Although it is still late summer, it is time to start thinking about winterizing your Koi pond. Wintertime is kind of a down period for your fishpond, as there isn’t a whole lot going on through those months. Nevertheless, there are special precautions that you need to take before Winter arrives, to make sure that your pond and fish survive.
Clean Up- Normally it takes about an entire weekend to wholly go over a pond. 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. Take out any of the flowers or plants in your pond that won’t survive winter. Cleaned up all of the garbage that is around your fishpond which could end up blowing into it, as this is most likely going to be looked over during the winter months and won’t be noticed again until spring. Taking the time to make sure that as much debris is removed as possible will prevent potentially harmful bacteria and parasites in the future.
Stop Feeding- This is a very significant 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 60 degrees, only feed once a day. You must stop feeding your Koi totally after the temperature drops below fifty the first time. Even if the temperature goes above 50 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 give food to 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 mistake in thinking that it does. This is more of a learned reflex than hunger. If you are troubled about starting your fish, take into thought that the food that you give them is not all that they eat, especially if your fishpond has any type of plant life in it. If they are at all hungry and you are not feeding them, they will fill up on this.
Check Up- Do your regular check up on all your equipment. Be sure to include everything from your fishpond pumps and filters system to your store of medicines for your fish. During those extended winter months it can be a little more difficult to come up with these pond supplies as a lot of carriers don’t keep them on their shelves during this time. Try to make sure that you have an crisis 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.
Make Ready for Cold Weather- You need to make sure that you are ready for the cold weather, by investing in the necessary items while it is still summer. 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. When buying a heater, remember to research what size you will need to adequately heat your pond during the winter, otherwise ice will still form, causing potentially dangerous amounts of gas in the water, due to it being trapped under the ice. In areas where it gets extremely cold, it might be a really 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 work extremely hard to sustain 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. The circulating action will only labor to thwart your efforts at maintaining a warm temperature your pond. By having these things turned off, your heater is going to only have to heat the water where your fish are.