Winter Feeding Reminders 

by Ray Jordan

 Fish are cold blooded animals and their metabolism is controlled mainly by the temperature of your pond. We have had a much colder fall than normal and there are predictions of a colder than normal winter as well. As the temperature of your pond drops you should gradually reduce and below 50 degrees stop feeding your fish. I promise you they will not starve. It is important that you use a pond thermometer to determine your pond’s temperature. Do not try to guess the temperature or use air temperature. Spend about $6-$7 and be sure.  

 We all over feed our fish especially in the winter. Remember fish still have algae to feed on in their pond. Yes, they will swarm up to you whenever you visit your pond even on the coldest days. But, this is mostly because they have been conditioned to beg for food when you show up. Watch your feeding schedule and you will have much healthier and prettier fish.

 It is also important to feed easily digestible wheat germ based food as the water cools. Actually, I feed this type of food all year long. Do not feed color food or food with more than 36% protein in cooler water. It will just create more ammonia waste in your system. Another bonus is that this basic fish food cost less than color or high protein foods.

 Here is the feeding schedule I utilize based on water temperture:

Constant water temperature below 70 degrees I reduce feeding to 1-2% of body weight. For the average twelve inch koi I would estimate you would need to feed about 4-6 up to 10-12 food pellets per day depending on the water temperature being nearer to 70 or 60 degrees. Try to divide your feedings into two offerings during the warmer parts of the day if possible.

Constant water temperature below 60 degrees reduce feeding to once a day. For the average twelve inch koi I would suggest only 2-3 pellets a day. Try to feed mid day or early afternoon so your fish can digest their food before the temperature in your pond drops lower during the night.

Constant water temperature below 50 degrees I do not feed any fish food. Your fish will be much healthier this winter and especially next spring if you will follow this schedule. In colder climates fish easily go months without supplemental feeding without any harmful effects. In fact you will probably notice your fish’s colors, especially the blacks, will get darker and shinier during the winter. Also notice how much clearer you water gets when you feed less. This is strongly indicative of overfeeding during the rest of the year or perhaps an undersized filter or both.

 Watch the weather forecast and stop feeding if a strong cold front is expected. Once water temperature drops and stays below 50 degrees the digestive enzymes necessary to digest prepared fish food stop and food will either just pass on through your fish and dump extra waste to your pond water or worse actually collect inside your fish and spoil, become toxic, and will make your fish very sick.

 How long have you had that current container of fish food? If it is more than two months old throw it out and buy a fresh supply. Since you will be feeding less during the colder months buy smaller size food containers. Continue to keep unused food in your refrigerator in tightly sealed container. Remember our warmer days or weeks during the winter can cause food kept in a storeroom or garage to become moldy. Moldy food is one of the  top reasons for disease problems anytime of the year.

 In our area you will find your pond’s water temperature during most cold spells drops below 50 degrees for only a few days to at most a few weeks each winter. There might be several of these colder spells with milder warmer weather in between when you can return to very lightly feeding your fish.

 I suggest you do not have your fish fed if you go out of town. You never know when a cold front might drop your pond’s temperature below 50 degrees and it is too complicated to explain all this to whoever might be taking care of things while you are gone.

Good luck this winter with your pond. If you like how much clearer your water and happier your fish look at this time of the year it is time to think about either a larger filter system and/or better feeding technique during the warmer months. Your pond’s water should be just as clear in the summer as it is in the winter.