container pond

Question

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The text above is a follow-up to ...

-----Question-----
I have a 6ft wide 18" deep round metal tub used for watering cattle(a long time ago) and I want to turn it into a pond for my very large goldfish. I was thinking of lining it with board insulation and laying a pond liner in it and placing it on out outdoor deck until we can build a more permant inground pond. I was wondering if this would work ok and what supplies I would need to keep them comfortable.
Thank you so much for your time and I look forward to your advice.
Lynn
-----Answer-----
Hi Lynn,
Before I answer the question what part of the country are you in?  Weather conditions?  You don't necessarily need a liner or insulation.  In Kansas (where I live and it gets quite cold in the winter) I have seen people use stock tanks for housing aquatic plants and goldfish and it works quite well.  It will not freeze completely solid.  Make sure you keep a hole in the top if it ices over or the fish will suffocate.  You can use a small floating heater made for ponds that will keep a hole melted just large enough to allow the passage of toxic gasses out of the water.  Let me know where you are.
thx,
Tom


Hi Tom, Thank you for responding so quickly. I live in Upstate NY north of Watertown and it gets REALLY cold at times and we have to contend with lake effect snow esp. this year so I would like to build a cover for the winter months so hopefully the snow won't be an issue, we've gotten over 3ft. in the last few days.

Answer
Hi Lynn,
Thanx for the follow-up.  I apologize being so tardy.  I am down here in Florida helping my brother and his family move into their new home and I forgot to put myself on vacation!  For your temporary pond the key is not to let the water freeze over on top, make sure it is deep enough and keep the snow from piling up on top.  The tank should be 24 inches deep at least.  Use the small heater I mentioned which is available at most nurseries that deal with water gardening.  It shouldn't be more than 20 or 30 dollars and it only heats enough to keep an open hole in the water.  It costs about as much to run as your refrigerator.  Keep the snow off.  What happens is if a small pond like yours is not allowed to breathe, methane and other toxic gases that are not allowed to escape will suffocate the fish.  I hope this helps.
Tom