Overwintering Koi

[Sangreaal]

Fall is falling and winter is just around the corner. How do you prepare and care for your koi over the winter?

Marie

[Regenmeneer]

Three years ago I build a winter/quarantine pond, which I cover with multiwall polycarbonate during winter time. The polycarbonate is 10mm thick, and I use three layers on top of each other. I shape the layers into a tunnel, which is closed at both ends.

I have a second heating unit that I use exclusively for the ponds. This gives me the opportunity to control the temperature all year round. I especialy avoid any temperature swings.

Reg

[D@z]

Im in the UK and I do absolutely NOTHING.

My koi have 4 seasons as nature intended and have been totally trouble free for the last 6 or more years. Water gets down to around 3 Deg C to kill off any nasties they may be about and all begins again in spring after the winter 'reset'. Koi are healthy, happy and grow well, they spawn every year and the fry are treated the same. My koi are coldwater and freshwater fish.

[aquitori]

Here in San Jose, it doesnt get to extreme...But, I do slow down the feeding with lower protein foods. With that in mind you should be able to cut back your maintance back 50%...For me it is to kick back and enjoy the conditioning summer feeding has done...

[MikeM]

We are entering a good growing season as the water starts to fall below 80F at night... not quite that "cool" yet, but getting closer. Feeding increases. I'm still using high protein mixes; but, a floating pellet with "only" 38% protein is now being added to the floating mix. The end of daylight savings time (late October) marks the time when I make major shifts in feeding to try to simulate a change in seasons.

[Regenmeneer]

Mike,

I can only wish to have the same temperatures you are experiencing. This week the water temperature fell below the 60F mark

[MikeM]

Regenmeneer: That brought home how varied the climates we deal with really are. Lately I've been reading old issues of Koi Times, the BKKS magazine from years back. The frequent mentions of heating systems, as if it was as normal as aeration to heat an outdoor pond, has made me wonder if I'd have ever gotten hooked on this hobby if I'd had to contemplate the expense of heating for many months of the year. Now, in current publications, I've started to see an occasional reference to cooling systems on high-end ponds in Malaysia and Indonesia. Amazing what we do to care for these fish.

[Regenmeneer]

LOL Mike,

don't get your hopes up. There's no helping us, we would have gotten hooked even if we were at the North Pole.

This year has seen some unusual weather in Western Europe, Holland as well. We had a long winter period, a relatively warm beginning to May. Then temps fell again, so we hadbelow 60F water temperatures untill the second half of June. In July we had two heat waves, so water temperatures jumped well into the 80, and all of August, we had rain and sometimes daily maximum temperatures below 60F.

On a side note, I do have the possibility to heat my pond all year round, but use the heater to keep temperatures from fluctuating. I still give my koi a normal four season year.

Reg

[MikeM]

North pole? ... Well, about two years ago we had a fellow in Iceland posting about his koikeeping. ....Wish he'd post again.