Found a pond for my Shubunkin and comet - unsure of safety

[Patsyfishies]

Hi, I'm patsy, a senior and I love my fish. I've kept fish for many years in aquariums. But, now my new Shubunkin is only a year old and he is growing so fast. He was about an inch and half when I bought him and now he's about 9 inches. He is in a 40 gallon tank with a 4 inch comet and the comet loves him. He follows him around all the time . Anyway, I advertised for a pond and found a lovely one to put the two fish in. It's in a beautiful over 55 housing complex with lots of places in the pond for the fish to hide. I have pictures.
My concerns: 1: The water is only 2ft. deep and there is no real protection from Blue Herons or Racoons. Except for a motion sensor that sends a big splash to frighten anything that enters the pond. 2: There is a small 4 feet deep well in the pond that the fish would go in if pond gets too cold and freezes over in winter. Don't know if
thats Big enough for all the fish
and there are some really big ones in the pond which do not harm the littler one's.
3: If I decide to put my 2 fish in how will they hand their first night when the water in the pond cools down. Much cooler than their aquarium. I really want to put them in and make them happy but I'm so scared something will happen to them. I just can't decide and was hoping someone on here can enlighten me on how they will possibly do going from aquarium to pond and will they feel too cold the first night there when the temp. Drops. I checked out the pond yesterday. It's awesome.
Thanking you in advance.

 

[GaryE]

I expect they'll like the temperature drop.

The protection from birds is always an issue. If people are around and active, they are probably good.

In Quebec with a 2 foot pond, it froze to the bottom and killed the fish. Parts of BC are very unlikely to experience 2 weeks at -25 or colder though. The other fish will chase them for a few minutes, then get distracted. Goldies are pretty basic.

So all depends on climate, and the predator risk is always there. It may be less of a risk than if you had an overstocked indoor tank and a long power failure though.

 

[Back in the fold]

That’s a chance you take outside . You’re putting the fish back where they belong and there are hungry predators out there . The chances are low but not nonexistent. Roll the dice . Don’t give a thought to temperature, they will be fine .

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Merging these two threads together since they are almost identical.

I agree that your fish will probably enjoy the lower temps, and in a pond that size it will happen gradually enough that it won't bother them. Goldfish are amazingly adaptable critters. As for the predators, yes, that's a small but real risk. Personally I would rather see fish live a short but happy life, ending it quickly in the jaws of a predator, than the long, lingering misery of being stunted in a too-small tank. Chances are they will live long and do well.

Does the pond freeze over in the winter? If so, is there some sort of opening or water circulation through the ice? As long as there is some open water and it doesn't freeze solid, they should be fine through the winter.

Deeper would be ideal, sure, but it seems like a pretty good situation for them!

 

[Colin_T]

Hi Patsy and welcome to the forum

That's a beautiful area with the pond

If the fish are going into the pond in the picture, they will be fine. It's big enough so there shouldn't be any real drop in temperature overnight and if it does drop it won't be much (maybe a couple of degrees). The temperature will go up and down with the seasons but it will be gradual and natural like in the wild. In spring they will breed with the others.

It's a big pond and predators are going to have a hard time catching fish in that pond. A bird like a heron might be able to pick off the odd fish but they prefer to go after smaller fish (2-4 inch), not 9 inch fish. Racoons might sit around the edge fishing but it's a big pond and the fish can move elsewhere if they feel threatened. There are also other fish in the pond so the odds of your two getting taken are reduced (safety in numbers, and I only have to swim faster than you).

I think the fish will be happy in that pond.

 

[Patsyfishies]

Hi, I'm patsy, a senior and I love my fish. I've kept fish for many years in aquariums. But, now my new Shubunkin is only a year old and he is growing so fast. He was about an inch and half when I bought him and now he's about 9 inches. He is in a 40 gallon tank with a 4 inch comet and the comet loves him. He follows him around all the time . Anyway, I advertised for a pond and found a lovely one to put the two fish in. It's in a beautiful over 55 housing complex with lots of places in the pond for the fish to hide. I have pictures.
My concerns: 1: The water is only 2ft. deep and there is no real protection from Blue Herons or Racoons. Except for a motion sensor that sends a big splash to frighten anything that enters the pond. 2: There is a small 4 feet deep well in the pond that the fish would go in if pond gets too cold and freezes over in winter. Don't know if
thats Big enough for all the fish
and there are some really big ones in the pond which do not harm the littler one's.
3: If I decide to put my 2 fish in how will they hand their first night when the water in the pond cools down. Much cooler than their aquarium. I really want to put them in and make them happy but I'm so scared something will happen to them. I just can't decide and was hoping someone on here can enlighten me on how they will possibly do going from aquarium to pond and will they feel too cold the first night there when the temp. Drops. I checked out the pond yesterday. It's awesome.
Thanking you in advance.

Hi everyone and thanks for your help. It's been over 2 weeks now since I put my fish in the pond. I found out today from the pond maintenance man that he sees them a lot and they have adapted well. So happy to know they are doing good.

 

[Colin_T]

They probably wouldn't mind you going to visit them once in a while