Should we bring the goldfish and smaller koi in for the winter?

[Colin_T]

Bring the fantails inside but keep them in a cold room so they have a cooling off period before spring.

You should really keep the fantails in a separate pond to the single tail goldfish and koi so they don't get harassed by the male single tailed fish.

 

[OliveFish05]

Bring the fantails inside but keep them in a cold room so they have a cooling off period before spring.

You should really keep the fantails in a separate pond to the single tail goldfish and koi so they don't get harassed by the male single tailed fish

We don’t have a second pond… do you think that there being so much space and a good number of single tail (there are 6) that they will do ok? So far everyone is getting along good. We don’t really have a “cold” room in the house, but I can blow a fan on the tank? If for some reason we can’t bring them inside will they likely be alright in the pond? Three inches of ice is about the max we have ever had. I am worried about one dying and rotting under the ice. We would feel very guilty.

 

[Colin_T]

If you have female fantail goldfish and male common, comets or shubunkins, the single tailed males will be able to swim faster than the female fantails and the males will harass the females to the point of exhaustion. Female fantails have even died from the stress associated with being constantly chased by faster moving single tailed males. You will have to monitor them and if you see any getting chased constantly, maybe move them into a spare tank for a month or so to give them a chance to recover.

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The fantails should be fine in the pond but probably won't do as well as the koi and single tailed goldfish, which are less deformed and have fewer health issues.

 

[Deleted member 149562]

Football or tennis balls......float them in the pond and there will always be gaps in ice, should it form....plus the fish will play with the balls too, often for hours, nosing balls across the surfcae of their pond.....(it was my dad's method of keeping fish happy in winter, let them play with balls floating in the pond and that kept the ice at bay as a bonus)