I think your Mollies will do fine outside on your deck in a small Barrel Pond like the one shown in the pictures above. Move them outdoors when the water temperature is about the same in your aquarium and in your pond.

White Clouds would be another good choice as fish in a pond like this one. I've had White Clouds in my pond. Last winter when it got cold here in San Diego, the water temperature in my pond got down to 50 degrees and then even a few degrees cooler lower. Of course, the water in your pond will probably get much colder next winter in Pennsylvania.

Goldfish can live in water with frozen ice on the surface, but when the water temperature got to 50 degrees, my White Clouds stopped eating. So I put them in a fish bowl and brought them back inside my house, where it was warmer. Click here to read more about this adventure with my White Clouds.

What kind of behavior? Well I knew that when my White Clouds stopped eating, I had to move them back inside. If your Mollies stop eating or start to shimmy or crash on the bottom of the pond, then you'll need to move them. Click here to read more about general Signs of Stress and Disease in all types of fish.

Finally, what did my pond cost? The pre-cut barrel was about $20.00 and the liner was about $20.00, as I remember. I got them both at Home Depot, and I made sure the liner fit nicely inside the barrel before I got them.

As mentioned above you'll need a layer of aquarium gravel about 1/4" thick. I bought three bags of aquarium gravel for about $2.00 a bag. I mixed the three colors, but you probably only need one bag or even less.

If you add a handful of gravel from your aquarium, it'll help the water in your new pond to clear quickly. If you have a lot of gravel in your aquarium, take all but a layer that is 1/4" thick out of your aquarium, rinse it gently with a small amount of aquarium water, then put that gravel from your aquarium in your pond.

You should have some water conditioner. It costs less than $3.00. I only used it once, when I first filled my pond with water. Now when I change 20% of the water in my Pond twice each week, I don't need to add water conditioner. I'm saving the rest of the conditioner in case I have a catastrophe and need to change most of the water in my pond. Click here for more information about Water Conditioner.

You should also have a fish net that is big enough to reach every where in your pond and catch your biggest fish. You can buy a 5" net for about $2.00, and it should work. Then again you probably already have a fish net for your aquarium.

I got a Gravel Washer for less than $7.00, and it's helped keep my little pond sparkling clean. I use it to clean the gravel, when I remove 20% of the water. You could use it on both your aquarium and on your new pond. Click here for more about the Gravel Washer.

Adding up all the Costs, I get a total of less than $60.00 for everything that I mentioned, and I've had a barrel of fun for that $60.00. Good luck with your pond.

The bottom feeders might have been Plecostomus, and they will not survive in water with ice on the surface. Click here for more about Plecostomus.

But Goldfish can survive the winter in a container pond with ice on the surface. Of course they must adapt slowly to cooler water, which is probably what happened to your Goldfish last fall.

If the ice gets too thick, it will not allow the oxygen from the air to get into the water, which would not be good for the Goldfish. So, many people break a hole in the ice, or find some other way to keep a hole in the ice.

I would also say that your barrel and laundry tub will not be big enough to hold all of your fish, as they grow larger. You should test the water at least once a week. Click here for more information about how to test your water.

If the water quality is not good, you will need to get more containers or a pond for your fish.

You mentioned that small Goldfish are drab in color. Goldfish are usually gray, tan, or olive green, when they are very small.

When they grow to be about 1.5 to 2 inches long, they change color and most of them turn orange, or orange and white, or even solid white. But a few have some black, all black, or black with orange, like the one you mentioned.

Even as they grow much larger, Goldfish will often change color for no apparent reason. This color change does not seem to affect their health.

Every Goldfish is unique, if you look closely enough. But usually the term "rare" or "rarity" is not applied.

You might also enjoy some Shubunkin Comets, which are a calico colored Goldfish. Click here to see them and to read more about Pond Comet Goldfish like yours.