Koi additions   1/12/06
HEY THERE Fellow enthusiasts!
<There you are Tom... long time, no chat>
A couple of years ago, I built a large (to us anyway) liner pond (Thanks for the help Bob!).  It is approximately 3600 GAL or so.  It has been doing wonderful and the fish are happy and healthy.
But here's the question.  A friend of mine is moving and can't take his (6) koi with him.  He wants to give them to me for my pond .  I feel there is enough room in the pond for them (only 5 fish right now) but am worried about adding fish in the winter.
<Mmm, yes... a tough time to move>
Will the bacteria be able to reproduce rapidly enough to keep up with the added load in cold water?
<Actually... likely so... there is very little excretion of such in cold temperatures... the big troubles come about from the actual fish being moved... more psycho-social than physiological>
  I live in Northern VA and, although winter hasn't truly visited us yet, the water is around the upper 40's (we stopped feeding in Nov when it dropped below 50).
<Mmm... I take it all the fish... yours and theirs are outdoors... moving the koi expediently, switching water back and forth to acclimate, provide oxygen... not raising water temperature much in transition... should do it here>
If this is in any way risky, I have no problem housing the new fish (around 6 - 8" each) in the basement in a 100 GAL stock tub with filter until the Spring.
What are your thoughts?
<Better to mix in with your existing fish IMO>
Thanks so much for all that you fine folks do!
Tom (The Tool Man)
<Be chatting, Bob Fenner>

Re: Koi additions     1/14/07
HEY BOB!  Yeah, it's been a long time!  As previously mentioned in your discussions, MOST of the answers to our questions are covered on your site, so with a little searching, there becomes less of a need to bother you and your folks.  But it is always good to "talk" to you!
<Am glad for this... otherwise, just moving about others "conversations" gets to be too second-hand...>
Although, sometimes, it does give hobbyists the extra sense of peace to have it "directly from the horses mouth"!  ;)
<Neigh!>
I took your advice and decided to just put them in our pond instead of indoors.  The only catch was that my friend was actually keeping them in his garage in a 100 GAL Stock Tank (watering trough) so the temp difference was a bit more than I would have liked.  But it was an emergency move.
So I did the slow drip acclimation (much like what is recommended for sensitive marine stock).  When we got them home, their water was 63* F and my pond temp was at 47* F.  I dripped them for 8 hours to get them temp absolutely right and keep them aerated, then gently eased them into their new home.  Wish us luck!
<I do... I had hoped that this was a "like for like" pond to pond movement with the fish in and going to about the same circumstances water quality wise... If they were in good shape, the temperature difference shouldn't be overly problematical>
As always, I am humbled by the extent of the knowledge and caring of your organization and hope to be able/knowledgeable enough in the future to assist you with the site.
<Me too!>
Thank you and enjoy your time in HI.  I have only been once but it is a truly wonderful and beautiful place.
Tom (The Tool Man)
<Thank you my friend. Cheers, Bob Fenner>

NOT moving pond livestock during the winter
I have a small pond with approx 3-7 yr old Koi 2-4yr old and 3-2 yr olds. My problem is, we ended up buying  house a lot quicker than I imagined. Now it's full blown winter and I am scared to move my fish but I am not leaving them behind. What can I do??
<I'd "make a deal" with the new owners... to keep all going till the weather has warmed into Spring AND you've had time to design, build-out quarters for them at your new digs... there are designs for liner ponds on WetWebMedia, and ready-made pools, filters...>
I don't want to shock them. I have a pond heater running and they love it but I don't know if it's keeping it warm enough to move them.
<You are wise here... I also would NOT move this life>
They are somewhat active and do come up to the surface occasionally. I plan to move them into a large container indoors until I am able to get their new home setup, stabilized in spring. What is the best way
to move them from winter weather to indoor luxury living? Thank you for your help.
D. Houghton
<Do NOT do this... their metabolisms cannot take the rapid change... may appear fine for a few to several weeks... will likely die as a consequence. Bob Fenner>