Is your pond ready for winter.In this weeks news letter we are looking at preparing our ponds for winter. Discussing the changes we need to make to the feeding of our fish.
Hi there everyone. I have put together a winter special Newsletter for you.
Lots of useful information to help ensure the winter goes smoothly for your pond and fish.
As the water temperature starts to drop our fishes metabolism will reduce and their activity level to slow down. This is perfectly normal behavior. Don’t worry if your fish are not as active as they have been throughout the summer.
When the pond temperature drops to about 10 or 11c make the switch to wheatgerm fish food when your. Wheatgerm is the ideal fish food for your fish in winter.
It is a food source rich in complex fats, vitamins and minerals. It also contains slow releasing carbohydrates. These are the essential elements that your fish need in their diet to remain fit and healthy during winter.
Wheatgerm is very easy for your fish to digest even when their metabolism has slowed to a crawl and they are becoming somewhat dormant. Feeding should be reduced to daily rather than, twice or three times daily. The quantity that your fish consume may also be less compared to what they were consuming during the warm summer months.
Dried fish food is great value for money and should make up the bulk of your pond fish’s diet. But I believe that it makes a lot of sense to supplement your feeding with what I call proper fish food.
The range of frozen fish food you see here is generally marketed towards the aquarium market, but I use it to feed my pond fish too. There is nothing better for maintaining good digestion and avoiding swim bladder problems.
It is very similar to the natural diet, fish would feed on in a large lake where, the fish would be down in the mud sifting through all the sediment seeking out nutritious Benthic organisms. You will not find much of a benefit on the bottom of a typical garden pond or Koi system. They are just too clean and well filtered.
The range of foods includes Bloodworm, Brine Shrimp, Daphnia, Mussels, Krill, Chopped Cockles, and Tubifex . They are conveniently packaged in blister packs that can be popped out as needed and simply thrown straight into the pond without defrosting. They hit the bottom and get spread out evenly within a few minutes.
I feed my fish half a dozen mixed cubes per week year round. Even in winter when the pond freezes over I still recommend feeding a few cubes of bloodworm. It will keep your fish’s digestion processing something.
It is not a good idea to allow your pond to become so cold that it freezes up. Ice damage to pipework, UVs and filters can be expensive and very inconvenient to fix.
Heating a pond year round to a high temperature can be very expensive and I personally don’t think it is necessary. However I do recommend stabilizing the temperature at 10c and that may require the use of a pond heater.
During a typical British winter it is common for big changes in temperature to occur. These changes are stressful for the fish and gradually weaken the fish leaving them susceptible to all manner of parasites and bacterial issues.
The most straight forward pond heater is an in line electric heater. This will be installed directly on your pipe run and it heats the water up as it is passing through. Most designs will have a built in thermostat to allow you to set a desired temperature. The heater will automatically turn on or off as required.
In general it is recommended that you allow 1kW of heating potential per 1,000 gallons of pond water. However there are many variables that must be considered. With good insulation a 1kW heater will have no problem stabilizing a 2,000 gallon pond in all but the most severe of conditions.
It has become the norm for a lot of Koi pond keepers to cover their ponds during the coldest winter months and there are many ways this can be achieved.
I have come to the conclusion the most straight forward and cost effective way of doing this is just to float large sheets of basic everyday polystyrene directly on the water surface. Leave at least 30% area free to ensure sufficient gas exchange.
There is no better way of insulating your pond. It is far more efficient than plastic poly-carbonate panels and much cheaper and simpler to install.
Should you discover a sheet of ice sitting on top your pond you can quickly melt through with hot water from a kettle. This will open up a hole and allow some fresh oxygen in for the fish.
Under no circumstances should salt be thrown onto the ice as this can cause rapid cooling. It is not a good idea to use a hammer to smash through the ice as this is very stressful for the fish.
The breathing hole can be maintained by installing a cheap to run pond heater. Such as this one made from stainless steel. It has a long electric cable and a float.
If you have a planted pond now would be a good time to do some pruning. Over the winter a large amount of aquatic plants such as Lillie and marginals will naturally die back and sink to the bottom of your pond. Removing the excess growth and cutting of dead stems and leaves before this takes place will prevent large build up jamming up your pump.
If your garden is like mine at home, falling leaves can be a nightmare. It is surprising how many leaves gather on a pond. The problem is once they hit the surface they will sink, rot down and block up your pump!
You could use a pond skimmer that floats on the top and scoops them up into a basket. There are portable ones that can be packed away after winter. Alternatively place a net over the top for a few months, it will help keep out the leaves and you can peel it back every other week or so to scrape off any that have gathered.
Just because it’s winter don’t stop your regular pond routine.
In winter filters can get filthy. A filthy filter is not a healthy environment for the nitrifying bacteria.
Filters will need to be checked and cleaned. Drain down your settling tanks, wash through brushes and sponges.
Ponds with with bottom drains should be purged clear. It might surprise you how much material is building up in the pipework.
If you are not sure what I mean by purging then I recommend you watch this YouTube video. https://youtu.be/erU2-Gw4e0s
The last thing you need is it getting blocked completely and your only option to clear it requires drastic measures. Emptying the pond and rodding it clear is no fun in winter!
If you watch my YouTube channel you might have seen the videos I posted on pH crash. I have made two specific videos on the topic and often mention the problem.
Over the last 5 years or so we have seen a multitude of cases. It is not a problem that only occurs in winter but for various reasons it does appear that it is more common in winter.
pH crash can have devastating consequences for your fish. The sad thing is it is very easy to prevent.
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