As winter moves towards the spring we have to think ahead about getting our koi and goldfish ready for spring.
Winter as you know takes it out on our fish and by springtime they will be at their lowest ebb , so what can we do to help them .
We give our filters a bit of a boost by using Microbe-Lift PL filter pad innoculent Gel which is a product I trust to do its job well .
You may know of other pond starters which we should add as the temperature of the water starts to climb upwards from the low or freezing cold temperatures of winter time
Our filters at this time are delicate as the helpful bacteria they contain will need a bit of a boost so that our ponds will come out of
All creatures start to come out of their winter survival mode as both the air and water temperatures start to increase, our koi and goldfish are no different to them as such the urge to start life afresh is the same as with for living creatures and organisms as such we need to do our best to help them start to come back to life after a prologed cold period so we owe it to them to give them the best start possible
We koi keepers clean out our systems prior to the winter period but if you didn't clean out your biofilter before winter then I suggest that now is the time to empty it, get rid of any sludge that has built up ready the coming season, this way it puts your fish in good stead .
The same thing applies to your pond if you left leaves decaying along with other detritus then remove it .
When the temperature climbs towards 10c and is then stable for a few weeks you can think about starting to feed them again , wheatgerm and garlic is the best food to use , dont go crazy feeding them add only a little food to start with , then as your filters start to mature again you can feed them some more but remember only a little to start with , nothing more .
Then as as spring starts towards summer gradulally increase your fishes food intake swopping ovrer to summer food as we go into summer again
If your fish have been sitting on the bottom of the pond throughout the winter months , your best bet will be to catch them one at a time and check them for problems such as ulcers then if you find them treat them accordingly .
My good friend Syd Mitchell warns about what is called Areomonas ally this can be a dangerous time for our fish be aware of it so as not to fall foul of it it can and is a killer of fish so please read his webpage carefully as it saves me going through everything "Chears Syd".... :-
http://www.mankysanke.co.uk/html/points_of_view__2.html
Pay particular attention to your water perameters which may be a tad erratic to start with as the but as things start to mature again should settle down again to normal.
All in all if you do things just right then you shouldnt have any problems
Dave
Dave
Winter as you know takes it out on our fish and by springtime they will be at their lowest ebb , so what can we do to help them .
We give our filters a bit of a boost by using Microbe-Lift PL filter pad innoculent Gel which is a product I trust to do its job well .
You may know of other pond starters which we should add as the temperature of the water starts to climb upwards from the low or freezing cold temperatures of winter time
Our filters at this time are delicate as the helpful bacteria they contain will need a bit of a boost so that our ponds will come out of
All creatures start to come out of their winter survival mode as both the air and water temperatures start to increase, our koi and goldfish are no different to them as such the urge to start life afresh is the same as with for living creatures and organisms as such we need to do our best to help them start to come back to life after a prologed cold period so we owe it to them to give them the best start possible
We koi keepers clean out our systems prior to the winter period but if you didn't clean out your biofilter before winter then I suggest that now is the time to empty it, get rid of any sludge that has built up ready the coming season, this way it puts your fish in good stead .
The same thing applies to your pond if you left leaves decaying along with other detritus then remove it .
When the temperature climbs towards 10c and is then stable for a few weeks you can think about starting to feed them again , wheatgerm and garlic is the best food to use , dont go crazy feeding them add only a little food to start with , then as your filters start to mature again you can feed them some more but remember only a little to start with , nothing more .
Then as as spring starts towards summer gradulally increase your fishes food intake swopping ovrer to summer food as we go into summer again
If your fish have been sitting on the bottom of the pond throughout the winter months , your best bet will be to catch them one at a time and check them for problems such as ulcers then if you find them treat them accordingly .
My good friend Syd Mitchell warns about what is called Areomonas ally this can be a dangerous time for our fish be aware of it so as not to fall foul of it it can and is a killer of fish so please read his webpage carefully as it saves me going through everything "Chears Syd".... :-
http://www.mankysanke.co.uk/html/points_of_view__2.html
Pay particular attention to your water perameters which may be a tad erratic to start with as the but as things start to mature again should settle down again to normal.
All in all if you do things just right then you shouldnt have any problems
Dave
Dave
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