Koi Garden: How To Prepare Your Pond For The Winter
Posted on 23. May, 2009 by admin in Aquariums, Fishtanks
Wintertime is almost here, and this will be the very first time that your Koi pond will be exposed to the cold weather. Wintertime is a downtime for your pond, because during this season, there will be lesser events compared to other seasons. In order to make sure that your Koi and your pond will survive the weather, here are the necessary things you need to take before winter comes.
First, clean up - Take your time in completely going over your pond (this can take about a weekend). Remove those unwanted bulk materials around it and inside of it. Inside of your pond, remove all those leaves, slits, and other materials from the bottom of it. If you have any plants or flowers that will not be able to survive the cold, remove them as well.
Around your pond, clean up those things that can be blown into it, because you will not be able to notice the debris until the winter's end (preventing those harmful bacteria and parasites in the future).
Second, stop feeding - Keep in mind that your fish needs to stop feeding during the winter period. Feed them once a day when fall starts and temperatures reach around 55 degrees to 60 degrees. Completely stop the feeding once the temperature hits below the 50-degree mark (even though the temperature goes above this mark, refrain from feeding your fish).
It would take at least for days for them to completely digest food when they're healthy and temperature is above the 50-degree mark.
If you forget this vital step, you will surely end up killing your pets! When your fish open their mouths at you, do not mistake it for hunger, as it is only a learned reflex rather than a sign of hunger. Do not worry that you're not feeding them, as your fish will feed on something else besides the food that you give to them (especially if your pond has a great amount of natural plants). If you won't feed your fish regularly, they will feed on this.
Third, check up - Do a seasonal check up on the equipments that you have, from your filtration system to your array of preventable medications. Keep in mind that the majority of the ponds all throughout the world lie dormant during the winter time, you'd be able to less likely find the stuff that you're going to need. Ensure that your emergency kit (including medications, nets, water testing kits and bags) is always ready and up to date.
Fourth, prepare for the cold - Make a preparation for the cold weather by investing in the items that you’d be needing during the summer time. It is known that the fish can withstand constant temperatures as low as 39 degrees for short periods of time (including those slightly lower than 39 degrees).
If you're going to purchase a heater, do a research first on the size that you'll be needing to heat your pond the right way during the winter. Otherwise, ice will still be able to materialize, causing danger imposed by the amounts of gas in the water, as it is trapped under the ice. In extreme cases, you can put an emergency tank inside of the pond.
Finally, turn off all of your water sources - Your heater will do its work harder in order to maintain the temperature suitable for your fish to live in the cold weather. If you have those add-ons like streams, waterfalls and fountains, you should turn them off during the winter (as they will circulate water and constanly bring new and cold water to your Koi pond). By switching these devices off, you'll make your pond's standing water the only thing that your heater will be responsible for.
Leave a reply