Will dojo loaches survive winter in a 3' deep goldfish pond?

I am in the planning process of creating a pond for my 4 common/comet goldfish. I have just about everything planned out other than population control. For awhile I've been planning on catching a bluegill from a local pond but then I found out that dojo loaches are excellent at eating goldfish eggs and that they do ok in cold water. Plus I really like the way they look.

I have done some research but am finding it difficult to get results as most pond owners seem to be more concerned with creating good scenery than housing interesting animals and most people who keep dojo loaches seem to keep them in aquariums. My pond is going to be 12'x5'x3' deep with planting shelves. I have a 500gph pump and plan on making my own filter. Because I do not plan on buying a skimmer or any other type of filter right away. I feel like creating a suitable environment for the loaches may also be a concern as I am planning on putting in no substrate and planting in small pots filled with rocks in order to keep things clean. I live in southern Pennsylvania. I think it's zone 6.

 

Goldfish are actually very difficult to breed, you definitely won't need population control. Dojos are great fish though, you may want to get them anyway. Do you think the pond will freeze?

 

I would look up their temperature tolarances in the wild to get an idea. What are of the country are you located in. and what are your average highs and lows. Welcome to the forum and glad you joined us. Alison

 

Daunicorn, I have heard some say that they have trouble breeding goldfish and some say that they will breed out of control in poor conditions. I just don't want to end up with a dozen small goldfish popping up in a pond that may be around 500 gallons. Either way I would probably add a few if I knew the conditions were right. I have some khulI loaches in my community tank and they are one of my favorite fish. I believe the top may freeze over but I do plan on breaking the ice whenever I notice. I know some less informed people who unfortunately keep goldfish and even some koi in less than 3 feet of water. I can't speak to their health or happiness but I know for a fact that they have had some live for 10+ years.

Aliry, thank you for the warm welcome.I live in southern Pennsylvania. According to https://www.usclimatedata.com/climate/pennsylvania/united-states/3208 the lowest average temp for my state is 26 in January. All of the care guides suggest a temperature of at least 50 but then go on to say that they have been known to live in ponds as far north as Canada. This is very confusing to me.

 

I'm pretty sure they won't survive a winter in Pennsylvania. Their tropical.

 

I'm pretty sure they won't survive a winter in Pennsylvania. Their tropical.

Dojos aren't tropical, they're subtropical.


According to Fishbase, temps can go down to 5 C (41 F), which is a little higher than your average lows. Anyway you can add a heater?

 

If your ave low in Jan is 26 degrees heating a 500 gal pond another 15 degrees would be impractical. Plus even if you could what if the temps fell to zero or below [i'm sure it does]? I'm on Long Island and i'm probably close to you in temp range, I tried white clouds in an outdoor pond and they didn't make it through the winter, spare the dojo's.

Even worse, that pond is over 1000 gal, I though you said 500 gal.

 

Ok, seems like they are are a little advanced for me. I am building this pond out of necessity to save some fish that I bought out of ignorance. It's probably best to stick with animals that I already know live here year round. Maybe after I do some more research and get some more experience this could be an idea for my next pond. Thank you all for the advice.

 

Or you could buy a big enough tank and have the Dojos in the house where you can see them..Alison

 

If your ave low in Jan is 26 degrees heating a 500 gal pond another 15 degrees would be impractical. Plus even if you could what if the temps fell to zero or below [i'm sure it does]? I'm on Long Island and i'm probably close to you in temp range, I tried white clouds in an outdoor pond and they didn't make it through the winter, spare the dojo's.

Even worse, that pond is over 1000 gal, I though you said 500 gal.

Yeah, I don't know anything about heating ponds, though I do know some people have done it. Guess it's not very feasible in too low of temps though! I'm in Texas, so heating ponds is not necessary haha

 

Dojo is banned in some states, such as Michigan, because they are known to survive fairly harsh winter weather. They are not tropical or subtropical, they are from temperate zones.

So long as the pond does not freeze solid, the Dojos will live. Bear in mind, water does not get down to 26 degrees. Ground temperature will usually keep a 3 foot deep inground pool from freezing solid. However, you need some sort of aeration/circulation to keep a hole open in the ice, or they will suffocate from a lack of oxygen. Same goes for the Goldfish.

 

Dojos are extremely hardy, as said above, as long as you break some of the ice they should be fine. I've heard of people whose ponds freeze all winter who keep dojos.