Cold koi

[dizzyfish]

Some people's koi have it better than others.

[koicluboftheair]

Quote: Originally Posted by dizzyfish Some people's koi have it better than others.

Beautiful waterfall )

[Sangreaal]

BrrrrRrRrRRRrrrrr...that just looks cold. *shiver*

I freak every day when I'm out with mine now that it's winter. Their water hovers in the mid to low fourties and they've really slowed down. Not hungry much; they still come up for touching and tasting. My hi utsuri, Blurt, no longer blurts--she just kinda glides up and docks, as if my hand will warm her up (yeah sure, my fingies go numb in a few seconds submerged).

Are those your fish and that your waterfall? Pretty...

...pretty cold.

Marie

[Dayleen]

Yikes!! Turn off your waterfall, you're super cooling the water and making it way harder for your fish than it has to be. You should either have a small pump up at the surface bubbling or your air stones should be pulled up to a foot below the surface for de-gassing...not a huge flow like that...brrrr.

[dizzyfish]

Dayleen,
Our cold snaps are generally short lived around these parts. I checked water temp yesterday and it was 38-40 in my large pond. It was about the same in some smaller ponds without waterfalls. I ran the waterfall all last winter without problem. I'm afraid if I do shut it off freezing will damage the plumbing lines up to the waterfall and possible even crack the streambed. My koi are pretty well adapted to the cold. Some have been wintering outdoors for over ten years. It may be survival of the fittest but they are nice koi, and not show koi. How much harder on a koi would 36 degrees be compared to say 40 degrees?
Mitch

[dick benbow]

Usually the results of cold water are known in the spring when the koi begin to get active with the wamer temperatures. There can be all kind of issues, that have to do with something akin to frostbite, the seriousness of which can depend on cleanliness of the pond, parasite levels, previous sores or injuries. One year you may go thru just fine another year something could happen that would give you different results.

in a perfect world a chilling tower effect of a waterfall would be plumbed to be able to turn off or on with a recirculating pipe that bypasses it in winter.
That way you run your pipes with no concern of freezing up and you buy back a few warmer degrees. Well worth the effort to do after the fact.

[Kohaku]

How did it get to be winter again so soon?

[Dayleen]

I agree with Dick, you may not realise the error of your ways until spring. One or two degrees can, and sometimes do, make all the difference in the world. I also agree that altering your plumbing to bypass the waterfall is well worth the effort.

I can't tell you how many times in my business i have seen first hand people that have been keeping koi for 10 or even 15 years just to lose everything in one winter. It's a very harsh lesson to learn but sometimes that's what it takes for some people.

I doesn't matter in my opinion whether the koi are show grade or just pond pets, they deserve the best that you can offer them in the way of a good environment. If you can afford to heat your pond then that would be the best but for most people that isn't an option. So, why not make it as easy on them as you can. Just the simple act of shutting off a waterfall can make all the difference in the world.

If that isn't something you can do now...consider doing what you have to in the summer to get your plumbing winter ready for next year.

If you get Koi USA you can read my article in the Sept issue on winterizing.

Dayleen

[Sangreaal]

Quote: Originally Posted by dick benbow Usually the results of cold water are known in the spring when the koi begin to get active with the wamer temperatures. There can be all kind of issues, that have to do with something akin to frostbite, the seriousness of which can depend on cleanliness of the pond, parasite levels, previous sores or injuries. One year you may go thru just fine another year something could happen that would give you different results. in a perfect world a chilling tower effect of a waterfall would be plumbed to be able to turn off or on with a recirculating pipe that bypasses it in winter. That way you run your pipes with no concern of freezing up and you buy back a few warmer degrees. Well worth the effort to do after the fact.

What about using the bakki shower during the winter? Will that impact the ambient temp enough to be deleterious to the koi?

M

[MikeM]

A Bakki Shower will have a greater cooling effect due to the design exposing more surface area. I am leaving mine unwrapped so far this winter to get cooler temperatures. Down to 63F this morning, which is just 4 degrees above the coolest temperature I got last year. I am hoping to be able to get down to 55F at some point over the winter, preferably in January when I fast them.