Winter Maintance for the pond....

[aquitori]

Winter Maintance for the pond....What's your routine going into Winter.

[CarolinaGirl]

no change for me at all. I stop feeding when the water is 50° and continue to clean the filters all winter. UV is off, and if I had a way to bypass the waterfall I would do that too....but I don't, so the waterfalls run all winter.

[MikeM]

Same as always....

For those not in a warm climate... I was just reading an old Rinko from 1983 in which there is a 'back to basics' article in a series written by Shichiro Onishi. He emphasized that 'draining the bottom water is necessary even in winter'. That is, do not skip doing water changes. The amount changed may be less than in warm seasons, but it still serves an important purpose. With the koi relatively inactive and food being withheld, water quality should be superb when Spring arrives. A clean pond during Winter sets the stage for a healthy growing season. Unfortunately, too many koikeepers take the winter off. Glarf and debris builds up in the pond, the water deteriorates, the koi have lowered immune systems... suddenly it is Spring and the fish are suffering from parasites and sores. Duh! Keeping the water should not take the winter off.

[lypope]

My winter routine is about the same as the rest of the year, except I turn off the UV and stop feeding at 50 degrees. I do weekly water changes and filter cleaning, and filtration runs all year. I am very grateful that I live in Zone 7, where winters are fairly mild - don't know what I'd do if I had to deal with ice covering the pond. As a former Southern California beach girl, this is quite enough winter for me!

[evabug1]

Newbie question here - why do you turn off the UV?

[HEADACHE6]

Quote: Originally Posted by evabug1 Newbie question here - why do you turn off the UV?

It's not needed (if your in a cooler area of the States) .

I remember it as if it was yesterday . Last Christmas Eve , I dumped my SC & did around a 10% water change . My gift to my girls .

I don't enjoy doing pond maintence , But I love what it does for my Koi !

[Auntiesue]

My ponds are drained and put to bed for the winter (Minnesota), but the fish come indoors for the winter. I continue water changes, feed lightly because of the fish load in a smaller amount of water and enjoy them during the very cold time of our winter. I hope to greenhouse my smaller pond next year and leave the big girls outdoors. If that happens, water changes and pond maintenance will be pretty much the same as during our good time of the year. Cross my fingers that it happens next year!!!

[jnorth]

Quote: Originally Posted by evabug1 Newbie question here - why do you turn off the UV?

It's not needed because the type of algae it kills dies off at colder water temperatures. The good news is that UV bulbs are supposed to be changed once a year. If you can shut down your UV for 6 months it will extend the life of the UV.

[Flounder]

Now, when the UV is turned off in the colder temps should it be removed from circulation or can it be left "inline" but just unplugged? This is for climates that do not freeze/snow.

[aquitori]

Last month I cleaned out the first stage of my Bio, next week I will be cleaning the second stage before it gets too cold. The same routine I have for winter.