My goldfish pond

[CometKeith]

Haver, This year I have bought about 5 times more food than in past years so I decided to look for better sources because I got tired of paying $15 for 7 oz of food. Typically my food runs over from year to year. I'm sure some people are more careful if they are breeding show koi and things like that but for my water garden it seems like there is more leeway. Do you throw out your food at the end of the year? Lisa I heard of adding garlic. How does that help?

 

[CountryEscape]

Seems like garlic is an ingredient for "fall" or "cool weather/water" food. I think it helps them digest. I buy food in 20# bag (I have 20+ koi and 25+ large goldfish) and then last year was my first year for buying cool weather food, after water temp goes below 60 degrees. I mix the foods for about a week or so. Whatever I have left of both I keep either in the basement where it's dry, or freezer. I have also heard that the food loses some of it's strength or vitamins or something like that in the freezer, but my fish don't argue either. Glad you found some good deals on food at Foster & Smith, Keith! I love that place, and have tried several different types of food, and the fish love it all. Have not found any food my fish don't like.

 

[bucky]

Very nice! Love the waterfall!

 

[CountryEscape]

Hey Keith, I just wanted to tell you thanks again for the water lettuce and water hyacinths! They are ALL still living, the WH has multiplied, and WL is growing well. I have some in each pond, some in the creek, and the rest in a large pot. The WH bloomed several times already both in the large pot and in the goldfish pond. You must have a really good dealer near you with healthy stock, because I never had them do so well for me. Thanks again.

 

[CometKeith]

Thanks CE, I just start out with a few somewhat healthy plants of each in the spring but they grow like crazy in my pond. They come from Lurveys Garden Supply which has several stores in the Chicago suburbs. The pennywort and parrot feathers I got from you are doing well too. I'm not ready for the cold weather we are supposed to get the end of the week. High in the mid 50's burrrrrrr..... It's been fun watching all the babies in the pond lately. They are growing like crazy.

 

[CountryEscape]

Yep, cold front coming here, too, but not nearly that cold. 64 is the lowest "high" we are supposed to have, then back up to almost 80 by mid week next week. I'll take that! Rain on Thurs., but I sure could use a good soaking rain. Yard is soooo green, everyone is commenting never remember it being this green this late in September.

 

[CometKeith]

Today a cold front hit us earlier than expected. High of 61 degrees. I had been feeding my fish 3 or 4 times a day lately to fatten them up, but today I only fed them once. Hopefully it warms up again soon! I am not ready for winter. Last year i didn't see them for 5 months. It seems like the big trend in Chicago is to build a lean to that covers the pond. Everyone says it keeps the pond about 20 degrees warmer on the average and you get a month or so head start in the spring. I think I might try that!

 

[j.w]

I just started feeding my fish the Fall food yesterday. Staying much cooler now and rain off and on every day now. Grass is nice and green again and still growing so still need to mow through October.
A lean to w/ all the snow you get I picture you running out at night having to move it all off the roof. Guess if you make it steep enough it will slide off tho right?

 

[addy1]

I just started feeding a mix of summer and fall, normal feeding schedule, off and on. They don't eat much even when I do feed them, they come running then ignore most of it. Same way they have been all summer, never have been heavy eaters.

 

[j.w]

Mine still act like they are starving to death. Their little mouths are open as wide as can be while darting around frantically.

 

[haver79]

Haver, This year I have bought about 5 times more food than in past years so I decided to look for better sources because I got tired of paying $15 for 7 oz of food. Typically my food runs over from year to year. I'm sure some people are more careful if they are breeding show koi and things like that but for my water garden it seems like there is more leeway. Do you throw out your food at the end of the year? Lisa I heard of adding garlic. How does that help?

Keith this is only the 2nd summer for my pond and fish are still eating the same food. So I have not thrown any out. Fed a lot of flakes last summer but then I placed an order with Fosters & Smith and they sent me a free bag of pellets. The fish were growing so I started feeding pellets. I did order some fall food for the spring. Now I have babies so I am feeding both. Just wondered if I should buy new next year. I still have quite a bit left. I dont feed very heavy.

 

[haver79]

I did not mix the food when I started feeding wheat germ. I just switched. Are you suppose to introduce it slowly in the fall???? Opps I haven't had any issues though. Only feeding once a day. Hope the babies fatten up before winter!

 

[CountryEscape]

Switching food with any animal (dog, cat, horse, fish, etc. ) is best to switch over slowly, mixing it. But, I must say I often switch completely from one to the next with my dogs. I don't have picky dogs and they don't have sensitive stomachs. If your fish like the new food, it's probably no problem, but it is best to switch it over slowly. Good luck with your babies! Even if they are small, they will likely make it through the winter. I have not had babies since the first two winters, so not sure anymore, but every baby I had going into the fall survived the winter.
Whatever food you have left over from one year to the next can be fed, as long as it is kept in a sealed container. The fish will appreciate you keeping it as fresh as possible.

 

[CountryEscape]

My koi and goldfish are totally different eaters. The koi come swimming up frantically, and swoop back and forth to get the food. I can feed them for 5 minutes straight, and they keep eating, eventually slowing down. The goldfish come up with a "are you feeding us now? Um ... ok" attitude. They eat, but not as aggressive as the koi, and I toss fewer pieces in for them. The smaller fish eat only a couple pieces each, but the larger goldfish (6-8" size) will eat a dozen or more pellets each before they are full. I've never fed flakes to the pond fish, but my smaller tropical fish sure like them. I started mixing the fall/cold-weather food with the regular food, but even though we are expecting only 50's for high on Sat. (and lows in the 30's brrrrrrr ...), the temps next week are back up to the 70's and almost 80. I'm loving it!!!

 

[CometKeith]

CE, I think the weather has been a lot nicer in the lower part of the state. I'm glad your fish are doing well. It makes up for the late spring this year. We keep getting nor'easters bringing in cold winds across Lake Michigan so it hasn't been quite as good here. I'm probably over feeding right now. I'm trying to get rid of as much of the 2 lbs of flake food I just got before winter hits. I've noticed a lot of the fish I have had for a few years have suddenly gotten bigger with the extra food I've been feeding. I always followed advice to give them what they can eat in a few minutes but maybe that wasn't enough because it takes more time to hunt down and eat flake food. JW, A lot of people are doing it. I think it needs to be slopped enough to keep snow off. I would like to build it with plexiglas panels so I can see the fish. I don't know if that's possible. I have a bunch of carpenters that work for us. I can always give them this project during a little down time. I don't think they would mind. I'm not handy myself so i could never do it myself. I actually saw one this year on the pond tour that the caretaker set on rafts so they could float around. With the heaters and coverings they were able to keep the water at 70 degrees in the middle of the winter!