Pond noob, little advice?

[Characins]

Well, I've been wanting to start a goldfish pond for a little, but I have no idea the technical aspect of it.

How do I heat it in winter? Do I even need to heat it in winter? (I live in Canada, and it can get pretty cold here).

Do I need to hook a filter up to this thing? And what kind?

What are some pond plants? Or do they just sort of grow on their own?

Shoudl I change feeding schedules in the summer and winter?

Anything I should remember/look out for?

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[ColeMan]

I can answer your questions, but don't have it in me to do all of them at once (sorry, I've been doing yard work all day). I'll address "heating in the winter" first. I lived in colorado for a number of years, and on my property sat a 8000 gallon koi pond. I needed a depth of 6' to properly overwinter the Koi I had, though this depth was not needed but for part of the pond. IN Canada, where the winter's are harder and longer, you may need more depth. The important thing was to keep the top from totally freezing; i accomplished this by using a livestock heater i found at the feed store.

more later, my fingers are tired (pathetic: yes)

[Characins]

Originally Posted by ColeMan

I can answer your questions, but don't have it in me to do all of them at once (sorry, I've been doing yard work all day). I'll address "heating in the winter" first. I lived in colorado for a number of years, and on my property sat a 8000 gallon koi pond. I needed a depth of 6' to properly overwinter the Koi I had, though this depth was not needed but for part of the pond. IN Canada, where the winter's are harder and longer, you may need more depth. The important thing was to keep the top from totally freezing; i accomplished this by using a livestock heater i found at the feed store.

more later, my fingers are tired (pathetic: yes)

Lol, no problem, thanks!

Doesn't have to be through, just a little advice and maybe a link would be very helpful. I do appriciate any and all advice, I need as much as I can get!