Too much current for fish during winter.....

[aquitori]

For those who have an outdoor pond that is non-heated...Is there alot of current in the pond and how many of you believeing letting their koi rest during this winter period.

[koiczar]

Tony

Do you mean letting them lay on the bottom?? If so, to me that's a very bad idea as they come in contact with a layer of water that has more bad stuff in it than the rest of the pond, especially if you reduce circulation. They have a tendancy to pick up parasites and such from the bottom. If you're unsure of the condition of your fish when doing this(shutting down circulation) just net one and look at the belly - chances are it'll be very red and inflamed

Personally, I leave EVERYTHING the same all year around. As long as the water is above 50F, I feed every other day. It seems to keep them more active-they're constantly eating algae and searching the whole pond for food. I've found this works the best for ME.

[aquitori]

Quote: Originally Posted by koiczar Tony Do you mean letting them lay on the bottom?? If so, to me that's a very bad idea as they come in contact with a layer of water that has more bad stuff in it than the rest of the pond, especially if you reduce circulation. They have a tendancy to pick up parasites and such from the bottom. If you're unsure of the condition of your fish when doing this(shutting down circulation) just net one and look at the belly - chances are it'll be very red and inflamed Personally, I leave EVERYTHING the same all year around. As long as the water is above 50F, I feed every other day. It seems to keep them more active-they're constantly eating algae and searching the whole pond for food. I've found this works the best for ME.

I mean slowing down or redirecting the flow so it slows down a bit. I was looking at someone's pond the other day and saw the fish very active and the water temp was around 52 degrees. To me I would love to see my fish cruise the pond in a matter that they still are moving but not using all of it's energy swimming with the current. The energy a koi puts out should be focused on building it's overall apperance. Hi current should be used during summer when the fish needs the excercise when it is feed high protein food.

[Steve Nguyen]

I left my pond unchanged year round. no slow down or redirect current. my fish are very active. I feed them as long as water temp above 50 F degrees. I feed half the amount as compare to summer months and only feed with wheat germ food. they survived last winter so changes are they will be ok this winter too.

Steve