pond fish

[spud]

I just had to tell you the story of how I got 15 pond fish in a plastic container in my basement for the winter.  I live in Pa and it gets real cold in the winter.  
Last year we purchased a pond and I assured my 15 year old daughter that her goldfish in her bedroom( that had outgrown their tank) would be fine in it.  They grew and did fine in their new home.  It was getting cold and she was concerned that they would get too cold being out there.  I told her I would get a heater that would keep the water just above freezing.  She agreed so I bought the heater and put it in the pond.  The next day the dogs kept going over to the pond and sniffing.  I uncoverd it and I was shocked and very upset because the water was almost boiling!  I killed all her fish!  She cried as we buried all her fish.  She had names by the way for everyone of them.  I drained the pond and left it empty for the winter.  In the summer I bought 15 goldfish and she of course got attached to all of them.  I did not get another heater I was furious with the man who sold me a heater for barn work that was suppose to heat water to boiling to kill germs in dariy farm buckets.  I assured my daughter they would be okay under the ice, but she would not believe me so I said okay lets bring them in.  Needles to say they are all doing fine in the basement with the pond filter in a large plastic container.  What we don't do for our kids.
spud  

[Yoyostick]

That's funny. Except I would probably be boiling myself if it had happened to me.

When I was too young to remember, we had some fish. My brother, who was quite young, too, turned up the heat in the tank and fried most of them. We haven't had fish since.

[Willowbirch]

I caught a crawdad when I was six...we brought him home in a pop bottle and left the bottle on our porch, then we forgot, and he fried bright red in the sun...I think we gave him to the cat...I really wanted him for my fishbowl.  

I admire you, spud; goldfish don't die easy, they can take a lot of extremes. A few years ago I dug a hole in the yard and lined it with plastic, and put in a little pond, then I dumped ten goldfish in; but there was a hole somewhere, and the water drained out, and I didn't find the poor goldfish until later that day...meanwhile, they had been dry, stuck to the bottom of the pond, and were actually getting stiff.

I peeled the little guys up, and dropped them in a glass of water...they didn't do anything for a few minutes, but about an hour later, they were swimming around, just fine...maybe a little sunburned, that's all...

I have rescued goldfish from cold weather before (I have a little store-bought pond now), and even though their water was nearly freezing, they thawed all right, and made it through the winter in my house...

But no, they don't like to be frozen or boiled.