Simple Tips to Help You Winterize Your Koi Pond

By Frank Froggatt

Winter is on the way, and if you have just built your Koi fishpond this will be the first time that your Koi have had to make it through those lengthy winter months. Think of Winter as a down period for your fishpond, as less events happen during Winter than any other time. However, there are special precautions that you need to take before Winter arrives, to make sure that your fishpond and fish survive.

Clean Up- Spend an entire weekend completely going over your pond. If your fishpond has bulk material that has built up around it or in it, you need to remove it.Try to make sure that there aren't any leaves or silt built up on the bottom of the pond. Take out any of the flowers or plants in your fishpond that won't survive winter. If there is any rubbish around your pond that could blow into it, clean that up as well as you are not likely to notice any of this stuff until spring arrives. Taking the time to make sure that as much garbage is removed as possible will prevent potentially harmful bacteria and parasites in the future.

Stop Feeding- You must remember to stop feeding your Koi during the winter. When fall begins and the temperatures hover around 55 to 60 degrees, only feed once a day. Once the temperatures drop below 50 degree for the first time, stop feeding completely. 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 50 degrees, take at least 4 days to totally digest food. If you mistakenly feed your fish to late the food will not digest and will end up killing your fish. When a Koi is opening its mouth to you, it doesn't necessarily mean that it is hungry so don't make the blunder in thinking that it does. This is more of a learned reflex than hunger. Don't be disturbed 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- Do your regular check up on all your equipment. This doesn't only include the pumps and filtration systems, it also includes things like preventative medicines and other necessary 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 emergency kit is ready and up to date, which should include medications, bags, nets, and your water testing kits.

Get Ready for Cold Weather- Try to make provision for the cold winter months by getting everything you need during the summer months. It is not unheard of for Koi to withstand temperatures down as far as 39 and maybe even a slight bit lower for small periods of time. If the area that you living gets extremely cold, it is going to be essential for you to buy a pond heater. If you do not your fishpond can freeze over which will potentially trap dangerous amounts of gas inside the water. In extreme events, it may be a good idea to have an emergency tank inside available.

Turn Off All Water Sources- In temperatures that are extremely cold, your heater will have to labor extremely hard to maintain the water temperature that will keep your fish alive. If you have things like a waterfall or a stream that move through your pond, you need to make sure that you turn these off during those cold winter months. Having these things turned on will just circulate all of the extremely cold water through the fishpond 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. - 29857

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