Moving fish to a new pond

16 years ago

Hi - we are moving to a new house 3 minutes drive from the old one.We are in the Phila suburban area. We have a pond full of fish - 3 large koi about 24 inches long; a mix of 12 medium fish, comets, goldfish and shubunkins between 8 and 12 inches long; and approximately 10 various offspring from this lineage (spawned over the summer) they are about 5 to 6 inches long living in a 1600 gallon pond. We intend to try to take them, especially the larger fish (definitely the koi) after we finish building the new pond (about 2200 to 2500 gallons) and adjusting the water by mid October. We would like to know how to physically move them. If there is anyone who has done this before or has knowledge about how to do this safely, please share what you know.

Thank you!

David and Pam

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (3)

dig_deeper
16 years ago
When I moved 3 years ago, my fiancee was very patient with me and insisted the fish join us in our new home. After he spent several back breaking weeks building our 6,000-gallon pond, we took a flat bed trailer and moved them about 16-miles. At the time of the move, my fish were over-wintering in my basement in two 150-gallon stock tanks. We emptied the fish from one of the stock tanks into the other tank then took the first stock tank upstairs and on to the trailer bed. We then took water and fish from the remaining tank in the basement and carried them upstairs and out to the trailer and dumped water and fish into the empty stocktank on the trailer bed. We did this until all water and fish were now in the stocktank on the back of the trailer. We then took the empty stocktank from the basement and turned it upside down on top of the tank full of fish and water. We C-clamped the tanks together at their rim so the upper stocktank would not blow away. We also strapped, wedged, etc. to keep the tanks from slipping while in transit. We drove very slowly and had a sign on the back of our trailer "Fish On-board", so people wouldn't get mad at us for traveling so slowly. We took back roads, but we got to our new home in one piece with no loss of fish.

In order to make the load a tad bit lighter, the bottom tank holding the fish was only about 1/2 full.

What a sight to see us traveling down the road with our bright blue stocktanks on the back! We still laugh about that trip 3 years later.

Dig
jdedsk
Original Author
16 years ago
Thank you so much for your speedy response. It sounds like you had a lot of fish! Our next question is how did you get the load of them into the stock tanks in the first place? Also, how did you carry a 150 gallon stock tank full of fish up the stairs? Finally, how did you get the fish into the new pond water? We do not have a vehicle that can accommodate a tank that size so we will have be creative with the transport. What area of the country and time of year did you do the move? Do you have koi? Sorry about all the questions, but we do not want to lose any of our swimmers to stress! Anyother responders will be greatly appreciated!! Thanks, Pam and David
Related Discussions
??'s - Retro bottom drain, pond liner, & moving fish to new pond
Q
Comments (3)
I also remember you mammabird. I usually don't use the forum much in the winter but come back on in the spring just to catch up on what's new etc. I have a retrofit bd as well mine is some modifications on the Tetra through the liner drain (which froze) but I used the cap from it for my drain. I am replacing that this year with the Aqua Art Drain as it sits flatter than mine. Not sure if I understand your "hump" but you usually put the bd in the deepest part of the pond. Avid koi-keepers like to do TPR's--but that also means cutting a hole in the liner. With your pond dimensions you might want two bottom drains one for each deep section. That would mean two bulk heads (I did pipe boot connections) through the liner on the side of the pond wall nearest your settling chamber. My drain has a 4" line reduced to 3" just before it enters the sc followed by a 3" knife valve (there much cheaper!). I take my drain out for winter because of my climate. Water inside pipes in my climate not a good idea. My settling chamber is a liner chamber (kinda like a pond beside the pond)350 gals-my pond is 2500 gals. They say sc should hold at least 10% of your pond volume. I really like this system as use sc for water changes. I have 3-4 ft square matala mats in my chamber which is also my mechanical filitration. Good luck with your new pond and move. Patti
...See More
Adding frogs & fish to our new pond in So Cal
Q
Comments (12)
Hi Brian, I'm glad you went with the bigger pump. That's what I have on my pond, and it's functional. The frogs will come, even in the midst of downtown LA. There are about a billion gajillion of them in the LA river. I live in the center of suburban Simi Valley, which has no natural streams, no ponds or lakes, and Pacific tree frogs mysteriously appear out of nowhere. I think this may be part of the origin of the raining frogs myth. It's strange. You can also collect Pacific Tree frog tadpoles within the next three months and add them to your pond once it gets going and you have some algae for them to eat. I once collected some from a truck rut filled with water at a local plant nursery. I suggest you go to a koi site to see how much of a committment they are. Goldfish are really spectacular, and they do not need great water quality. They will beg for food from you, swim across the pond to greet you, and follow along as you walk along the edge of your pond. They are great pets. You should not change the water in your pond if your filtration and circulation are adequate, at least not for a long time. When you get your first algae bloom this summer and the pond turns into pea soup RESIST the urge to change the water. The algae will use up all of the nutrients, then it will die, leaving your pond clear. If you change the water you have to start all over again. To start off, you can treat your water with de-chlorinator, after a few days add your plants, and wait a few more days to add your goldfish. You can buy cheap small fish; they grow fast. Finally, plant your hardy water lilies in a nice, large container so they can grow. Don't worry about the dirt in the bottom of the pond unless there's a really measurable amount, like 1/8 inch across the whole bottom. Here's a link explaining the Sunset Zones. Have fun with your new pond, and post photos when it's done! Renee Here is a link that might be useful: Sunset Garden Zones
...See More
New 50g pond in SE FL...fish & plant suggestions?
Q
Comments (18)
Hi Have heard that the state is using some type of bacteria to combat WH since it's sooo invasive.. From what I gather it's spread by contact and is not airborne . Have noted a sharp decline in nearby canals where i got the original stock. Actually it's against the law to culture it in fllorida so i guess i'd better not complain?? lol Whatever the cause it's affected only WH . Have always found it the most effective plant for filtration and makes a great mulch for terrestrials lol. There are many alternatives BUT many of them are also "Noxious weeds" lol Think I'll do without the "floaters for awhile to see what happens . My lone tropical water llily has covered the entire surface anyway Thanks gary
...See More
New container water garden/fish pond
Q
Comments (9)
I wouldn't add goldfish, or any fish. I tried a small pond that was in the ground and the water got too hot for mosquitofish which can take warmer water than goldfish. Being completely above ground even in the shade I'd expect the water temp to be way too high. With the dark color and 50% in the sun the water might be too hot even for plants, or maybe some plants. I've been growing Canna and some kind of Umbrella Plant like Cyperus alternifolius and a nutsedge (purple I think) in soil in containers with no drainage, so standing water but normally below the soil level. That mimics how I keep marginal plants in a pond which grow best not submerged. The sun, heat and humidity are hard on these. These are all pretty much in the ground, but the further up out of the ground the least well they do. I've repotted plants that have been in the sun and the soil is much too hot for me to touch. I've been experimenting with different sun exposure. Canna barely survive full sun. Morning sun seems to be best, til 10 am. Enough sun to bloom, not too much to stunt them. So I don't really have any tips for what you're wanting. If you want a water feature I suggest you just do that. Then add plants for the cooler months, or if some make it thru the summer then great (let me know what). Maybe something like a pondless feature. 5 gal bucket with holes goes contains a small pump, kept up off the bottom by a brick. Then fill with rocks/stone around the bucket. At the very top you can add a more expensive rock for looks. Add water so it stays below the rocks. The fountain hits the rocks and sinks back down to the pump. Plants can be placed in the gravel/rocks either bare root or the whole pot with soil. But you have to make sure the water level stays up to at least say 6" from the top. A fountain might be hard on most plants which don't like to be covered in water. And you could get lime deposits on leaves. Because there's no standing water you don't have to deal with string algae or mosquito larva. I've had container ponds other places, NY, FL, CA, and none of that applies in Phoenix. I used to read gardening books and web sites and watch gardening TV shows, but don't any more...just doesn't apply to us.
...See More
loma_ponder
16 years ago
This is NOT AKCA approved....

I recently had the opportunity to collect two 20" koi and two 12" koi from a gentlemen who was moving and had no water feature to move them to. His old house was soon coming out of escrow, so I had to move quickly. The two houses are @ 15 miles apart (disclaimer: do not attempt this without proper O2 levels over large distances). Here's what I did (my apologies to the koi police)

I purchased a plastic storage container, large enough to accom. the fish, but small enough to fit in the back of my SUV. I washed out the container (lid and all) and placed it in the back of the car. I packed a couple of cinder blocks around the container so it would not slide in transit. BEFORE leaving my house, I set up my "Q" tank also.

I brought along with me a little pond salt, Meta-fix, water conditioner, 2 "Brand-new" yard sacks, a large beach towel, and a koi net.

I arrived and first put water ( about 1/2 way up ) into the container in the back of my car. Then I treated the water with conditioner, a LITTLE salt to help with stress, metafix to combat possible injury during transport, and a little sweat of worry.

Then I went into the backyard and INDIVIDUALLY worked a fish into the brand new yard bag. I place the bag in the water, work the fish into the bag GENTLY, then slowly quietly remove MOST of the water from bag and moved the fish to the transport container. I did this with each fish.

When they had been placed into the container, I put the lid on, threw the towel over to block out light,and transported them.

NOTE: koi show stress by bleeding a little out their gills; not a good sign. There is a need to keep them calm.

At the other end, I repeat the procedure (starting with the first fish in) with a NEW yard bag. When I open the container, they had calmed from the salt and the light block.

9 months on and those fish have adjusted and are loving their new 6,000 gallon home.

Lastly, I attached an article from the Koi Club of San Diego website.

LP

Here is a link that might be useful: Transportation of Fish in Bags

Moving fish to a new pond

Comments (3)

dig_deeper

jdedsk
Original Author

Related Discussions

loma_ponder

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Moving fish to a new pond

Comments (3)

dig_deeper

jdedskOriginal Author

Related Discussions

loma_ponder

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

jdedsk
Original Author