SAVING Rare Koi From Freezing Ice Water 

There was a mistake in the explanation though. It is NOT about geothermal heat (at least not primarily) - it is about the fact that water is at its desenst at 4 degrees Celsius. So 4 degrees warm water will sink to the bottom and therefore the most stable temperature will be at the bottom of the pond. If the pond freezes over, this might also be the warmest temperature.

as a Canadian, seeing someone get stressed out by -10 degree weather confused me so bad for a moment

Build a bigger pond!

Yes please, build a bigger and deeper pond, love the pond guy and professor they do fantastic work! Really great to have such good friends to work that hard for a pizza,lol. Nice tent, love the windows on the side. Looks like it's working, can't wait to get an update. Thanks George and friends, great job!

Definitely dig a deeper pond! Great idea to put a tent up around it! Glad you had a team to help you! A couple questions (I've put up and worked under event tents in lots of cinditions): How many pounds are the weights on each leg of the tent? Looked like you had some good weights so you're likely taken care of. There should be a minimum of 25 lbs on each leg so the tent doesn't fly away or become a spider. Do the sidewalls Velcro to the tent top? I wasn't sure looking at them whether they did or not. If they only go under the top, you may find that velcroing them will seal out more of the cold.

average summer day in canada:

Build up a bit mulch around bottom perimeter of tent will help to keep heat in tremendously ..we do this up north its amazing..even pile dead leaves around outside perimeter, make sure they are dry before doing so..u can even add frost blankets 2 permiter an reuse every yr..its worth it...from CT

Guys theres a livestock tank heater for $50. I use it in my pond in winter. Thats all you need

Please deeper pond! When you build that bigger pond, maybe you can have a greenhouse type structure as part of the design so you won't have those same issues next winter? I'd love to see that work. Have a little oasis. Maybe your mom can take advantage and grow some plants that are from a warmer USDA zone. Make a whole thing of it.

What you created on the plants is called hoarfrost. It is really neat to see you created a humid environment that allowing that to happen in the cold. Normally you do not see it unless it is several degrees below freezing, like in AK. But you have so much moisture under the tent, it did it! So fun!

Just want to drop a bit of knowledge here. I built and have maintained a 5000 galloon koi pond/ stream for about 12 years now. It's 4 feet deep in the deep end, but averages about 2.5 ft. I run 2 10in disc aerators full time. You mentioned one piece that is important, which is having deep enough water. However, the most important part is oxygenating the water, and making sure the ice doesn't freeze over and trap ammonia underneath the ice. (Which is the most often way fish die.) In 12 years implementing this strategy/making sure I don't have leaf buildup etc. I've never lost a mature koi, and I'm in a colder climate than you are. I've never covered the pond (only a net for leaves) or heated the pond.

build a bigger pond

Lol on 0:35 in the vid the cat skidding around on the pond was so cute ☺️ 😅

Something to keep in mind, all the stuff you mentioned with how they survive and what is required in the water even while frozen. If you adapted a pool cover design strong enough for you to walk on or shovel the top covering of snow off of. This can be covering several air tubes or air stacks (smoke stacks with cover) After that you just need to find a way to add semi warmed water to areas of the pond, or maybe take rocks heat them and then place them near areas the fish can swim to get closer to without being boiled or burnt. The tent collects snow and could cave in also, the wind you mentioned shouldn't be an issue for a flat pond cover. For your enjoyment make it so it has handles or is maybe sectional. Instead of trying to get heat into the water to make it like springtime, rely on the fish and their hibernation and the fact that you can add the odd bit of food or warmer water if it gets too cold. What you were trying was fighting the weather, you should have tried looking for ways to make it easier for them to hibernate. Think of how animals manage when there are no humans or the owners have forgotten and moved on. I say this idea, to save you some money and frustration, especially if the weather gets worse or someday a new owner comes along. Gotta make it easier and enjoyable or eventually after you pass, it will all be changed.

Me being a Canadian: “so uhhhhhhh you want some ice cream?” That one friend who just moved to Canada: “HOW THE HELL DO YOU EAT ICE CREAM WHEN ITS THIS COLD?!” Me: “wdym it’s like only -15 you will be fine”

Build the bigger pond! I love fish and seeing how you protected them just warms my heart! I hope you and your fish are doing well!

BUILD A BIGGER POND!

As a canadian -10 is nothing we think -40 is somewhat cold 🤣

I am so ready for a bigger outdoor pond!!!

7:59 why did I think it was a toaster💀

Neat! I live in the desert so people are always trying to keep their koi from cooking in the summer. Will continue to watch, I’m curious if your tent holds up to the wind all winter. If it does, I’ll be getting one. 😁

Could just use a bubbler which prevents the ice from freezing over sections of the pond. I recommend only putting them 1 ft or so down so you aren't taking the 'warmer' water from the bottom and raising it up. You're only disturbing the surface.

My first time seeing this channel and I already know I want to see a bigger pond!

100% build a big pond, love the content keep it up!!!

Fish don’t hibernate…. They go into torpor. Hibernation is literally sleeping. Torpor is that they slow down their metabolism in accordance with the water temp. That’s why even in the winter, if the temp rises, they swim. Animals that truly hibernate, like bears, don’t come out of hibernation, just because there are a few warm days here and there.

TEAM BULD A BIGGER POND 👇👇🏻👇🏼👇🏽👇🏾👇🏿

Lmao the fish said “I wanna see Santa”

Wow... Sam, Ben and Laurel did an amazing job...

My pond has done fine with a floating surface heater for years now, and I have much less gallonage than you. I live in the next town over from you I bet they would be fine.

A piece of packing foam keeps a hole in the ice. Isemo Well up to a point i guess. Larger ponds don’t freeze so fast.

Most definitely a bigger pond ❤😊

at 3:48 “i wanna see santa” caught me off guard- 😭

Next year surrounding the pond with bales of straw on the outside of the tent to seal the under draft will make a big difference.

Wouldn’t a giant fish tank heater heat it enough?

Put them in a temporary aquarium for the winter? Impossible! Build a giant tent around the pond and put a heater inside? Sounds like a plan!

marvel of german engineering = big tent + space heater

I'm so glad you realized that you need a heater in the water. But frankly 900.00 for a heater is nothing compared to what you paid for those koi and the trip over there to get them. You are asking the current heater you have in your pond to work too hard there is a good chance it will fail. To be on the safe side you should buy another one and operate them both then neither one has to work so hard. But here's the most important thing you should know and please pay attention that canopy will not support the weight of the snow you have to keep the snow off the roof or it will collapse on you. The way to keep the snow off the roof is to be on the inside and gently poke at the roof with a broom to get the snow to slide off. I don't know how long you have snow there for but you will have to keep an eye on it the whole time. Good luck I really enjoy your videos I love traveling all over the world with you keep up the good work thank you so much.

That's so interesting! I never knew Koi fish could hibernate and live in snowy conditions. I live in Colorado so it snows quite a bit (I feel like it has been less this year than previous years but instead of having more snow throughout a span of a few days, it all comes at once) and my neighbors had a pond of Koi fish and whenever I would walk by when it got cold enough for the water to freeze, I always got so confused as to why the fish were still in the water but seemed fine when it got warmer. You learn something new every day!

Pro tip: If you leave gaps on the bottom of the tent that are big enough for a kid do walk through, the cold air MIGHT also find that gap and get in :D

you could also use a tank heater to add heat to the water, they are cheap and keep animal water tanks ice free.

10/10 would vote for Ben

I'm a little confused. I thought you had the basement tank for your koi in winter. Are you renovating that or did you get rid of it? Never mind, just had to watch a little longer and you explain it. Excited to see the Amazonian tank!

Build a bigger pond next summer good idea

Alligators - not crocodiles. American crocs only live in south florida because it stays warm. Gators live farther north and freeze in the ponds.

Convince him lol to the rest of us its called paying them 😂

seems like the submersible heater idea would have popped up sooner. and the tent is probably an HOA violation.

i am the koi, my gratitude upon thee for my freedom

Fish hibernate at the bottom of a lake and pond because they have evolved to be able to survive at 4 degrees which is the temperature that water at the bottom will stay at for the longest. Water is at its most dense at 4 degrees so it will sink to bottom.

I just put a 1500w trough heater in my pond and it prevents freezing through all winter in Minnesota. Any tractor supply store has them.

Both my front & rear ponds freeze over sometimes in the winter, but the area near the water fall stay agitated so theirs always a hole. And fortunately it doesn't get devils balls Chicago cold here in Maryland, so they always survive. Nice to see other options people use for cold weather though!

Seems like a pond water heater would be cheaper and easier.

Its cold tjere meanwhile here in the philippines 2024 april its freaking soooo hoootttt So sad we dont have snow,spring autumn or others We only have summer and rainy season 😢😢

I approve [ as a koi] :)

I thought you had an indoor koi pond for the winters? This makes no sense

First time watching the video, but so far so good, please build a bigger one

"If we don't do something fast" sets up a camera to watch the pond freeze slowly so he can get to it when there's ice to crack

you just need to deepen the pool to about 7 feet at its deepest point. And run the pump continuously when winter comes and stop feeding. That will be safe. My friend has kept a frozen pond for over 10 years with no problems. And especially in cold regions like you should raise the Goshiki Koi, it will be very beautiful and have full color in cold regions. and you should keep nutrient levels in your water as winter approaches low to avoid bacterial growth. You can also put a UV lamp in your filter box.

They make heaters for livestock water troughs that float

the 6:37 part where the blowdryer was was so funny especially the guys face🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

For a pond that small it seems submersible heaters and a bubbler would be more than sufficient to keep the water from completely freezing. Just set the temperature to about 4°C.

That’s really cool how he manage to keep his koi alive

Those are Florida alligators 🐊 that are frozen like that not crocodiles

good jon george!

Build the biggest pond :))

I think that 4-foot rule is old school. Last few years in Midwest (I am in Indiana) its been really "easy" winters. Last year, pond only froze over 3" thick for one week then thawed. This winter 2024, was quite a bit colder for longer and ice got to 8" thick! Deepest side of my pond is at 4 foot mark but the shallow end at 2 foot, had fish under the ice no issues.

and a ice vent would be cheaper then a tent lol

Greetings from Schaumburg, Illinois! :)

0:25 My anxiety rose when he stepped on the edge of the pond....

build a deeper pond, i dont know why you built such a shallow one to start with

BUILD A BIGGER POUND! 👇🏻

I was in the middle of going down a horror rabbit hole when I'm suddenly watching a video of people saving their fish. I love the internet.

From Denmark i love you vido bigger pond

First baby Toronto Canada 🇨🇦

Can't wait for the bigger koi pond!!

"Omg a whole 0 degrees" Me in sweden living at a -30 degrees on a normal winter day

can't you buy an aquarium and put fish there for a few months? rather than doing all these.....

Love Buddy the elf😂❤ 5:14

“I wanna see Santa” LOLL

You can build an inline heater by inserting your current heater to a PVC pipe with a pond pump on one end and a sponge on the other.

We have a heater in our Koi pond. It’s worked magic for 4 years. And, we live in Syracuse NY.

The goldfish live in my water trough, seem to fair just fine in the winter when the whole Trough freezes over they’ve been alive for three years, and none of them died from the winter just another type of goldfish

After i opened this video a fish tank aquarium ad thing popped upon my screen 😂

I have always dreamed of having a similar setup but for goldfish 😂

Please build a bigger and deeper pond with maybe a little water fall and some more koi fish that maybe are a little bigger!❤

3:43 your are my sunshine...😔

Great pond👍🏽

I hope your Koi fish do fine in the winter🥶

That tent's gonna get bodied by one of the storms 😂

The way he pulled out the women was dead and the man was dead after 😂😢😂

Dude, seriously... you know that bigger always mean better! I am sure that as soon as you were done with that one you were like, "Why didn't I go bigger!!!!!" lol. GO BIGGER DUDE!

Random question.. how do you deal with evaporation in your pond? do you simply just add more water occasionally or have some sort of automated system?

I would build a half or 2/3 the pond-sized wood framed cover that can be lifted on the pond if there is going to be really cold. It could have sth like XPS (like styrofoam but more dense) as insulation. This is just my thinking to reduce heat loss via reducing wind and heat-radiating surface area. Not a fish expert, but I know something..

0:00 another day, another victory for the ogs

You would have been better to have put up a greenhouse as it would allow more heat from the sun. That tent is technically shading the pond and with all those separate panels allows for more wind to get through.

Also....pond heater. Yeah easy fix. They r real.

him nervous about -10 degrees meanwhile me and my family relaxing in -40 degrees celsius

I have 8 Koi fish and have the same size pond, they survive just fine in winter without any heaters. 16 years going and no problems.

Gotta love Illinois weather man

why did one of the fish say "I want to see Santa"😂

I really wanna see a bigger and a deeper so that the fishes have a higher chance of surviving the winter days