Maintain Your Koi Correctly by Winterizing Their Pond
Monday, September 14th, 2009Winter is coming, and this could be the first Winter that you go through with your Koi fishpond. Think of Winter as a down period for your fishpond, as less events happen during Winter than any other time. You do need it take some special precautions though so that you can guarantee the survival of your fishpond and fish.
Clean Up- Take about a weekend to wholly go over your fishpond. If it has any unwanted bulk material in it or around it, you need to clean it up. Inside your pond, clean up all leaves, silt, and other material from the bottom. If there are any plants or flowers in your fishpond that will not survive the winter months, you need to remove them. Around the pond, clean up anything that can blow into your pond, as you are not likely to notice this garbage until the end of winter. By taking this time and removing this garbage, you’re helping to remove the possibility of potential bacteria and parasites damage from happening.
Stop Feeding- This is a very important thing, then do not forget that you must not feed your Koi during the winter. When your water temperatures get around 55 or 60F, you should only give your Koi food one time daily. You must stop feeding your Koi wholly after the temperature drops below fifty the first time. Even if the temperature goes above fifty degrees, still refrain from feeding your fish. The majority of Koi, when healthy and the temperature is above fifty degrees, take at least four days to entirely digest food. If you go ahead and feed your fish anyway, the food will not digest in the stomach properly and will rot and kill the fish. You also need to realize that when a Koi is opening its mouth to you it doesn’t necessarily mean that it is hungry. This is just something that they do out of habit and reflex more than hunger. Don’t be troubled about not giving your fish eating food, as if your pond has any type of plant life and it, you are not their only source of sustenance. Your Koi will fill up on this other stuff if they get hungry and you’re not feeding them.
Check Up- Make sure that you do a check up on all of your fishpond equipment.This doesn’t only include the pumps and filtration systems, it also includes things like preventative medicines and other essential supplies. Since the majority of ponds in the world lie dormant during the Winter, you are less likely to be able to find the products you need. Make sure your crisis kit is ready and up to date, which should include medications, bags, nets, and your water testing kits.
Prepare For Cold Weather- Prepare for cold weather by investing in the items you will need during the summer. Quite can withstand temperatures that are constant at 39, and perhaps even a little bit lower for short time periods. When you go to buy a heater, you need to remember to properly research the proper size that you’re going to need to adequately heat your fishpond during those winter months. If you don’t, and you get one that is too small you could still have ice forming your fishpond which can cause dangerous amounts of gas to form. In extreme events, it may be a good idea to have an emergency tank inside available.
Turn Off All Water Sources- In colder temperatures, your heater will be running hard to sustain a water temperature suitable enough to keep your fish alive. If you have things like a waterfall or a stream that move through your fishpond, you need to make sure that you turn these off during those cold winter months. The circulating action will only labor to thwart your hard work at maintaining a warm temperature your fishpond. You’ll be cutting down on the labor that your heater will have to do by turning off these features.
With this information now on hand, I hope that you can understand how vital it is that you make preparations for your small garden pond now before winter hits. Read more information on Koi Pond Care by visiting gardenpondtips.com.