releasing koi?

[rjssniper]

the temps here in ohio are up to 50. i have a 10x15x3 ft watering hole for the horses. its spring fed by a small creek that runs through my property. the koi in my tank is about 9 in. and i love to have him in there but he simply loves to tear up my plants and gravel. for the next 10 days its not going to go below freezing. i would like to release him in the watering hole. a woman at the pet store told me to not feed him for a few days and put him in a bucket of water that is room temp and place him outside for a few hours untill the water temp reaches the outside temp...then release him. is this ok to do during our warm spell and will he be ok if in a week and a half the temps dip below freezing. thanks in advance.

p.s. i planned on putting him into the watering whole origionaly

 

[knifegill]

No, it takes weeks for outdoor fish to prepare for freezing temps. They have to store oxygen in their fats to survive and convert their blood to a sort of antifreeze as well. A few hours or even days of prep will not suffice. He would die out there unless he's already been exposed to extremely low temps and shortened light periods for a few weeks at least. What is his current tank like, temp and light wise?