Hi, I had a pond installed on my property in the spring of 2005 . I have put Goldfish in the pond this past May 2006 , will these fish survive over the winter when the pond freezes and I am no longer able to feed them ? I can install an aerator to keep the water moving so it won't freeze. but I was told that the fish will hibernate in the mud over the winter. the pond is 50' by 40' and 5' deep. and is locater in up state New York.

Thank you for any information, George

i was told kinda the same thing. you just gota feed the fish alot now, because in the wild they will do like a bear, fill up the most they can and hybernate when it freezes.well thats what i know.
doc.

Once the temp gets below 10c only feed if they look for it and then maybe once or twice a week.Under 5c then dont feed at all.
And feed a wheatgerm based food.

Thank you all for the info. I am new at goldfish in a pond ,and I don't want to loose any of them because I did something wrong.

that sounds like an amazing pond!

What kind of goldfish are they? The sleaker fish like commons, comets, wakins, shubunkins, etc, should all be able to survive up to 2 inches of ice on the pond. Actually, installing an aerator is the thing you don't want to do . . . . it will prevent the stratification of temperatures in the pond, and will create a condition where the pond is more likely to freeze solid. If there is no aeration, the water will not circulate, and the floor of the pond will be slightly warmer than the top. That keeps the ice on the surface of the pond. you may need an small hole in the surface of the ice, I think the livestock trough de-icers are prob. the way to go (farm and feed store $20)

Don't worry about oxygen levels in the pond- cold water will stay well oxygenated without aeration

Also, I'm not an expert, but I would be extremely cautious about "feeding the fish alot now, like bears". you need to check the temperature of the pond, and feed based on that. It's nearly Decemeber and my gut feeling is that you should probably halt all feeding until spring.

thats true.

This place has good resources. They are also helpful and answer questions by email, usually in a couple days or less.

Winter Care Tips:
http://watergarden.com/koi-goldfish/Winter-Fish-Care.htm
http://watergarden.com/pages/seasonal.html#winter

De-Icers:
http://www.watergarden.org/s.nl/sc.2/categ...artner=HomePage

I have Comets and commons in the pond now and was thinking of adding Vailtail in the spring . I had a Blue Heron visit the pond and he eat his fill of my goldfish , I have about 20 goldfish left in the pond now.
The informatin I have received is very usefull and I appreciate all of the response I have received, I will try to put this information to good use. Thank you all , George