Is it too cold to put my goldfish in a pond?

[raye]

I'm in the UK and I want to move my goldfish into a pond, but they've lived in a tank for their entire lives. Will it be too cold for them after a lifetime indoors? Do I need to wait until summer to move them?

Thanks,
Raye

 

[Anonymous]

from what I hear goldfish can live in water temperatures down to just above freezing. But you probably have to aclimate them to the new temperature.

 

[Anonymous]

raye
Welcome to RDO! Yeah, I'd aclimate them. For the winter, tent your pond with greenhouse plastic, and run a small air pump to break the water surface. My uncle used to do this all the time. For him, it worked well.
~wings~

 

[Anonymous]

Oh.. also, in the fall, don't feed them, or slow the feeding WAAAY down. They shut down their bodies for the winter, so the food will rot in their gut if you do.

~wings~

 

[raye]

Well it's spring now. But do I need to wait until summer to move them, do you think?

 

[Anonymous]

Well it's spring now. But do I need to wait until summer to move them, do you think?

I don't know the exact climate, but I would at least wait until the frost deadline, just so that your water temp doesn't fluctuate too much on the cold end of the spectrum.

~wings~

 

[fishfanatic2]

Well it's spring now. But do I need to wait until summer to move them, do you think?

I would move them and acclimate them after the water temperature reaches 50 degrees Farenheit and the danger of a frost is over.

 

[Anonymous]

it's generally best to wait until the water temps are staying above 50°F, before moving goldfish/koi to whatever pond they'll be kept in