Winterizing my fish pond

Question
Hello Robyn

This summer I built a fish pond.  I have read many article about winterizing my pond and I have talked to some people that do have ponds.  My pond is probably 20ft long and 15ft wide.  One end of the pond is 6ft deep and the other end approx 2 1/2 -3ft deep.  My question is, is it safe to leave my fish in there for the winter.  I have about 18-20fish in total ,some fan tail shebumkins, feeders and some very large koi's.  I really don't want to lose them.  What do you think?

Answer
That is a nice, big pond.  Where do you live?  Unless you live in a really cold area, you can easily leave the fish in there.  See my page at http://www.fishpondinfo.com/winter.htm for tips on how to keep a hole in the ice and the fish healthy and happy all winter.  The only fish that I might worry about are the fantails who are more sensitive to cold.  As long as there's a hole in the ice and some aeration, they should be okay.  Good luck!

Robyn