Fall and Winter Fish Care
As the water temperature starts to decrease, there are changes you should make in how you care for your fish. Check out the tips below, to see what changes we recommend... your fish's' health just might depend of it.
Feeding Fish
Change the type of fish food you are using.
If you feed your fish, start using low temp fish food when the water temperature falls to 65 degrees. Low temp food digests quickly and helps your fish bulk up and get ready for a long winter.
Stop feeding your fish when the water temperature falls below 55 degrees.
Stop feeding your fish when the water temperature falls below 55 degrees.
Use Low Temp food until the water temperature falls to 55 degrees. Once the water gets this cool, fish stop digesting food. You don't want that food to remain in them all winter! It could kill them. Also resist the temptation to feed your fish over the winter when the water warms for a short period of time and they begin to move around. Don't begin feeding your fish until the water temp is sustained above 55 degrees in the spring.
An Aerator keeps and opening in the ice on this pond.
Keeping Fish Healthy
Keeping your fish outside in their pond during the winter is normal. Remember this, as long as your pond has a deep pocket that is 18" to 24" deep, you have a hole in the ice for gas exchange, and your pond is fairly clean your fish should winter just fine.
What does that mean... gas exchange? We want toxic gases (carbon dioxide) from decaying organic matter and fish respiration to get out of the water and we want oxygen to get into the water. Your pond does not have to be ice-free, just a small basketball sized hole will do. To achieve this, use either an aerator (at the water surface) or a floating pond deicer. Don't count on your waterfall to keep an opening.
Why a deep pocket? Consistent temperature is important to your fish. The deepest part of your pond is the warmest and we want to keep it as undisturbed as possible. If you have a waterfall that drops directly into your pond (no creek or stream), if you have a fountain in your pond, or if you have a pump that sits in the bottom of your pond you will want to shut down your pump for winter. Water dropping directly into the pond can supercool the water causing stress to your fish -- just like us they don't take to quickly changing water temperatures. If your pump sits in the bottom of the pond, the warmest water which is at the bottom will get mixed in with the cooler water on the surface. Your fish need the warmer pocket in the bottom of the pond to stay healthy. Water that is too cold or turns cold quickly will lead to stress, sickness, and sometimes death.
Why should my pond be "fairly clean"? If there are leaves, muck, fish waste or any other decaying organic matter in your pond, as it decomposes it not only adds toxic gases to your water but it also uses oxygen from the water. Your fish need this oxygen to live. This is especially true when ice starts to form over the pond and fresh oxygen is not as readily available. Make sure in the fall to cover your pond with a leaf net, remove decaying and dead plant material, and use water treatments throughout the year to keep muck from building up on the pond bottom.
If your pond is dirty, consider doing a full cleaning. As long as the air temperature is above 40 degrees and there is no wind chill, a late fall pond cleaning is safe for your fish.
This pond is full of debris and
should be cleaned before winter.
So make sure you stock up on the items you need in the fall, definitely before winter!
Some items you will need:
Some items you will need:
Please let us know if you have any questions about fall care or fish care. We are here to help.
