My New Pond.....

[antinator]

ive just brought a house which had a measly 6 inch deepx 3 ft round pond with a couple of goldies in it... i thought this was cruel so i tryed extending it, ive now made it 12 inches deep and 8ft wide BUT i was told goldfish will not survive in a pond only A foot deep is this correct as ive now finished the pond and do not wish to dig it back up......do we really have that bad a winter for it to freeze solid in the uuk

 

[james_fish]

A foot of water will freeze over completely. The last 2 winters have been unforgiving when it comes to ponds and pondfish.

James.

 

[StandbySetting]

You'll want the pond to be at least 4 foot deep, as above, water can freeze to over a foot in the UK, it was -20[sup]o[/sup]C at the worst this year and we've had pretty harsh winters for the past 4 years.

 

[antinator]

mmmmm.....maybe fill the pond up? as ive just tested the ground underneath and it is solid......i.e no way on earth i can dig 4ft deep.the fish look quite mature so how would they have survived these harsh winters in a 3 ft x 6 inch pond?

 

[fluttermoth]

Yes; my mum's pond has had ice a good six inches thick. You need at leat 3, 3 1/2 feet deep to be safe, because it's not just a case of there being enough water for the fish not to be frozen, there has to be enough water to act as a 'buffer' between the fish and the ice.

Sorry, you're going to have to deepen it, or re-home the fish before winter!

 

[matt_storey]

told you so