Feeding Temp Question?

Marshall

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I have gotten generally the same message from random articles on here about not feeding Koi at a low temp but I need to know what is that temp and also if the temp stays that low for a long period then won't the fish starve ?
 

Marshall

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PS: If only I could trade in 15 or 20 % of my expertise on turtles for experience on koi I would have it made :p
 

sissy

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I go by water temps and once water gets down below 40 degrees I only feed once a week and see if they even eat it .If they don't then I don't feed them again and remove the food .I also buy blackwater koi food because it has garlic in it that helps the fight off any thing bad .I don't have pics of the bag but I got mine from pet solutions for 19 dollars or so for a 4lb bag.But I usually buy it during the summer and get a better price .You live in a warmer climate so you will probably not stop feeding .Thing is at that time it is better to really test the water more .I have seen people overfeed fish and then come spring they end up with a big algae bloom because of excess nutrients in the pond water .I am far from an expert but it has worked for me .
 

Marshall

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I go by water temps and once water gets down below 40 degrees I only feed once a week and see if they even eat it .If they don't then I don't feed them again and remove the food .I also buy blackwater koi food because it has garlic in it that helps the fight off any thing bad .I don't have pics of the bag but I got mine from pet solutions for 19 dollars or so for a 4lb bag.But I usually buy it during the summer and get a better price .You live in a warmer climate so you will probably not stop feeding .Thing is at that time it is better to really test the water more .I have seen people overfeed fish and then come spring they end up with a big algae bloom because of excess nutrients in the pond water .I am far from an expert but it has worked for me .
This morning it was 34 degrees F outside and the water temp was down to 39. Right now it is 47 outside and the pond is 43.
 

Marshall

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I go by water temps and once water gets down below 40 degrees I only feed once a week and see if they even eat it .If they don't then I don't feed them again and remove the food .I also buy blackwater koi food because it has garlic in it that helps the fight off any thing bad .I don't have pics of the bag but I got mine from pet solutions for 19 dollars or so for a 4lb bag.But I usually buy it during the summer and get a better price .You live in a warmer climate so you will probably not stop feeding .Thing is at that time it is better to really test the water more .I have seen people overfeed fish and then come spring they end up with a big algae bloom because of excess nutrients in the pond water .I am far from an expert but it has worked for me .
PS: I just turned on the water heating system so that means for the rest of the winter around 55 F will be the lowest the water will get so does that mean I can feed them normally ay 55F ?
 

Smaug

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I start feeding winter fall mix food once the water temps drop below 50,I don't go back to protein based foods even if it rises back above 50. Once the water temps drop below 40f I feed no more no matter what til I know the Temps will rise above 50f and stay that way. No the fish won't starve,my fish have gone without feeding from middle of Nov all the way through april. Never had a winter loss.
 

Marshall

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I start feeding winter fall mix food once the water temps drop below 50,I don't go back to protein based foods even if it rises back above 50. Once the water temps drop below 40f I feed no more no matter what til I know the Temps will rise above 50f and stay that way. No the fish won't starve,my fish have gone without feeding from middle of Nov all the way through april. Never had a winter loss.
Okay. Thanks. Impressive creatures these koi are. My turtles can go about 7 to 10 days without food if torpor and only about a week or less if in normal behavior before getting dangerously undernourished. In order for them to survive months they would have to prepare for at least two weeks and then have to go into a solid state of brumation to survive for 4 months or more and even then if they are disturbed (brumation is not hibernation so they are "awake" the whole time) such as something scaring them then they will likely die before they even make it to the surface long enough to breath air and find a heat source... Too much info ? lol sorry I am crazy about turtles :D :turtle::turtle::turtle::turtle::turtle::turtle::turtle::turtle:
 

Marshall

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I start feeding winter fall mix food once the water temps drop below 50,I don't go back to protein based foods even if it rises back above 50. Once the water temps drop below 40f I feed no more no matter what til I know the Temps will rise above 50f and stay that way. No the fish won't starve,my fish have gone without feeding from middle of Nov all the way through april. Never had a winter loss.
PS: What exactly is winter mix? Is this something that can be bought ready made or is a custom mix yourself sort of thing ?
 

Smaug

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You buy it like that. I do mix it with protein based foods a little at a time in the spring til I'm feeding straight protein based foods.
 

sissy

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It is wheat germ based and garlic added to the food helps them ward off diseases and also helps them process the food better .There is only one so far that has garlic in it that I found was not over the top expensive .
 

Meyer Jordan

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As long as Koi (and all other fish) are alive they will eat. The feeding frequency and amount eaten at any one time will decrease as water temperature decreases but feeding does not stop. In their natural habitat, they still feed on periphyton and detritus during Winter months. Some nutritional intake is required to maintain even the low metabolic rate induced by colder temperatures. Without access to some form of nutrients, the fish are forced to utilize energy stored within their bodies which can result in a further weakening of their immune system beyond that normally caused by lower metabolism.
If your fish will eat, as Sissy alluded to, feed them. Just feed them less.
 

sissy

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Yeh my water temps. do not get that low until the middle of Jan. and by the end of Feb . the temps start going back up .They have plenty to eat in the pond .I give them food if they come up when I go out by the pond .Water temps. can change so fast it amazes me sometimes .Sun warms up the pond water but shorter days cool it down .I sometimes worry about feeding them and other times worry about not feeding them .It is a battle I struggle with every year .:(
 
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I hate it but it has come to that water temp that the kids wont be fed by me other than once in a blue moon winter feed...just depressing when they hang out at the mid to bottom range of the pond. sa la vie I guess all season weather here so it's cold season here now
 

Smaug

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It isn't a kindness to feed them when the water temps are too low to facilitate digestion. I have learned to not even look at the fish once ice starts forming. I simply make sure the aerator is working and that I have an opening in the ice. It's spring time I become worrisome as that is when everything needs to come together and start working along with the fishes digestive systems.
 
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Marshall quite at 10c the lower the temperature they go then the nearer to death they get .
They claim foods that can be fed to as low as 5c fine if you wish to risk it because a sudden drop of just 3c more puts them very near to being more dead than alive .
If you want to feed the all well and good but to keep the water warm enough to do that would need a 1-3 KW inline heater to keep your pond up to temperature.
The spring summer and autumn feeds should have put enough weight on your koi to allow them to get through the winter period to spring without eating until the temperature raises above 10c again .


Dave
 

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