Winter 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 pond, as less events happen during Winter than any other time. You do need it take some special precautions though so that you can ensure the survival of your fishpond and fish.
Clean Up- Spend an entire weekend fully going over your fishpond. Clean up any unwanted bulk material in and around your pond. Inside your fishpond, clean up all leaves, silt, and other material from the bottom. Take out any of the flowers or plants in your pond that won't survive winter. Around the pond, clean up anything that can blow into your pond, as you are not likely to notice this rubbish until the end of winter. Taking the time to do this now will help to remove some of the possibilities of getting bacteria and parasites in your pond.
Stop Feeding- This is a very important thing, then do not forget that you must not give food to your Koi during the winter. When fall begins and the temperatures hover around fifty five to sixty degrees, only give food to once a day. When the outside air temperature reaches the 50° mark, you need to completely stop feeding your Koi. Even if the temperature goes above fifty degrees, still refrain from feeding your fish. Koi in general, take about 4 days to wholly digest their food at temperatures above fifty° mark. Making this blunder could cost you though the fish as the food will rot in their stomachs. 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 something that they do out of a learned reflex and not hunger. If you are disturbed about not feeding them, remember that fish eat other things besides the food you provide them, chiefly if your fishpond contains a large amount of natural plant life. If they are at all hungry and you are not feeding them, they will fill up on this.
Check Up- Make sure that you do a check up on all of your pond equipment.Be sure to include everything from your fishpond pumps and filters system to your store of medicines for your fish. 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. Try to make sure that you have an emergency kit that is complete and up-to-date. This kit needs to include things like medications, bags, nets, and your kits for testing the water.
Prepare For Cold Weather- Prepare for cold weather by investing in the items you will need during the summer. Koi have been known to withstand constant temperatures as low 39 degrees, and temperatures somewhat lower then 39 degrees, for short periods of time. 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 pond which can cause dangerous amounts of gas to form. In areas where it gets extremely cold, it might be a really good idea to have an crisis tank inside available.
Turn Off All Water Sources- When temperatures get really low, your heater is going to have to labor extra hard in order to keep the water temperature at a point that will allow your fish to remain alive. If you have water features such as waterfalls, streams, or constant moving fountains, make sure to turn them off during Winter. Having these things turned on will just circulate all of the extremely cold water through the pond that you are trying to keep warm. By having these things turned off, your heater is going to only have to heat the water where your fish are.
With this information now on hand, I hope that you can understand how vital it is that you make provision for your garden pond now before winter hits. Koi are an extremely expensive investment at times, and it is highly important for you to protect them. You can learn a lot more information about taking care of a Koi pond, and other garden pond tips by visiting gardenpondtips.com.
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