How to acclimate goldfish for freezing water?

[bowman316]

I have a small, outside pond, that I keep goldfish in year round. The top 6 inches freeze over in the winter, and the fish are fine.
But I just bought 3 more fish from the store today, 2 goldfish, and 1 coy. I placed the bag i bought them in into the pond, to acclimate them to the temperature. And after 20 minutes, the fish were floating upside down, and looked dead.
I quickly brought them back inside, and put them in a jar of regular cold water. They slowly started to come back to life, and are fine now.

So do I have to wait till spring to acclimate them to the pond? Im guessing that its just too much of a transition right now.

 

[Chad Flaugher]

I have over 50 Koi and Goldfish in my pond... Some up to 18"! I used to keep a stock tank heater going when the temps dropped below zero, but I stopped doing that a couple years ago. Truth is, goldfish are carp, and carp are tough! You'll probably have to acclimate them in a larger body of water that cools slower. You could try a new or very clean garbage can with 20 gallons in the garage, then move it outside on one of your nicer days. Be sure it doesn't freeze up too thick! If you have a bubbler, use it in the can.

They feed those fish at the pet store. If those fish have a full belly, they will die in cold temps. Let them process the food in their stomach for a day or two before trying this. Never feed outdoor pet fish when the water temps fall below 55 degrees. Hope that helps!

 

[redneck joe]

i'd wait until spring

 

[junkman41]

I had a fish pond in my back yard, but I never tried to add fish in the winter. the pond store would not even sell the fish during winter