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Winter is coming, and this could be the first Winter that you go through with your Koi fishpond. Think of Winter as a down period for your pond, as less events happen during Winter than any other time. Nevertheless, there are special precautions that you need to take before Winter arrives, to guarantee that your fishpond and fish survive.

Clean Up- Normally it takes about an entire weekend to entirely go over a fishpond. If it has any unwanted bulk material in it or around it, you need to clean it up.Make sure that in your pond, you don’t have any leaves are silt built up on the bottom. Also, remove any plants or flowers that will not make it through the winter. If there is any garbage around your fishpond that could blow into it, clean that up as well as you are not likely to notice any of this stuff until spring arrives. Taking the time to do this now will help to remove some of the possibilities of getting bacteria and parasites in your pond.

Stop Feeding- This is a very important thing, then do not forget that you must not feed your Koi during the winter. As the temperatures start to drop, and get around 55 or 60°F, you only want to feed the fish one time a day. Once the temperatures drop below fifty degree for the first time, stop feeding totally. Be careful of this, even if the temperature rises again above 50°, do not feed your fish. The time that it takes for a Koi to digest its food fully is around four days when the temperature is above fifty°. If you mistakenly feed your fish to late the food will not digest and will end up killing your fish. When a Koi is opening its mouth to you, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it is hungry so don’t make the slip-up in thinking that it does. This is something that they do out of a learned reflex and not hunger. If you are nervous about starting your fish, take into thought that the food that you give them is not all that they eat, specially if your fishpond has any type of plant life in it. Your Koi will fill up on this other stuff if they get hungry and you’re not feeding them.

Check Up- Doing a regular check up on your pond equipment is vital.This doesn’t only include the pumps and filtration systems, it also includes things like preventative medicines and other necessary supplies. During those lengthy winter months it can be a little more difficult to come up with these fishpond supplies as a lot of carriers don’t keep them on their shelves during this time. You also need to make sure that you have an emergency kit ready and up-to-date. This kit needs to include your water testing kits, bags, nets, and any of the medications required.

Make Ready for Cold Weather- You need to make sure that you are ready for the cold weather, by investing in the essential items while it is still summer. Koi have been known to withstand constant temperatures as low 39 degrees, and temperatures slightly lower then 39 degrees, for short periods of time. When you go to buy a heater, you need to remember to properly research the proper size that you’re going to need to adequately heat your pond during those winter months. If you don’t, and you get one that is too small you could still have ice forming your fishpond which can cause dangerous amounts of gas to form. If the area that you have drops into the extremely low temperatures, you might really want to think about having an crisis tank available inside your home.

Turn Off All Water Sources- In colder temperatures, your heater will be working hard to sustain a water temperature suitable enough to keep your fish alive. If you have water features such as waterfalls, streams, or constant moving fountains, make sure to turn them off during Winter. The circulating action will only labor to thwart your pains at maintaining a warm temperature your fishpond. With these switched off, the only water that your heater will be responsible for is the standing water in your fishpond.

I hope you can understand now how imperative it is that you prepare your koi fish pond for your Koi now before winter hits. Many species of Koi are extremely expensive, and it is very appropriate and wise for you to want to protect them. You can learn a lot more information about taking care of a Koi fish pond, and other garden pond tips by visiting gardenpondtips.com.

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