Our goldfish have returned indoors after another successful summer of eating mosquito larvae in the water lily pond (a 25 gallon plastic tub). I overwinter the water lily bulb in a 5-gallon bucket that’s loosely covered in the basement. Then in March I fill the outdoor pond and put the lily in the bottom. I wait until I see a few larvae swimming in the pond before I put the goldfish out. That first day they gorge themselves on all the larvae. We’ve had these two 5-cent comet goldfish for 10 years now. They absolutely thrive in the bucket all summer, and nary a mosquito larvae survives while they’re on duty. I don’t feed them at all — enough bugs and leaves and algae and who knows what comes along that they are fat as can be all summer. Every November I chip them out from beneath the frozen water and bring them inside. Let them temperature acclimate in their own pond water in a bucket inside for 24 hours. Then carefully net them into the aquarium that’s been running empty all summer. They live inside all winter — we do feed them now of course — no random bugs dropping in while inside (I HOPE).
Their names are Harold and Henry.