This is why I want an Indoor Pond

[Christian @Berlin]

and please do not touch the litle guy with Your hand.
He will get a shock and die with an red head

[Birdman]

I think this guy had been dead before he floated up and got trapped in the ice. He was already decomposing at the base of his tail. The rest of the fish are doing just fine.

[dick benbow]

I think this thread just reenforces the fact that carp are not cold water fish like trout. having control of the water temperature is a must for the serious koi keeper.

in the learning curve for controlling temp, please be aware that koi indoors and denied access to sunlight, have a problem with loosing color. That why when you see photos of green house situations in japan everything is glass or plastic panels in an all out effort to admit proper levels of light. While florescent lights for greenhouses help, they are only a stop gap measure to solve about half the concern.....

[Regenmeneer]

Good point Dick! I use the double layered milk-white polycarbonate sheet to cover my winterpond, and even with those the colors go off a little.

But I'm just wondering how the colors are effected by the snow on the greenhouses used by breeders, or does the snow slide off because of the angle of the roof, or do they remove the snow?

Regenmeneer

[Birdman]

Quote: Originally Posted by Regenmeneer or does the snow slide off because of the angle of the roof, or do they remove the snow? Regenmeneer

If it was me I would remove the snow because I don't think the clear roof panals are that strong.

[Regenmeneer]

I agree with you that the panels won't hold. But the slope of the roof is very steep, so maybe together with the warm air inside, the snow will slide off.

[Gallagher]

in the learning curve for controlling temp, please be aware that koi indoors and denied access to sunlight, have a problem with loosing color. That why when you see photos of green house situations in japan everything is glass or plastic panels in an all out effort to admit proper levels of light. While florescent lights for greenhouses help, they are only a stop gap measure to solve about half the concern.....

This kind of theory does puzzle me to an extent and the reasom is, I'm not so sure a whole lot of sun light penitrates a mud pond, yet the colors and development of koi in a mud pond are superior to that of a gin clear hobbiest's pond where the sun light is unincumbered.
Secondly JR and others have indicated that koi are four season fish. This would imply a winter and I doubt much sun light penatrates a snow covered pond.
Finally I have also read when koi miss the forth season thier colors fade.
My question is, can the skin of a koi be likened to ours insomuch as ours becomes darker with exposure to sun light and is also damaged by over exposure?
Maybe a winters rest is likewise what keeps the skin youthful.
Jim