Swimming pool for winter

[whiskyb]

Thinking ahead, hopefully way ahead. Normally we have left our fish in the pond over the winter. Having lost a few last winter and wanting to enjoy them year round we are thinking of keeping them in our garage this winter. The easiest way would be to use one of the commercially available  self supporting pools and  use a retro bottom drain filter hooked up to one of our existing filters. My thinking is that being a smaller volume of water, no really direct sunlight and no plants it would be easier to filter. The next option would be a wood frame with liner using the same filtration.

Any thoughts?

[2vetts]

be nice to know number and size of fish .

[whiskyb]

My sarassa's bred this spring and I appear to have between them and some feeder fish I put in around 70-80 2-3" I have 8 koi around 10"including tail. 8 sarassa's and shubunkins all around 9" Currently everything is in a 5000gallon pond. Long enough winters here. Snow can fall as early as late October and not get warm again till March-April. Usually freezes over around 12" thick with a hole I keep open with an aerator

[Julles]

Plenty of people do similar.

Aeration would be very important, so be sure you have a bubbler or waterfall splash.  Filtering a small body of water would be important, too, as the fish pooping in there would foul it more quickly than the 5000 gal pond.   

And an above ground pool would get colder faster, as well as cycle from warm to cold, much faster than the pond, so be sure to have a heater or some other way to keep the temperature consistant.

Koi are jumpers, so be SURE you cover the tank.  I use PVC pipe frames covered with chicken wire. Keeps varmits out, too.