Outdoor pond question

[Lebeeze]

Okay so I know that an outdoor pond has to be at least 3 feet deep in order for goldfish and koi to survive the winter.

I was wondering if it has to be 3 feet underground, or if a 3 foot deep outdoor container would be okay?

So basically if I just have a 150 gallon outdoor rubbermate tote completely above ground, would the fish survive winter(it gets pretty cold I am in Canada).

 

[MrBryan723]

Lolzzzz...
Not at all, that container will turn into a brick here in Texas during the winter so unless you're costal it definitely doesn't stand a chance in Canada.
It doesn't have to be fully buried, you can always insulate in some form or another. Lots of options.
150 isn't really a good choice for more than a few goldfish and less than 1 adult koi long term.
A heater is a game changer as far as fish not freezing is concerned. If you have a heater and a water pump, it will circulate and allow an insulated layer on top wich works well for many goldfish.

 

[Lebeeze]

Lolzzzz...
Not at all, that container will turn into a brick here in Texas during the winter so unless you're costal it definitely doesn't stand a chance in Canada.
It doesn't have to be fully buried, you can always insulate in some form or another. Lots of options.
150 isn't really a good choice for more than a few goldfish and less than 1 adult koi long term.
A heater is a game changer as far as fish not freezing is concerned. If you have a heater and a water pump, it will circulate and allow an insulated layer on top wich works well for many goldfish.

Yeah I'm going to build a filter system similar to a sump for it, wasnt planning on a heater but I could add one during the colder months and just keep it at 72°f or so. As for size, 150 would be fine for me as I only want a couple goldfish maybe 3 or 4 but if I'm going to have to dig anyways I may as well make it larger and ditch the container idea all together.

 

it dosnt need to be to deap under ground but will help in the long run when winter hits