We bought this house with a small pond, approx. 6' x 3' x 28" deep, don't know gallons? Would like to keep our 3 goldfish alive thru Missouri winter in it, could keep in house if abs. ness., wonder if a water tank heater would work? Nights down into 30's now, seem to be doing alright, still have pump and waterfall going,-should we? Please help as our fish seem to love us and will swim against hand and let us pet when cleaning filter, etc. Any info appreciated.

Hey Jim!

You've got about 218 gallons there (LxWxDx7.48)and a cold winter will put about 8 inches of ice right across the top. If your goldies are comets, sarassas or shubunkins, that is, long-bodied "carnival-prize" types, they tend to be pretty tough, and will do just fine outside as long as you stop feeding them when the water temp gets down below 54 degrees, cover the pond with a greenhouse arrangement to keep the wind off and critturs out, and stick a $30 Home Depot electric radiator under the cover to keep the pond at least partially ice-free. Small water changes with dechlorinated water on a weekly basis are essential. Round-bodied or "fancy" goldfish are not as durable.

Bringing them inside will require a 100 gallon horse trough, a good air pump and airstone, and a box filter capable of holding a good portion of the active media from your outdoor pond's biofilter. While goldfish are not as demanding as koi, they will overwhelm most commonly available aquarium systems. You'll want to water test for ammonia, nitrite, pH and alkalinity on a regular basis, and don't forget those water changes!

Bob Passovoy
President
MPKS