wintering my koi

Question
QUESTION: This is the first year we have had our pond and I am scared to death of loosing my little finned babies.. We were given a 440 gallon hot tub that we have removed the insulation on to get to the jets and removed and capped off.  It is sunk into the ground all but maybe 18-20 inches which is still above ground. We have been trying to figure out a way to winterize the pond (clear to using the cover placed over it but only closing half of the cover) I have even thought about getting a heavy duty black water trough from the local cattle supply to bring the babies in the house over winter.. I would not say that we always have harse winters but we have have cold ones, we live in Tulsa OK. PLease help! We don't know what to do..
Thank You
Serena

ANSWER: How deep is the water in the pond?  How many fish and of what size do you have?  If the koi are still babies, and the pond does not freeze all the way, and you keep an opening in the ice, they can survive.  Koi experts say to have at least 1000 gallons for the first koi and 100 gallons at least for each additional.  That's because they can grow to 3 feet long.  But, for now, if you have babies, they should be ok.  I suggest buying a de-icer and a small aerator.  I use a Tetra Luft pump which is just an air pump and big single air stone.  Run the air near the de-icer to help keep it open.  It's ok to partially cover the top with the hot tub cover but be sure there's plenty of gas exchange.  Did you line the hot tub or just use the liner it came with?  The hot tub itself might leach chemicals so it's best to cover it with a pond liner.  

My page on overwintering ponds is at http://www.fishpondinfo.com/winter.htm

Here's a OK koi club.  If you contact them or another club in your area, they can help you out a ton!
http://www.oklakoi.org/

Good luck!

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: The largest ones I have are probably 9 inches long I got them around the first of april maybe May.. I have a total of 31 fish including some fancy goldfish.  1000 gallons for the first koi? The tub does not have a liner in it and it had not been used in several years 3-5... I have not lost any fish in it yet it is one of the old fiberglass types.. and I would say we have it filled to maybe about 6 inches from the top it is one of the sqaure shapes I want to say 7 X 7 in size so it is really not that small.

Answer
It sounds like your tub is getting pretty crowded and will only become more so as the fish grow.  I suggest planning to build a larger pond if possible.  If you haven't lost any fish yet, then the tub is probably not leaching much which is good.  I hope you can get in touch with some local UK koi keepers to help you out.  I wish there were a koi club where I live!