Small pond, first year! 'To feed or not to feed'

[Sue Ellen Anderson]

Hello, I'm from West Virginia.

I previously had a pond just for the sound and look of the water. I said I wasn't going to put in any fish or plants because I didn't want to be responsible for their demise! However, I'm retired now and willing to spend the time, a little money, and lots of concern for 3 little fish that live in my small, 4'x6'x11" pond.

I bought a pond deicer and it's worked very well for our unusually cold winter (lots of below freezing days and weeks).

I also bought a battery operated pond feeder alert. When it went red last fall after a few cold days, I stopped feeding my fish. However, we've had 60 degree days too, as well as snow and ice days.
My fish lately have been coming to the surface of the water, like they're looking for food. They've been quite active all winter in their shallow pond, so I wondered if they ever went dormant or whatever it is fish do, that they don't need to be fed over the winter.

I put the pond feeder alert back in and it's been green the last few 60 degree days. However, we're getting 20s next week.

To feed or not to feed, that is my question.

 

[addy1]

I would wait until the pond water goes up above 55 and stays there. That is what I do.
Or if you do feed them make it a wheat germ based food and feed them very small amounts.

 

[Big Lou]

Welcome Sue!

 

[Sue Ellen Anderson]

Thank you, Big Lou and addy!

I have wheat based food I fed them last fall. I was just afraid to feed them anything because I heard or read that it can hurt or even kill them, if their digestive systems have shut down for the winter.

I don't have a thermometer in my pond. Just this little floaty device that turns red or green, depending on whether the water temperature is acceptable to feed.

I'll try your suggestion ~ wait until we have another couple of 60 degree days and my device turns green. Then feed a wee little bit of the fall feeder.

Do they eat algae or plants in the water if they become able to eat over the winter? I do have a floating plant that they hide under.

 

[Lisak1]

Your fish will eat algae or other plant material if it's available. I would wait until you know the temps will stay consistently above 55 degrees before you begin feeding. I know we worry that the poor things will starve, but really - they'll be fine!

 

[Sue Ellen Anderson]

Thank you, Lisak. I really needed some reassurance that they could survive the whole winter without food.

My little grandson was concerned. He's only 2! He noticed I wasn't sprinkling a little food in the pond and he pulled the container of fall food off the window sill, intent on feeding them. We both check on them several times a day!

 

[JohnHuff]

It's still too cold to feed them where you are. I'm also a little concerned about the depth of your pool. Is it a pre-fab pool or lined? It appears your fish have survived this winter, which is good, but it might be a good idea to have some kind of heat source for them next winter. What kind of filtration system do you have? Can you give us more information?

 

[addy1]

Sue Ellen, my fish and a lot of ponders fish go for 5-6 if not more months without being fed. Mine it is around 6 months, esp this winter it got cold early. I quit feeding end of September. Like said above it is best you do not feed until the water temp goes up and stays up with out bouncing back down.

 

[Lisak1]

Thank you, Lisak. I really needed some reassurance that they could survive the whole winter without food.

My little grandson was concerned. He's only 2! He noticed I wasn't sprinkling a little food in the pond and he pulled the container of fall food off the window sill, intent on feeding them. We both check on them several times a day!

Our little granddaughter (almost three) loves to feed our fish, too! One of the best reasons to have a pond, in my opinion!

I've met ponders who never feed their fish at all. The fish live on algae, plant material and bugs that make their way into the pond. Our fish, like addy said, go five months or more without being fed. It's hard for us to imagine with our three meals a day schedule!

 

[sissy]

welcome and would love to see pics .I live on the southside of VA.Have to ask do you go to the Hillsville flea market

 

[j.w]

Yep I am one of those who when I built my first pond did not feed the goldfish at all for several years. They ate on bugs, worms, algae anything el naturel they could get there mouths on. They did fine and no population explosions either as they kept most of the eggs eaten. Now I have a larger pond and do feed them a couple times per week cuz I like having them come to me but only during Spring to Fall when temps are consistently in the mid 50's using wheat germ food to start in Spring and then switch to Summer food w/protein and then when Fall approaches and temps start to fall I switch again to wheat germ and then stop when temps fall below 55f again.

 

[dieselplower]

I believe it is hard to say if they can go the whole Winter without food or not. There are a number of reasons for this. One, you are heating the pond. They may not go into their "hibernation" like stage if the water is too warm, in which case, they will look for food. Two, the pond is small. If they do get hungry, there may not be much in there for them to scrounge for. And three, if you are keeping the pond just warm enough to keep the fish from hibernationg, you are probably also at a point where the benificial bacteria that turn toxic ammonia and nitrite and nitrate are not going to be effective. This could high levels of ammonia and nitrite which could harm your fish. The level remain low since you are not feeding, but the fish respiration also causes ammonia. Im not trying to scare you, but I would suggest testing the water from time to time.

 

[sissy]

I read on the test kit that it does not read well on water that is below 40 degrees and some say different on different brands

 

[Catfishnut]

Welcome Sue Ellen.

Fish do not hibernate, of course. They are ectothermic and although the closest term applicable is "dormancy" they do not actually become dormant. They are in some way active through all seasonal temperautures, until the water temperature falls below freezing long enough for the water to freeze solid. Then the fish do become dormant, um... permanently dormant that is.

Fish cannot control their metabolism or temperatures since they are ectothermic. Their activity is controlled by the water temperature and sunlight. They might be observed swimming about, but the water temperature is probably still too low for them to require feeding. If they do require food, they can absorb much of that from stored fat and small meals during extended or abnormally long warm periods.

The major problem for fish in winter is build up of toxic compounds and gases in the water. Ammonia, nitrites and CO2 and lack of O2. Keeping the surface ice open allows much of the gases to escape and oxygen to enter. The fishes slowed metabolism as a reult of the cold temp will reduce their ammonia output from their gills and urine, so they are kinda being aided by the low temps in this manner.

Feeding the fish during the winter may result in them producing more ammonia. But I think that what happens more than this is that the fish don't eat all of the food and it lays on the bottom of the pond or tank and decays to give off the same toxic compounds and gases.

Personally I view the situation as totally climate dependant. If we have an unusually warm winter and the water temp is remaining above 55 degrees for an extended time period it would be acceptable to feed the fish limited amounts of the appropriate foods. If the water is only that temp for several days or a week, I definitely would not feed them. They have their reserves that they can rely upon for much longer periods than that and they won't require much.

Just for a sidebar to this discussion, regarding how fish survive winter... It is Mother Nature's handywork that has allowed life to survive because of one simple physical property of water. This property is the density of water versus temperature. Water is most dense at 39.2 degrees F (4 degrees C). Since this is above the freezing point, the warmer liquid water sinks to the bottom of the lake or pond and the colder water that is about to freeze rises to the top and freezes at the surface, so the the fish have open water below the ice to swim around in with oxygen available and the ice sheet above helps to insulate the water below to prevent the lake from freezing solid all the way. If water were like all other compounds, the density would increase all the way to the freezing point and that would have made lakes and rivers freeze from the bottom up, leaving NO liquid water available during winter so all aquatic species would have perished.

Gordy

 

[Sue Ellen Anderson]