Fish under Ice

[jg96]

I moved house in August and inherited a nice garden pond complete with 6 goldfish I have been feeding them and watching them grow since. The pond is now frozen over the fish seem to be quite happy swimming around under the ice I was going to break it up but a friend says I should leave it no harm will come I would welcome any sensible advice
Thanks.

[jester05]

what your friend says is right the water will not freeze completly and the fishes metabolism will slow down so they are quite safe.

[Quoi]

Hi jg - i think your fish will ne fine but they still need to breathe - the standard answer here is to put a tennis ball or other floating object in the water to make sure there are air holes when the ice stays for several days.

[Ethel]

Firstly you should not be feeding the fish at all until spring - they should not be fed over winter to allow them to go into a sort of suspended animation during very cold snaps.

They should be fine if the ice lasts no more than a few days - certainly freezing overnight and thawing during the day needs no action from you.

[wildwood]

Funnily enough.... if the pond is not very big and the layer of ice is solid, the water underneath may be as warm as 50f (10c). I am not entirely sure how that works but it has to do with the air between the water and ice acting as a sort of insulation.

I would certainly feed a bit if there is a good spell, only as much as they will eat eagerly.

[Ethel]

Pond fish should not be fed once the temperature drops below 55 degrees.

[jg96]

Thanks for all your very useful answers if it was up to my wife and daughter they would be inside with us watching the telly!

[shylock73]

Whatever you do DON`T smash the ice as this would give the fish a nasty shock and possibly kill. Putting a floating object like a tennis ball on the water as previously mentioned is good or if the ice needs a hole, carefully pour hot water on it to make one. The fish wont be harmed as they wil be downdeep to keep warm. No need to feed at all until nature returns to Spring. Cor` roll on!!!

[gucciman]

ive kept fish in a garden pond for 17 years. my fish come up for their food every day during the winter and theres no harm in feeding them if they still want it. just dont over feed as the uneaten food sinks to the bottom and pollutes the pond.

i have a cheap and simple pond heater which floats in the middle of the pond and which i switch on when very cold weather is forecast. i also find that if i leave my fountain running all year that stops the water freezing too in all but the very coldest weather. and the previous answer is quite right, never smash the ice as the shockwaves can kill the fish.