7/29/99

Question:
I live in the Chicago area and want to put a fish pond water garden in our back yard. My question is - How deep does the pond have to be for the fish to live outside in the winter or should I plan on keeping them in an aquarium during the cold weather. We don't have a very big yard, so I was planning for the pond to be approx. 4'x 6' to 5'x 8' and around 3-4 ft. deep.

Some of my friends have outdoor water gardens and keep the fish outside during the winter (not very deep) and the fish survive, but I want my fish to be happy and healthy in the pond.  I have had aquarium fish for about 25 years, but this will be my first attempt with an outdoor pond. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thank you,

Julie...

 

Answer:
Julie,

Here in Michigan (zone 5) we dig our ponds to 30 inches deep in order to get our fish through the winter without the use of a heater. You could make them deeper.

I hope that this was helpful

Scott Bates

 

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