Frilly
I would rent a bobcat for the day. It should make short order of the digging. I had a friend bring a small kabota over. The kabota was his 'toy'. I also have a lot of rocks in my soil. I cannot get over how many rocks we have.
How many gallons do you think it will be?
I am a colder zone than you are and I have overwintered both koi and goldies successfully for a number of years. Currently I just have koi, but the concept is the same. You would need to keep a hole in the ice so that a gas exchange is allowed to occur. Otherwise, gases will build up and will eventually kill the fish. You can pick up deicers at your local Tractor Supply or order them through a number of different online sources -
