no algae to eat this winter

[DNR]

hi everyone,

I have a dilemna. We had to replace our whole pond liner a few weeks ago. I know I'm not suppose
to feed our Koi once water temp is below 50 degrees, which is what it is. However, I've also read that they'll eat algae if hungry. Having a new Liner, we don't have any algae. Will this be a problem?

North Alabama

 

[Waterbug]

No problem.

 

[sissy]

You can still feed them some wheat germ food ,spring and fall food .I know our temps here have been still warm and mine are still eating a little .Once or twice a week I feed mine

 

[DNR]

Thanks for the replies.

 

[Waterbug]

Adding food = adding ammonia. New liner, low temps means almost no bacteria conversion of ammonia. Kind of a bummer if the Koi had to sit in even low levels of ammonia all winter. There are lots of good Koi club sites that describe the perfect procedures for winter, here's one.

 

[sissy]

I put a new liner in this past summer after new neighbors dog ripped my liner .DNR lives in Alabama so they should be able to feed there fish a small amount as they have warmer weather than I have .Wheat germ or even one of those special foods would help .Pet mountain has a 3lb bag and free shipping on 25 dollars today and the food is 24 dollars

 

[digginponds]

cold weather= hibernation=no food needed!,if so wheat germ as sissy mentioned.
but you live fairly south of me,up here winter is a challenge.

IMHO I wouldn't cover up your pond either,good ole sunlight is nature's heat lamp

 

[Waterbug]

I do want to clarify my post...not feeding fish in winter doesn't mean no problems. Fish can survive the winter without food if they they're in good shape, been well fed in the warm months, put on weight, water was in good shape, etc. Koi require a lot of food in warm months to put on weight. I think many Koi in Water Gardens aren't fed very much in the warm months, maybe just once or twice a day. It's not a perfect situation to get to winter and then ask how the Koi should be fed. The horse is already out of the barn and down the road. When the water is cold they just don't grow very well or put on weight because their metabolism is so slow so feeding doesn't really help them any when compared to the downside of water quality. Taking stressed under fed fish and then throw ammonia at them is probably not a good thing.

I don't know the details in this case of course, never do.

I just think if a Koi owner is asking as basic a question as whether to feed in winter that they probably aren't testing water parameters either, so the safest suggestion is to stop feeding. But Koi are pretty tough, they might be able to get through winter with some ammonia so feeding them isn't the end of the world. And we're probably not talking about expensive fish so easy enough to replace any in the spring. When a Koi cost $2,000 people seem to take more interest in care.

 

[digginponds]

Fish can survive the winter without food if they they're in good shape, been well fed in the warm months

my kind of post...^^ well fed fish,need no real food in winter,they may nibble on the bottom,and may even grow in the winter,mine do. Preparing fish for the winter is a must in cold climates.

 

[DrCase]

With a little sunlight i bet it wont be long and you will have fuzz on the new liner for the koi to graze on .

 

[sissy]

The only thing we don't know is if dnr has his filter still going and I really suspected he does if mines still going .That 's why I said DNR can still feed wheat germ .

 

[Waterbug]

Temp is below 50F so bacteria would be somewhere below 25% of normal capacity. Filter or no filter, not much difference. Maybe enough to handle normal respiration, maybe enough to also handle adding food. And with cold water ammonia is much less toxic. So yeah, if an owner feels lucky I say gooooooo for it. Feed away. I'm sure the fish will be just fine...probably.

I'm not real clear on the up side of feeding as the fish are starting to enter a torpor state.

 

[DrCase]

The one good thing DNR has going for him ,
Is hes in Alabama and he could have fair weather during normal mild southern winters
I would also put up the fish food and let mother nature feed them , she will

 

[fishin4cars]

I'm in southern Louisiana and my pond water temps have been well below 50 for over a week and a half and don't appear to be climbing right now at all. IMO any feeding at this point could cause more problems than it's worth. although there isn't much for the fish to eat on I really don't think you have a whole lot to worry about as far as them starving. Most Koi that are kept outside by this point of the year are actually getting there nutrition from stored body fats, not from nutrients of the algae and stuff on the bottom and sides of the pond.
wheat germ should have been being fed when water temps started dropping, even when feeding wheat germ all feeding should be stopped once the water drops below 50 degrees,and I wouldn't start feeding anything again until the temps are stable and at least 55 degrees.

 

[Waterbug]

The downside to temperate climates is Aeromonas hydrophila and other bacteria. It was scary in San Jose CA where water temps would ping pong in the upper 40's and 50's for a couple of months at a time. Not sure if it's an issue in the southern states.