Koi and Shubunkin food during the seasons

[ralphjramirez]

I have been feeding my fish, 3 Koi and about 18 Shubunkins Koi Vibrance fish food. They like it but I keep reading ads indicating that fish should be fed different foods during the fall/winter/Spring and summer seasons. Here in California we do not have severe winters so I haven't changed the food. ever. Am I wrong in doing this? Filtration is excellent and water is crystal clear.
I always figured if the fish are happy and the water is clear give them what they like. Hope I am right.
Should I change to other fish foods during the different seasons and if so what do you recommend?


Regards............Ralph

 

[capewind]

It depends on your temps ... We feed the Vibrance as long as the water temp is above 60*F. When the temps are starting to drop, we mix in, and gradually switch to the Tetra Pond Spring/Fall version until temps are below 50*F ... We stop feeding at 50*F ... We also feed small, young fish Tetra Pond Growth, mainly because of the smaller pellet. If your temps in CA keep your pond above 55-60*F year round, you are fine to feed the Vibrance full time if that's what they like. You can also experiement with different fruits and veggies to see what they like as treats.

 

[ralphjramirez]

Thank you capecod, I didn't realize fish were not fed once the water temperature reached 50 degrees. We have fairly mild winters although it can get below freezing a few times a year. I have never tested the temperature of the pond but it sounds like I should. I normally stop feeding the fish when they become inactive during our cold weather. Do you feed your fish the Tetra Pond Spring/Fall until summer time then switch back to the Vibrance?

By the way, you have a beatiful pond, much larger than my small 540 gallon pond.

Thanks again...........Ralph

Is this the food you are referring to: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=7169

 

[capewind]

There are lots of opinions on this. Most will agree to feed when temps are above 50*. When in doubt, refer to the bag of food and use your best judgement for your situation. The Spring and Fall diet (yes, the link is the one we use) says it is for temps 39-59^... Vibrance says for above 50* ...

When the fish slow down in the cooler weather, so does their ability to properly digest their food, so I follow the 50* rule, more or less. Clearly the bags say we can feed at lower temps than 50^ but unless one has a sterile pond, there are other things in the pond for the fish to eat aside from what we toss them. So the way I look at it is as they become slightly more active and start eating again, they will find what they need in the pond to support their activity. When it looks like they need more, we introduce the Spring and Fall diet first, as it is easier to digest, and then as the water warms, switch to the Vibrance ... as we come into fall, and the water cools, I start mixing the S/F diet with the Vibrance, til they are only getting the S/F diet, and stop feeding when the temp is staying about 50 or less. While they are still pretty active at 50^ there is again plenty of other items in the pond to eat if they are hungry.

Aside from any mechanical filters that may be used on a pond, the pond is also full of helpful bacterias that help with the nitrofication cycle (take care of the fish wastes) ... as the water cools, the helpful bacterias are also lower or less active ... if you dont have enough filtration, the fish waste will lead to water quality issues...

You really should have a thermometer for your pond. There are multi reasons to know your water temps. You can buy ones specificially for ponds for under $10 (or a lot more LOL) or you can go to a discount store and get cutsie ones too for $2 .. Our main pond (thank you for the compliments) has a "real" thermometer ... the pond that just went in has a rubber whale ($2 LOL) and works just fine.

Since you do not have a thermometer, need to ask if you test your water? There's various threads on this forum about water quality...

 

[ralphjramirez]

There are lots of opinions on this. Most will agree to feed when temps are above 50*. When in doubt, refer to the bag of food and use your best judgement for your situation. The Spring and Fall diet (yes, the link is the one we use) says it is for temps 39-59^... Vibrance says for above 50* ...

When the fish slow down in the cooler weather, so does their ability to properly digest their food, so I follow the 50* rule, more or less. Clearly the bags say we can feed at lower temps than 50^ but unless one has a sterile pond, there are other things in the pond for the fish to eat aside from what we toss them. So the way I look at it is as they become slightly more active and start eating again, they will find what they need in the pond to support their activity. When it looks like they need more, we introduce the Spring and Fall diet first, as it is easier to digest, and then as the water warms, switch to the Vibrance ... as we come into fall, and the water cools, I start mixing the S/F diet with the Vibrance, til they are only getting the S/F diet, and stop feeding when the temp is staying about 50 or less. While they are still pretty active at 50^ there is again plenty of other items in the pond to eat if they are hungry.

Aside from any mechanical filters that may be used on a pond, the pond is also full of helpful bacterias that help with the nitrofication cycle (take care of the fish wastes) ... as the water cools, the helpful bacterias are also lower or less active ... if you dont have enough filtration, the fish waste will lead to water quality issues...

You really should have a thermometer for your pond. There are multi reasons to know your water temps. You can buy ones specificially for ponds for under $10 (or a lot more LOL) or you can go to a discount store and get cutsie ones too for $2 .. Our main pond (thank you for the compliments) has a "real" thermometer ... the pond that just went in has a rubber whale ($2 LOL) and works just fine.

Since you do not have a thermometer, need to ask if you test your water? There's various threads on this forum about water quality...

Thank you capewind for all that information. Sounds like your process is a good one and I will follow it. The first thing I will do is purchase a good thermometer. What do you think of this one:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=5522

I will hold off on buying this one until I hear from you/

I used to test my water weekly but then I lost most of my fish to raccoons. I got out of the habit of testing my pond because I was pretty disgusted with the loss of fish and was getting ready to call it quits and fill it in with dirt. I bit the bullet last year and installed an electric fence and that problem is gone. I added new fish and although the electric fence is kind of ugly it is better than other alternatives. Now I need to get back into the routine of weekly testing.

Thanks again for all your excellent suggestions.

Best Regards.............Ralph

 

[capewind]

I think we follow the same basic feeding routine as most.

Aside from being expensive, I think one thermometer is as good as the next.

Testing the ponds water is a good habit to be in. I understand your frustration with your loss. We are fighting a heron this week, and I have ugly yarn strung around our ponds. It's a definate pain to deal with, as one pond is new, and needs ongoing site work. If the yarn doesnt work, was planning to get out the old electric fence charger we had for the horses and fix his blue bonnet that way (I hope) ... not sure what our losses are yet ... I know one of my favorites is missing, as well as a bunch of small guys, but havent been feeding so they stay down deep in the water, so cant get a good look to see who else may be missing ...

Here's a pic of our mess ...

 

[ralphjramirez]

I think we follow the same basic feeding routine as most.

Aside from being expensive, I think one thermometer is as good as the next.

Testing the ponds water is a good habit to be in. I understand your frustration with your loss. We are fighting a heron this week, and I have ugly yarn strung around our ponds. It's a definate pain to deal with, as one pond is new, and needs ongoing site work. If the yarn doesnt work, was planning to get out the old electric fence charger we had for the horses and fix his blue bonnet that way (I hope) ... not sure what our losses are yet ... I know one of my favorites is missing, as well as a bunch of small guys, but havent been feeding so they stay down deep in the water, so cant get a good look to see who else may be missing ...

Here's a pic of our mess ...

Thanks for the info, i found a similar thermometer for half the price. I forgot to mention that even though I live in town I lost some of my most beautiful Shubunkins to a Blue Heron. These Shubunkins had very large fins, prettiest I have seen but they were easy prey. I can understand your frustration as I still have that threat. My daughter is now living with us and she has a dog that barks at almost anything so hopefully this will help.

I really appreciate the time you have taken to help me out, Thank YOU!! :cheerful:

Take care and Good Luck with your project.

Best Wishes.................Ralph