Are you still feeding your fish?

[koikeepr]

Am curious to hear how many, if any of you, are still feeding your fish? My thermometer read 53 degrees this morning, so I threw a handful in. The watonai goldfish are still highly interested in the food, but the koi are not as focused on it any longer.

I've probably got maybe another week of feeding, I figure. Maybe two if the temps go up. We've had no sun in the last two days and nothing but clouds, so the water temps have gone down.

 

[CliffandJoann]

We stopped feeding ours as soon as the water temp dropped to 50*, even though
the days have been unseasonably warm, 60 +* we don't feed the fish.

 

[rdk]

Same here in CT. My poor fish are begging me for food, but I will not give them any because I am afraid to make them sick. The water temps rise up and down from mid-50s to low 60s.

 

[stroppy]

i stopped feeding mine this morning, water down th 50 today

 

[maniac]

anytime the water is above 50 I feed them

 

[koiguy1969]

i feed mine eveyday!!

 

[koikeepr]

well, yours are not outdoors koiguy!

maniac, you should not feed them just because water temps hit about 50 on some day. The next day they could be at 50 or below and you risk their guts slowing down on digesting!

 

[koiguy1969]

you didnt ask where they were...LOL

 

[D&RW]

Right now ours are in the garage. I check the temp but it's been staying above 55, usually more like 57. They are greedy eaters at these temps, but I only feed them once a day and then only winter food.

Weather here has been odd, I guess like a lot of places. In any case, it still hasn't really gotten cold yet and it's nearly Dec. So, the garage is staying in the 60s without heat.

 

[koikeepr]

then keep on feeding D&RW. You are doing the right thing until those temps hit 50. But once they do, you really should stop....even if they go back up for a few days, just stop. Time to put the bag away and let the hibernation begin.

 

[oldmarine]

I stopped feeding my Shubunkins twoo weeks ago, and they act as though I was starving them to death.

 

[D&RW]

will do.

 

[DrCase]

I stopped 2 weeks ago...And the koi are not begging as much now

 

[chilligirl]

I stopped 2 weeks ago. Water is hovering between 45 and 55. Fish aren't begging. They swim part way up to the surface when I check on them, but don't surface completely. They mostly hang at 1 1/2 - 3 feet depth.

 

[nc0gnet0]

I pulled my last two fish out of the pond and brought them indoors for the winter last week. it just so happens they were also the first two fish I put in the pond (pair of shubumkins) to get the cycle under way ( I had pulled the others out aout a month ago). Amazing how fast these suckers can grow in 6 months.

My water temperatures have been hoovering in the low 50's upper 40's for 5-6 weeks and I stopped feeding them. It became very obvious that the shub's were feeding on some string algea that developed after I shut things down as they had flourescent green poop for two days.

Why I bring this up is due to the fact each of the shub's had developed some brilliant yellow markings (they were red/white no yellow) in thier fins and underbodies. There must be something in the algea that really brings out the colors........