In the summer, when your landscaping is green and luscious and your backyard water feature was newly installed, it seemed like a great idea to get fish for the pond. The way the waterfall bubbled and the scales glistened - what could possibly go wrong? Unfortunately, summer is fleeting, and now, as a characteristically chilly Utah winter approaches, your fish are in danger. Protecting them is just another aspect of landscape maintenance, and, with the right information, it shouldn’t be as intimidating as it sounds.

Some fish don’t face any dangers from wintering in a pond outdoors, even in Utah temperatures. Koi, goldfish, and other durable fish survive in colder temperatures with minimal issues. However, to protect your water feature, it’s best to drain it for the winter and relocate the fish indoors.

As long as you’ve maintained your pond properly over the warmer months, preparing for the winter won’t be difficult. Remove unwanted obstructions and sludge from the water continuously to ensure a healthy biome for your fish. A month before winter is scheduled to hit, remove a portion of water from your feature and transfer it to an indoor tank. This tank can mimic your feature’s size and structure or remain an original shape. Most importantly, the tank should be big enough to avoid overcrowding your fish, and its water shouldn’t be wildly different from that in your feature. Removing fish from their normal habitat is necessary with the dropping temperatures winter brings, but it’s still a stressful experience for the fish, and it will help them acclimate appropriately to have similar bacteria and conditions present in the indoor tank. Between 20-50 percent of your indoor tank should be from your pond. Let the tank sit for a month in preparation for your fish. Additionally, check the temperature when you move your fish and keep the temperature within 15 degrees. Introduce some of the tank water into the feature to help with the transition, and if you decide to transfer the fish in bags instead of with a net, you can float the bags in the indoor tank until the temperatures are the same.

Whether you want fish or not, a high-quality feature elevates your yard’s landscaping and can be a testament to your creativity. With a Utah designer like John from Affordable Dreams Landscape, water features are affordable, easy to install, and custom-made to suit your personality and design dreams. Visit the Affordable Dreams Landscape website to get an estimate today.

With a Utah designer like John from Affordable Dreams Landscape, water features are affordable, easy to install, and custom-made to suit your personality and design dreams.