Tips on taking care of pond fish? Fish can be sporadically fed during long warm spells, as long as the food is a very low protein-based food. Fish can be sporadically fed during long warm spells, as long...
Fish can be sporadically fed during long warm spells, as long as the food is a very low protein-based food. Cereals will work, or you can buy commercial Koi food, or goldfish food that is low protein. It is usually wheat based. In the North, it is a whole different ball game. The pump usually needs to be literally disconnected from the plumbing, so water does not stay and then freeze. The pipes themselves need to be drained. Filters need to be drained. Plants need to be placed in a green house or other protected area. They will still get extremely stressed out. If it is possible to heat the pond, even just to heat it to 40 or 50 degrees Fahrenheit. The mid 40s is good enough. A pond at this stage, though the fish can get stressed and die.
If it does freeze, don't use a hammer or something to try to break the ice loose. It creates the concussive blow under water, and it actually can kill the fish. The best way is to just pour hot water over the ice break until you break an opening again.
All this stuff people don't think of it, if they never had fish before. I had a Northern client who killed her fish by panicking because the pond froze over. She got a hammer and the fish started waking over it. All the fish could have died from the toxins, but they definitely died from the concussive blows.
