To pour boiling water on the fish

[Sokmonsta]

We have a plastic tub with goldfish in the garden. Not mine, we were looking after them for a friend while he moved house. Now he's moved, not collected them and the sodding tub is nearly frozen solid. Have sent him a terse message saying sort the fucking fish (we've had them months). But the only way I can see to help them out is to put hot water in the good 6 inches of ice on top. And it's icky because there are also dead fish frozen in there.

Am seriously wishing I'd just put them in my parents pond when they were on holiday in September!

How big is the tub can't it come inside for a bit?

Why are they outside?

i know you're a bit miffed about being left with the fish, but poor fish!

have they seriously been left outside to freeze?

Why have you let the fish freeze to death?

Why'd you leave them outside??? That's fish abuse!!!

Tis a bit late now, though.

Poor fish

Bring them inside. Fill a bucket with cold water put the ice and fish in the cold water the ice will then melt. Scoop out any dead fish. Clean the tub and then fill it with cold water and transfer the goldfish to it and seriously hope for the best.

Don't put them back outside under any circumstances.

If they are still alive try and break up the ice and put a ball that floats in there to allow air to get to the water below-remember that from blue peter.

Is there no way they can come and live inside?

Polystyrene stops it freezing not boiling water :0( poor fishies

That's gross. Even though they aren't yours you should still look after them properly..Goldfish aren't exactly hard to look after.

Poor fish I have no real idea but I have a vague recollection of Chris Packham saying not to defrost ponds and just to let nature take care of it, but that doesn't seem great if the top of the pond is completely frozen over.

Why would you leave them outside?

I seriously doubt they're still alive. Poor fish.
He's a sod, but you have mis-treated the fish by the sounds of it.
Poor fish

I think a pond is different to a tub. In a pond only the top layer is frozen so the fish still have water underneath. In a tub it will mostly / totally freeze.

MrsReiver, that is usually good advice for a pond that is dug down in the ground, as the ground is rarely frozen far below the surface. In those cases the frozen ice on the top keeps the pond warmer.

Wow you should be disgusted with yourself for treating animals so badly. I would report you to the RSPCA is I knew you.

i'm guessing this thread is not going to go the way the op expected

Does the owner know he has a tub of frozen fish in your garden?

See - said I hadn't got a clue

But you don't need to know about ponds or fish to realise that the poor fish have been mistreated, Lilithmoon - I totally agree, if this was someone I knew IRL I'd be on the phone to SSPCA or RSPCA sharpish.

Wow you should be disgusted with yourself for treating animals so badly. I would report you to the RSPCA is I knew you.

That is a joke, right?

This thread has made me feel queasy

I think Ghoul's suggestion is best - but why the hell have you let it get this far ? I'd be very surprised if any at all were still alive and what you've done is totally neglectful when you consider how little effort it would have taken to bring the tub inside.