No, no, I'm not saying its right, I'm just saying that I had several in a samll tank with no problems. I don't think you should keep that many in a small tank. At the time I was about 12, so I didn't know any better.

Yes, it is always better to put them in a pond if possible. I wouldn't put small fish in a pond later than late-July, if you had winters dropping below freezing. They need to save up enough body fat to last through the winter. You could bring them inside for the winter, but we keep ours outdoors overwinter.