Botanic Garden >> Gardening > >> Question and Answer >> Pond and Water Gardening

Draining a Pond with Fish: Never Release into Wild Waters

Timing

Drain anytime, but spring/fall (moderate temps) reduces fish stress.

Catch Fish Humanely

Seine net or lower water slowly and hand-net.
Hold in aerated totes with pond water.

Rehome, Don't Release

Releasing ornamental fish into natural waters is illegal in most places and ecologically destructive (disease, competition, genetics). If no home found, humane euthanasia (clove oil) is the responsible choice.

Pond and Water Gardening: Using Pond Water for Carnivorous Plant Bogs: Testing and Reverse Osmosis Options; pH Adjustment for Fish Transfer: Raise Old Pond, Not Lower New; New Pond Critters: Tadpoles and Wasps—Friend or Foe?; Helping Pond Frogs Survive Winter in a Lined Pond; Filling In Unwanted Ponds: Relocating Frogs Humanely; Overwintering Pond Frogs with Koi; Restocking a Cleaned-Out Pond: Plants, Snails, and Fish; Expanding Your Pond: A Stress-Free Transition Plan for Fish, Plants, and Frogs; Managing Excessive Tadpole Populations in Your Pond; Baby Toads Trapped in Pond: Help Them Escape

Garden Articles

Overwintering Pond Cannas Without a Basement

Fish Hiding After Predator Visit: Recovery Timeline & Protection

Moving Indoor Fish to Outdoor Pond in Winter: Certain Death

Herons and Frogs Eating Koi/Goldfish: Protection Strategies

Catching Baby Goldfish for Winter Removal from a Pond

Treating Ich in a Pond: Understanding Clout and the Ich Life Cycle

When Do Naturally Spawned Koi Fry Develop Their Adult Colors?

Plants

Moving Koi Indoors for Winter in Cold Climate

Barley Straw Bales in a Duck Pond: How Long to Leave Them

Tadpoles, Goldfish Fry, and Pond Balance in a 100-Gal Pond

Dogs and Cats in the Pond: Do They Eat Fish and Frogs?

Stocking Comet Goldfish in a Natural Pond: Survival Tips

Goldfish in Shallow Ponds: Winter Survival and Feeding

Black Worms Clogging Waterfall: Blackfly or Caddisfly Larvae?