Koi Fish Pond

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Winter is just around the corner and this is your first time to experience winter with a koi pond and you don’t have any idea on what to do. First of all, the winter season is like a down time for your koi pond since there isn’t much activity to happen during these period but be cautious since there are a few guidelines that you must remember before the winter season enters in order for both your fish and pond to survive the weather.

1. Cleaning – this is the initial step in making sure that your koi pond will not be damaged in any way during the winter season. Remove leaves and various materials inside the pond and remove the unnecessary materials surrounding the koi pond. Remove all the flower pots or plants around the pond especially the faunas that wouldn’t survive the season. It is also advisable that you remove and clean the leaves and other debris that can fly in your pond since you wouldn’t notice it until the end of the season. By doing thus, you lessen the chances of housing parasites and bacteria in the pond.

2. Feeding – this is an important reminder that you must remember. Do not over feed your koi and stop feeding completely especially if the temperature drops below 50 degrees. You can still feed your koi if the temperature is around 55 to 60 degrees but anything lower than that is potentially harmful for your fish. The reason behind this is that koi’s digest food in a span of 3-4 days, so if you mistakenly feed your koi during this time it will kill your fish. Do not be worried about your koi being hungry all winter since fishes doesn’t only eat the food you give them. Since your pond will consists of natural plant life, your koi can survive on that so do not be worried at all since your koi can sustain itself during the winter season.

3. Check Up – Before the season hits, remember to check on the filters and various materials on your pond. It is also wise to buy and store preventive medicines for your fish before the winter season since there will be a limitation to stores that sell these products. It is better to be prepared than be sorry.  In addition to that, it is also advisable that one must have an updated emergency kit for your koi pond which will include medicines, water testing kits, nets, and bags.

4. Preparation – since you will be preparing for the winter, purchase a heater system for your pond but be sure to research carefully the appropriate size that will provide substantial heat to your pond because unless you do so, ice will still likely to form and that can kill your fishes. It is said that kois can survive temperatures as low as 39 degrees and there are instances that kois withstand the temperature even if it goes lower than 39 degrees but you don’t have to be complaisant about this fact. Purchase an emergency tank in case you need to move your koi inside the house.

5. Turn off water sources – some koi ponds have water decorations such as fountains and waterfalls, if your pond has this remember to turn it off during the winter. Why? Since you will be installing a heater in the pond, the constant motion of the water through the decorations will bring new water that will conflict with the heating system. Switch them off entirely during winter to make your heating system more effective.