My Funny Picture

Fish in horse water tank, with heater for winter?

Ok I have 2 Koi in my horse tank, and I have a de icer, that I used last year before I got the fish. ( they have tripled in size and kept it cleaner and there where no bugs or larva in the tank.) I live in Nebraska and the weather right now is weird it's suppose to snow!!! this weekend??? WTF, sorry. So should I use the tank de icer or will it cook the fish?? Give me a minute to upload a picture of what my tank looks like. Thanks. http://www.tractorsupply.com/stock-tanks/american-farmland-tank-2-ft-x-2-ft-x-4-ft-round-2177201 I'm afraid if I put this in the fish section, I'll get 'yelled' at for having fish in a horse tank, lol. They could get sucked up, not likely=)

Public Comments

1. Thats an interest idea to keep a couple fish in the trough.... But as for if the deicer would cook them or not, I think you'd need to ask the people in the fish section. They may be able to help you out better...
2. I would take the fish out for the winter. You're not going to have an algal bloom in the dead of winter and we all know you don't have to worry about larva. As an aside- I dont think the fish people are mad that the fish might be sucked up. Rather, I think it's that they and the water are in danger of freezing in the winter. In Maine, it is illegal to keep Koi outside for that reason.
3. I'm fairly sure that the de-icers will only prevent the water from freezing rather than actually heating the water. Meaning it should have a thermostat that will prevent it from overheating the water. Fish, especially koi, can tolerate very low temperatures though, as long as the water doesn't freeze all the way through, which it shouldn't yet. So, they should be fine even without the de-icer.
4. The de-icer shouldn't heat the water too high for the fish, all it should do is prevent ice from forming on the top of the trough so the water stays available for the horses to drink. I believe there are better uses for koi than to put them in the horse trough...I work in the vet industry and recommend you speak to your vet about doing this. Without going into too much detail there are certain health risks associated with the koi in the trough, as well as some benefits. Only you and your vet can make the right decision for your horses, but I personally would not keep them in there.
5. most de icers hold the water at about 45f, not nearly enough to cook the fish. I've seen fish in stock tanks winter over nicely as long as the tank does not freeze to the bottom. Edit: asked a friend quickly. He pointed me to this article about over wintering koi in cold weather. http://www.pondtrademag.com/articles/ar-73/
6. well it is not healthy for the horse or fish to live in the tank, the fishcould be affected by the slavia and the horse can get sick from the fish excretion in the water, and fish scales that the fish losse constantly. i would buy a tank. if the animal officer ever happened to drop by he wouldn't be happy at all.
7. My friend kept her fish in the tank over winter with a tank heater and they ran into it and got fried. I would bring them in and put them in a bowl for winter.