Don't Let Your Koi Kick The Bucket in the Winter – Koi pond Winterizing Points

Winter is on the way, and if you have just built your Koi pond this will be the first time that your Koi have had to make it through those lengthy winter months. Wintertime is kind of a down period for your fishpond, as there isn't a whole lot going on through those months. You do need it take some special precautions though so that you can make certain the survival of your pond and fish.

Clean Up- Spend an entire weekend completely going over your fishpond. If your pond has bulk material that has built up around it or in it, you need to remove it.Make sure that in your pond, you don't have any leaves are silt built up on the bottom. Take out any of the flowers or plants in your fishpond that won't survive winter. If there is any debris 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 rubbish is removed as possible will prevent potentially harmful bacteria and parasites in the future.

Stop Feeding- This is a very weighty thing, then do not forget that you must not give food to your Koi during the winter. As the temperatures start to drop, and get around 55 or 60F, you only want to give food to the fish one time a day. When the outside air temperature reaches the fifty mark, you need to wholly stop feeding your Koi. Be careful of this, even if the temperature rises again above fifty, do not feed your fish. Koi in general, take about 4 days to fully digest their food at temperatures above 50 mark. If you mistakenly give food to your fish to late the food will not digest and will end up killing your fish. Do not slip-up you Koi as hungry when they open up their mouths to you. This is more of a learned reflex than hunger. Don't be disturbed about not giving your fish eating food, as if your fishpond has any type of plant life and it, you are not their only source of sustenance. If they are at all hungry and you are not feeding them, they will fill up on this.

Check Up- Do your seasonal 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. 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. You also need to make sure that you have an emergency kit ready and up-to-date. This kit needs to include your water testing kits, bags, nets, and any of the medications necessary.

Be Prepared for the Cold Weather- Prepare for cold weather by investing in the items you will need during the summer. Quite can withstand temperatures that are constant at 39, and perhaps even a little bit lower for short time periods. If the area that you living gets extremely cold, it is going to be essential for you to buy a fishpond heater. If you do not your pond can freeze over which will potentially trap dangerous amounts of gas inside the water. 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 colder temperatures, your heater will be working hard to sustain a water temperature suitable enough to keep your fish alive. You need to make sure that you turn off any of your water features such as streams are waterfalls, which cause constant water movement. The circulating action will only labor to thwart your efforts at maintaining a warm temperature your fishpond. With these switched off, the only water that your heater will be responsible for is the standing water in your pond.