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Last month we discussed the methods for keeping your fish alive and well in the winter pond environment. An alternative of course, is to bring them inside to enjoy your heated living quarters with you. The following is an article by Ray Washington of Pearls of Paradise. It is reprinted from Koi USA magazine.
Many hobbyists like to move their Koi indoors during the winter in order to reduce stress and continue the growing season. Many hobbyists use their show tanks for this purpose, placing the tanks in their garage or basement.
Most basements have bare concrete floors. Placing the tank directly on the bare concrete inhibits the tank's ability to retain heat as the concrete will retain a temperature of 55F or less, drawing heat out of the tank. To avoid this, place insulation on the concrete directly under the tank. Any foam insulation of 3/4" thickness will work, or you can use a bubble-type insulation known as Reflecix, like we do. It is available at most hardware stores and has a very good "R" value. You can also insulate the outside of the tank by wrapping a long piece of Reflecix around the tank, followed by a single layer of vinyl, lacing it shut with rope or shock cord. This holds the insulation tight against the tank. This type of bubble insulation is easily rolled into a tube for storage.
HEATING THE SHOW TANK
There are two main ways to heat your show tank. You can use a 1.4 kilowatt, inline spa heater located on the out-flow side of your centrifugal pump, or use numerous aquarium heaters. We do not recommend piping in a side line off your home water heater it is too hard to regulate the tank's temperature. It may necessitate consistent dechlorination of the water, and may require the plumbing of an overflow line from the tank. If you use aquarium heaters just be sure that the heaters are placed inside the filter to prevent them from getting broken by the active Koi.
As a benefit, since you will be heating the water, you can place several hyacinths in the filter tub, as long as a grow light is used. Hyacinth roots must be kept in water of 60 F, or above, to get them to survive the winter, and they require a minimum of light. They won't grow through the winter, but they will survive, giving you starts for next spring.
FILTERING THE SHOW TANK
Filtering the show tank can be accomplished using one or more 55 gallon barrel filters. If you use mesh for the filter media, do not wrap it tightly inside the barrel. Wrap it loosely to allow increased water flow and surface area for bacterial growth. The biggest mistake in using mesh as a filter media is wrapping it tightly inside the barrel. This cuts down the surface area for the bacteria to grow and necessitates frequent cleaning, destroying the bacteria. Remember though, do not pump more than 5 gallons per minute through a 55 gallon barrel filter any faster and the water moves through too fast for the bacteria to feed off the ammonia, nitrates, etc. resulting in only mechanical filtration of the water.
COVERING THE TANK Tank net covers are widely available and recommended when keeping fish inside. We use a black colored, delta weave, polyester net to prevent the fish from jumping out. The delta weave prevents catching scales, and has enough stretch to allow even the largest Koi to "hit" the net without damaging the net or pulling it off The net is made with a vinyl sleeve which "grabs" the vinyl of the tank, and a shock cord is provided inside the sleeve to tighten the net down even further. Black netting is used to increase your ability to view your fish, as trying to focus through a white or light- colored net creates a vertigo effect! Falling into your tank is not recommended, so if you buy your own net get a black one!
STARTING UP THE SYSTEM
When starting the system up, remember that the filter is void of bacteria and the Koi will have to gradually be brought up to the optimum eating temperature. To help "set" the system, the following steps should be followed:
- 1. Once the tank is up and the system plumbed and ready to go, be sure to dechlorinate if you are not using well water.
- 2. If you use well water, run the system for at least 24 hours prior to placing your Koi or goldfish into the tank. Well water contains virtually no oxygen, so rolling the water for 24 hours is necessary.
- 3. Adding a stress eliminator such as Holdex or Ship-Right (these are Jungle brand products) to the water before placing your Koi or goldfish in the tank is highly recommended. Holdex has electrolyte additives, which help the Koi/goldfish absorb fresh water (dehydration is a common effect of stress). Ship-Right and Holdex both have slime coat builders, but Ship-Right actually bonds oxygen in the water, helping to reduce the effects of stress on your Koi once they are moved. Each are effective, do not need to be used together, and contain dechlorinators.
- 4. Once the fish are placed in the tank, slowly begin raising the water temperature over a 7 - 14) day period. If the water temperature change is more than 30 degrees, it may take longer, but two weeks should be more than adequate regardless of the temperature difference of your outside pond and the show tank. Do not feed your fish for at least 10 days - your filter has no bacteria, and will need time to begin growing off the fish wastes. Feeding right away will overload the system and just create polluted water.
- 5. Finally, be sure and test your water weekly. This may seem like a lot of testing, but the lack of algae growth and other factors will necessitate a closer watch on your filtration system than you may be used to with your exterior pond.
- MISCELLANEOUS HELPFUL HINTS
Many of the following hints fall under too many categories to list them all separately, so we have thrown them all in together.
- 1. When setting up your show tank, it is extremely helpful to wax the black polypipe with lemon pledge or any other brand of wax furniture polish. This will make it slip easily through the upper ring.
- 2. When hooking up an exterior pump to a show tank, use a "collector tube" on the inside. A collector tube is a 9" tube with numerous holes that will screw into the 1 1/2" drain plug. This will keep your Koi or goldfish from being sucked up against the drain plug, while allowing sufficient flow to the pump! "Collector tubes" can be bought from most pool supply stores, or Koi supply dealers.
- 3. Simple Green is a good, biodegradable, non-toxic cleaner for cleaning your show tank, transport tank, pond liner, etc. It is readily available at most hardware or drug stores. We have been using it for years with no adverse effects.
- 4. Because show tanks are made from "fish friendly" liners, there is no mildew, fungus or algae inhibitor in the vinyl. If your club has stored your tanks slightly wet, you can expect mildew to grow and slightly stain the tank. If the mildew is fairly recent, soaking the tank in bleach will usually remove the stain (do not forget to rinse the tank and clean with a non-toxic cleaner such as Simple Green after bleaching the tank). We are currently testing new cleaners specifically made for removing mold and mildew from vinyl. If the bleaching does not work, give us a call and we will let you know which products worked.
- 5. Vulkem sealant is one of the best sealants when patching a liner. It sticks to practically anything and can even be applied under water. It is made of 100% polyurethane, which is totally fish friendly. It retains its pliability for many years and can even be used in place of plumber's tape! Most hardware stores carry it (it comes in a tube for use in a caulking gun), but ask for it at the contractor's desk as it usually is not left out where the public can get it, it's messy stuff! If you get it on your clothes, you can't get it out! ff you get it on your hands, use M.E.M. (paint stores carry this) to get it off. It is a wonderful sealant, but it can be messy.
- 6. When plumbing a drain to your pond, use a "vortex" style. This creates a whirlpool inside the drain to help lift the heavier wastes where the suction from the pump can grab them and pull them into the filter.
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