, until the biofilter gets established (monitor ammonia, nitrite, nitrate levels).

Overall, wintering fish indoors is a bit of a hassle, especially for koi which keep growing bigger each season. The goldfish have pretty well stayed small. But, the fish arenÂt just pond fish, they are pets.

Glen

Do you have a buy/trade/sell magazine there? I would start looking for larger aquariums if you do. I know we have one in my area and there are always a lot of large aquariums in it (people get sick of snakes, lizards or fish) and people sell them off fairly cheap. You will need a few different tanks for the amount of fish you have. Good filtration and regular partial water changes will be really important to keep them healthy. I know some people set up a big air bubbler in their pond so it doesn't freeze all the way, but I would not want to risk that if you are really attached to them.

Thanks for the info Glen. I think I wll do the stock tank. I do have some larger aquariums, but I know there isn't enough room in them for all my fish. So I think between the stock tank and the 3 aquariums I have this year I should be good.....next year however, I think I will build a indoor pond, in my sunroom. That was my plan this year, but my time is running out. I think that is the best idea, because I don't want aquariums all over my house. Think I will bring my filter in from outside, it will be powerfull enough for the stock tank for sure.
Your right they aren't just pond fish they are pets.....there is something about the fish in the pond that is different than just an aquarium, I have had aquariums since i was a child, and never have I been so attached to my fish as i am now.

I would suggest you contact fish farms, fish hatcheries for names of their suppliers. Yesterday, I spotted a few online suppliers carrying a variety of tanks. Some smaller and temporary but has the size of a hot tub. An idea is also for you to fashion a customized tank simply using pond liner draped over the a container. I don't think you need something that is necessary wide, but it should be something that is deep to allow each fish lots of room to swim in without having to bump into each other.. The one gallon per fish thing wouldn't work in the case of a large fish such as a Koi. as you probably know. (I too own a aquarium - just one though.) Although the fish are still young, I imagine you will have pretty much grown fish in a couple of years and so you might as well think of hte future and invest it that size of container. Since Koi is pretty expensive, long lived, and slow growing, I would say, please check with koi suppliers or breeders for advise.. Interesting that in Japan, a priced koi is easily $5000 - as much as $100,000. In Ontario, what I saw was around $80 - $500 and more I imagine, depending on colouring, size, and types.

I also spotted a few sites carrying such tanks for fish breeders, hatcheries, farms, etc.. You might get some idea of about what types are available. There's one that can be set up like an above ground pool which can be dismantled after use. There may be more available online for your research.

Ianna

This is a thought, but is it possible to find someone near by that has a swimming pool that could be drained and fresh water added to the right depth that you need. You could also use a bubbler on top of the water for air circulation snd some type of heat, if needed.

Lynne

this is the third year that I have brought my fish indoors for the winter. We expanded the pond a little bit, so we have more fish than usual. I think there are too many for the stock tank now, and I lost 2 fish yesterday. According to our pond supply guy, it's probably too late to begin biofiltering since it takes a couple of months to establish. I had some pond bacteria left from summer and put a little bit of that in the tank yesterday, and it seemed to help a little bit. The bottle says it helps to reduce amonia and nitrates. I also put a little bit of stress coat, and a bit of sea salt. I am wondering if it's just too many fish for the tank. What type of filter should I use, and is there a chemical way to help with this, along with water changes? Thanks!

how large is your tank and how much fish do you have? There are chemical ways to reduce nitrates, but nothing beats a quarter tank water change done monthly?

Don't use any filtration system that filtrates from the bottom of the tank. A filtration system set up mid tank is more effective in my opinion. I use an EHEIM cannister filtration system for my tank. Also do you have an aeration system. In a crowded tank, you have to make sure the fish are getting enough oxygen.

I was just searching around about fish ponds and wintering fish. I noticed this post. I am not at all knowledgeable in this subject area; I am however concerned with your indoor pond idea. As someone in residential construction I have serious questions about the indoor pond. Is the floor of the room able to support that amount of water? Water is extremely heavy even in smaller volumes. Is your house going to be able to vent that added moisture so that you aren't introducing molds and other moisture related problems. Maybe you've already thought of all these things (kudos to you if you have: most people don't). My suggestion: contact a reputable builder in the area to ensure your house won't fall apart with the addition of your finned friends.

I have overwintered fish before, successfully, but it needs to be done in the basement on a cement floor.
Filtering is easy, the only cost is a pump.
1. You find a large heavy plastic container, a Rubbermaid storage container is perfect or a tall barrel often sold as a rain barrel.
2. Set this container onto something that raises the bottom of it as high as the side of the pool. I used cement blocks to build a stable base for mine.
3. Put a drain hole in the bottom of the side of the container so the water can drain out into the pool. I put my cement blocks and the entire thing inside the pool but you can put it beside the pool as long as the water drains out the hole in the side bottom and into the pool without leaking onto the floor.
4. Fill the container with filter media of some kind. There are a lot of things you can use for this. Plastic dish and bath scrubbies work well(ones without soap), as does clean lava rock with no additives. Anything to increase the surface area for bacteria to grow on. (Quilt batting is too dense). You want to establish a good bacteria culture in the media. It is this bacteria that removes the ammonia from the water as it flows through the filter. This really doesn't take two months. Two weeks is more like it, especially if you seed it with bacteria from another fish filter, either pond or aquarium.
5. Run the pump inside the pool sitting on a brick, with an output hose that runs the water into the top of the plastic filter container. If you are indoors and there's not a lot of splashing, you won't need a lid on it. The outflow hole in the bottom side of the filter container needs to be four times the size of the inflow hose. If it is not that large, the filter will slow the water down enough to cause it to overflow.

Filtering a pond is really very simple. You don't need anything more complicated than the pump. Get a pump that moves the gallons through the filter about four times a day. That will be your biggest or only expense.

I use this type of filter for my outdoor pond too. An out-of-pond filter like this one works much better than an underwater pump filter. It doesn't have to be ugly plastic. I had one that was in a huge terra cotta pot and I put a few impatiens in the top. (yes, ordinary garden impatiens love growing bare root in water).

It is called a "trickle tower" filter. Google it and you will get a lot of information.

Rule of thumb for fish is this: one gallon of water for every inch of fish, including tail. If you have a super filtration system, you can get away with more. They will grow through the winter if your water is warm enough. I would also add a lot of plants to the water to help keep it healthy. One that I like a lot for aquariums, doesn't need much light and the fish don't eat it: Creeping Jenny! (Yes, the same ground cover with yellow flowers in the garden). I grow it in my pond too, in the pots to hide the rims. Just root pieces in a glass and stick in water bare root with a little rock to hold them in place.

One word of caution: Putting koi in a 2' new home will usually cause them to jump out. If they have been sitting out on the floor, even overnight, just put them back in, even if they look dead. They will probably recover (here speaks the voice of experience).

You do need to watch the temperature keeping them indoors.
In a very cold but not frozen basement under 50F, semi dormant and not fed, is good
In a heated basement above 60F and fed is good
Anything inbetween, like 50s if asking for trouble.