This makes so much sense and I’d hate not to feed them when they follow me when I go to the pond. I’m new to koi so I’m very grateful to your channel. I’m in love with them already because they are just so tame.
I have been keeping koi for almost 50 years and I believe this is the first time I have ever heard anyone explain koi feeding throughout the winter the way you have. Your comments regarding koi feeding naturally in the winter is such a simple explanation as to how water temperature affects their feeding. If every koi hobbyist took the approach you do letting the koi decide when to eat as opposed to relying on water temperature their koi would be much healthier and do much better over the winter months.
Thank you very much , I really appreciate you taking time to comment. I think we are guilty of over thinking this wonderful hobby sometimes. I just like to keep things simple where possible and apply common sense.
Thank you for this great information on feeding. I live in Wisconsin, in America and the ice finally melted off my pond about 2 weeks ago. It was covered with ice and snow since last December. Every fall I worried about feeding when it started getting cold and was told to stop feeding when the water temp reached 55 deg. Fahrenheit or lower. I will definitely be doing things different this year!
Hi John, thank you very much for your kind words. Hopefully we all have a nice warm summer this year, I think we all need something positive for once 🍻🍻🍻
Totally agree with everything you say. I’m in the South West and my fish want food during almost all of the winter months. I only feed Hikari Wheatgerm during autumn, winter and into spring. :)
I agree with you, I do use temp as a guide and I'm definitely cautious when it drops below 10 degrees, but right throughout winter if the fish look interested, I'll feed them small amounts and judge it by response. It''s also interesting what you were saying about year-round wheatgerm, as I was surprised when I looked how high the protein content was in wheatgerm food, most are around 30% anyway, which is more than enough year round for omnivores like most pond fish I'd have thought. Really interesting video again, thank you 👍
Thanks mate. Yes I agree, I think sometimes its a bit like the multi vitamins you see. The body can only actually make use of a small proportion of them and the rest is just wasted (literally). I'd love to know how much of the high protein foods actually gets used.
Valid discussion pal, our fish look for food and feeding throughout the year including winter. There is no stopping hungry fish mate! Cheers! Happy Pond
First of all thank you for making this video which contains great advice. I could not agree with you more about feeding the koi when they are wanting it irrespective of the water temperature. I've been doing this for over 30 years and firmly believe that they benefit greatly from this especially during the spring. I've found the koi usually are wanting food down to around 5C except when there is a sudden drop in the temperature. As mentioned recently I have always used wheatgerm during the winter but this winter will continue using medikoi probiotic which I have been using this year. The reason really for this is that I believe (as do many others) that this really is an excellent quality food and I will not have to change food for the winter. Also my fish really do love this food and waste levels are impressive. I'm only doing this after reading many reports from those using the medikoi probiotic who use it through the winter with excellent results.
Hi Keith, yep I totally agree, if you don't need to change you shouldn't do it for changes sake. Consistency is paramount with koi keeping. If it isn't broke, don't fix it 🍻🍻 Let us know how you get on.
Really good advice regarding feeding. I read so many times about people stop feeding in October and start again in spring. If mine stay at the bottom I never feed but if they are active and come up I will feed regardless of temperature albeit in smaller amounts. I’ve also heard of some who feed only wheatgerm through the year. Another great vid and looking forward to the next one 👍
Cheers Graham. Yes it does make me wince a bit when people cover their ponds and say they wont see there fish until Spring now. So much can happen to them. You really need to see them every day to spot issues quickly etc.
Hi there, I've never seen an issue with nitrite. Your filter bacteria will still remain active if there is food for them so you should be just fine. The feeding in winter is much less than summer to.
HI... Winter Feeding Throughout the year I tend to blend my Koi foods across 3 varieties, firstly some kind of multi season pellet, secondly a good quality food (not to expensive) and thirdly wheatgerm. I like to watch the temps and Koi & eating behaviours, as soon as they their start change from the summer mode, I give it a week, deep clean the pond and reduce feeding from 4-3 3-4 4-3 so that the Koi get used to a change in pattern, ie not always on tap. About a month later I start to add wheatgerm to the multi season, I mix up small buckets of around 400g of 5:1 ratio and work my way up to 1:5 ie 1 part multi season to 5 parts wheatgerm. I also typically get a fluke outbreak at this time, so naturally deal with that as well. I also monitor the water temps and once he pond falls below 10ºC I reduce feeding to 1-2 times a day and only if they come up looking when I pop over. Winter Pond Cleaning I also stop cleaning filters from weekly cycle to monthly at less than 5ºC, as there no real benefits of cleaning anything, however if high winds and or pollen outbreak I do a clean the following few days to keep the water balances right. (Koi do not like change it is a stresser, changing water when they are at their weakest is not always good. I do no more than 10% in a given 5 day period, if I do have to clean, which means I often do 3 cleans over the month anyway during Nov, Dec, Feb, Mar (if less than 5ºC I also monitor the PH/KH during the raining seasons more closely, I always have a low PH so need to top up occasionally when not doing so may water changes. Spring This is always a challenge, temps are my main driver (let mother nature do its thing), I do 2 main cleans during Feb / March, then start bi-weekly and then weekly once the temps are moving up to 10ºC. I have 2 filters systems and I take this time to clean last years waste out of the beneficial bacteria (PP the alphagrog and K1) and do any maintenance during this time, as long as I feel that the Koi are behaving okay. I find being out there, gets them up quicker. I also add beneficial bacteria back into the pond at 10ºC upwards every week to kick start life. I also run salt during the winter, currently 1.75% this is to aid rest and also fight infection during the winter months, not many things tolerate salt, does a good job with the Algae as well. I dilute the Salt during spring back to 0.1 which takes around 15 decent cleans which happen April onwards. Whilst I share this info, it is only really useful for my pond and my way of doing things, so do what works for you.
Thanks Anthony, much appreciated 👍 The tiles are black split face tiles from here mrs-stone-store.com/natural-stone-tiles/mo101/eco-black-split-face-slate-tile-600x150x8-20-maxi/
Some great tips and advice Daz. I agree totally with everything you have said regards feeding over winter. Waddypete I recall saying good things about Hikari wheatgerm. Stay safe mate.
Nice to meet you. I saw this video on my top recommendations list. I would like to comment on it. We will talk more about seasonal feeding methods that everyone in Japan practices, such as what kind of feeding should be done during which season, at another time. It is meaningless to talk about which KOI food is made by which particular manufacturer, or which KOI is made from which breeder. When I started keeping Koi, I learned two principles from many of senior master. You should always have a sense of the shape of the feces and how well it's digested, and never trust their appetite. KOI, or generally carp are always hungry by habit, and continuously feeding them under indigestion bring heavy burden on the filter, and makes their body shape change into shabby.
Hi there, thanks for taking time to reply 👍👍 Body shape is an interesting area with regards to feeding in winter. The obvious short term loss of weight over the winter months is one thing but what, if any, impact there is on long term body shape is something I couldn't comment on personally. But I have certainly never seen my fish become overweight by feeding in winter, they still come out of the other side carrying less weight than they went in, albeit less dramatic than when they are not fed at all for several months.
@@DazzleKoi Thank you for your willingness to try to understand. If you choose to hibernate during the winter months, the early autumn is very important for the seasonal feeding techniques I mentioned earlier. This means that they must have enough nutrients to last through the winter months, which is a necessary skill if you want to keep the top-ranked KOIs in your pond, as they are the ones that compete in Japan's KOI shows. When these are practiced, the body shape of the koi is related to the so-called finishing technique, which we will discuss in a later. ありがとうございます！！
So Judging by what your saying I will have a better chance of less problems with water quality in the summer if I stay on wheatgerm all year. Could be the way forward.👍🏼 Everyday a school day. 👍🏼.
Thanks Iain 🍻🍻 I like to keep things simple as much as possible and I just don't have any trees around so no real need for one to be honest. I've never seen anything floating on the surface so I haven't needed one so far 👍
Thanks Daz really helpful as per usual. Will be buying some hikari wheatgerm and switching them over. I have my first winter coming up for the pond - do you recommend a pond cover to stop it icing over (sorry I couldn’t find anything on this in the winter videos) or just leave uncovered? My pond isn’t heated
Hi Paul, its really down to personal preference but I have never covered any of my ponds. If you are in an exposed area it is definitely beneficial though as it keeps wind chill off. If you cover make sure to leave a gap someone for gas exchange and be sure to check on your koi daily as problems can go unnoticed under covers of you're not careful. A window is idea for this if you have one.
Hi mate, window is 2 pieces of 10mm optiwhite glass laminated together to give a total thickness of approx. 21.5mm. Both pieces are also toughened. Its 1400 x 700mm overall.
Another really interesting video there mate, a natural carp's diet is made up of a lot of plant based matter, and like you say fish need and can only use a certain amount of protein to stay healthy, so I wonder how much of this super high protein diet is to attract the fish keeper rather than the fish?
Hi Christopher, yes it does make you wonder doesn't it. I think it is very small margins so its hard to prove one way or the other but you cant argue that the water quality is better and easier to keep it good when using a good quality wheatgerm so that suggests to me that a lot of the extra ingredients in high protein food (or potentially cheaper food too) end up in the water.
@@DazzleKoi Agreed 👍, Also I suppose it depends on weather a pond is heated or not, but we hear much about importance of not disturbing that bottom layer of water in winter, which is supposedly a couple of degrees warmer, but doesn't water movement disturb this with bottom drain's aeration ect, and how much warmer is it? Maybe one for a future vid.
Yes heating definitely plays a part. My thoughts on water being warmer at the bottom (stratification) are that its not applicable to a garden pond as its way to small to happen. In huge natural bodies of water it can make a difference of 1 or 2 degrees but not in relatively tiny ponds. Heat transfer alone equalizes the temp in a pond, let alone the movement from fish, filter returns, air etc. You can see it yourself by running a cold bath and then adding some hot water. The temp difference lasts a matter of seconds before it equalizes out. Water is the only substance where the solid form is less dense than the liquid form (hence why ice floats on top of water) so the ice can actually give rise to some insulation properties but that's only in extreme cold and not really applicable in UK koi ponds.
Great information on the feeding ,I have never fed my fish in winter . My question is at such low temp and filter Bactria dies, how does filter process that waste and do you have any problems with water tests doing this, hope I've explained this correctly Thank you Carol
Hi Carol, although the bacteria does die back and become almost dormant I believe it is as much to do with the lack of food than the temp. When the food is there for them they seem to keep active. I guess with the fish being fed wheatgerm and fed a lot less often there is a lot less waste to process. I've never had an issue with water parameters during winter that I can remember. I'll keep testing the water throughout but I don't envisage any issues 👍
Great video and very informative I'm the same as you in my thinking if the fish are active and looking for food then I feed them. A quick question for you...do you keep your air on throughout the winter???
Thanks Glynne, yes I keep everything running all year round. As well as the oxygen I need the air to provide movement that pushes waste to the bottom drain. Also it disrupts the pond surface so predators cant see them easily. If it ever gets cold enough it will stop it freezing too 👍
Really interesting video thank you! I’m feeding my goldfish wheat germ twice a day at the moment, do you go down to once a day as the water gets colder? Rebecca
Hi Rebecca, I don't really have any rule as such, I just tend to play it by ear to be honest. If they are hungry in the morning and I see then hungry again later in the same day I'll feed them. At the weekend, because I am often around the garden all day, I could feed them a few times in a single day. Other days they may not be interested at all so it varies. If I had to put an average figure on it then I would say it is more often than not once a day
@@DazzleKoinot too far from me in Heysham then. Temps won't be too far off. First year on a heater ashp for me keeping it low tho at 12 just stable temps im after. Another good vid mate 👍
Hi Andrew, I just answered this very question so I'll copy and paste my answer from there 👍 Yes I keep everything running all year round. As well as the oxygen I need the air to provide movement that pushes waste to the bottom drain. Also it disrupts the pond surface so predators cant see them easily. If it ever gets cold enough it will stop it freezing too
Hi, Some really good points in there. Like you said, so many different answers to that question depending on other experiences with 'their' fish. Know your fish and know your pond... Cheers, #koipondlifestyle
This makes so much sense and I’d hate not to feed them when they follow me when I go to the pond. I’m new to koi so I’m very grateful to your channel. I’m in love with them already because they are just so tame.
Hello there and thank you 👍👍 Yes they are all individual characters.
Im going on my 1st year of keeping koi and everything i thought i knew was from google search. It's good to hear ppl speak on there experience .
Thanks Juanito 👍
I have been keeping koi for almost 50 years and I believe this is the first time I have ever heard anyone explain koi feeding throughout the winter the way you have. Your comments regarding koi feeding naturally in the winter is such a simple explanation as to how water temperature affects their feeding. If every koi hobbyist took the approach you do letting the koi decide when to eat as opposed to relying on water temperature their koi would be much healthier and do much better over the winter months.
Thank you very much , I really appreciate you taking time to comment. I think we are guilty of over thinking this wonderful hobby sometimes. I just like to keep things simple where possible and apply common sense.
Cheers for the advice. Have been on wheatgerm for about a month now. Koi are still feeding well.
Thank you for this great information on feeding. I live in Wisconsin, in America and the ice finally melted off my pond about 2 weeks ago. It
was covered with ice and snow since last December. Every fall I worried about feeding when it started getting cold and was told to stop feeding when the water temp reached 55 deg. Fahrenheit or lower. I will definitely be doing things different this year!
Hi John, thank you very much for your kind words. Hopefully we all have a nice warm summer this year, I think we all need something positive for once 🍻🍻🍻
bang on i do the same and have done for the past 30 years
Thanks Jason, All the best 🍻🎅🍻🎅
Totally agree with you except I use wheat germ and garlic
Great information, feed my fish a natural diet through the winter, always willing to eat it, they kept on eating right the way through last winter
Hi Andrew, what kind of thing do you give them?
@@DazzleKoi I mainly give them chopped dendrobaena worm maggot and casters, if it’s mild I would also add a few low oil sinking pellets
Totally agree with everything you say. I’m in the South West and my fish want food during almost all of the winter months. I only feed Hikari Wheatgerm during autumn, winter and into spring. :)
Cheers Paul 🍻
Completely agree with your comments on winter feeding. Your pond and fish look great. Stay safe and well 👍🏻
Thanks a lot Steven, much appreciated. You too pal 👍
I agree with you, I do use temp as a guide and I'm definitely cautious when it drops below 10 degrees, but right throughout winter if the fish look interested, I'll feed them small amounts and judge it by response. It''s also interesting what you were saying about year-round wheatgerm, as I was surprised when I looked how high the protein content was in wheatgerm food, most are around 30% anyway, which is more than enough year round for omnivores like most pond fish I'd have thought.
Really interesting video again, thank you 👍
Thanks mate. Yes I agree, I think sometimes its a bit like the multi vitamins you see. The body can only actually make use of a small proportion of them and the rest is just wasted (literally). I'd love to know how much of the high protein foods actually gets used.
I agree totally about temp,very interesting about Hikari wheatgerm
Valid discussion pal, our fish look for food and feeding throughout the year including winter. There is no stopping hungry fish mate! Cheers! Happy Pond
Informative as usual,
Still building my pond will have it ready by spring.👍
Nice one Rex, hopefully the weather is kind to you over the winter 👍
Thanks again for some sound advice 👍👍
You're welcome mate 🍻
Another great video with sound advice. Thank you for filming.
Thanks Adam 👍👍
Thanks really enjoyed watching your videos thanks for sharing your knowledge 👏
Thanks again Paul, much appreciated 🍻
First of all thank you for making this video which contains great advice. I could not agree with you more about feeding the koi when they are wanting it irrespective of the water temperature. I've been doing this for over 30 years and firmly believe that they benefit greatly from this especially during the spring. I've found the koi usually are wanting food down to around 5C except when there is a sudden drop in the temperature. As mentioned recently I have always used wheatgerm during the winter but this winter will continue using medikoi probiotic which I have been using this year. The reason really for this is that I believe (as do many others) that this really is an excellent quality food and I will not have to change food for the winter. Also my fish really do love this food and waste levels are impressive. I'm only doing this after reading many reports from those using the medikoi probiotic who use it through the winter with excellent results.
Hi Keith, yep I totally agree, if you don't need to change you shouldn't do it for changes sake. Consistency is paramount with koi keeping. If it isn't broke, don't fix it 🍻🍻
Let us know how you get on.
@@DazzleKoi Yep I'll let you know no problem.
Really good advice regarding feeding. I read so many times about people stop feeding in October and start again in spring. If mine stay at the bottom I never feed but if they are active and come up I will feed regardless of temperature albeit in smaller amounts.
I’ve also heard of some who feed only wheatgerm through the year. Another great vid and looking forward to the next one 👍
Cheers Graham. Yes it does make me wince a bit when people cover their ponds and say they wont see there fish until Spring now. So much can happen to them. You really need to see them every day to spot issues quickly etc.
Great video,what about nitrite when you winter feeding ?
Hi there, I've never seen an issue with nitrite. Your filter bacteria will still remain active if there is food for them so you should be just fine. The feeding in winter is much less than summer to.
Very interesting and informative
Thanks Nick 🍻
Another great video thanks for sharing with us. 😎👍
Thanks very much 👍👍
@@DazzleKoi You are very welcome and keep up the good work.
Take care,
John
Good video. Your fish have grown so much from when Tim delivered them. Incredible. They must be happy fish! Well kept.
Thanks a lot, yes they seem to be doing really well. I'm looking forward to seeing them develop 👍👍
HI... Winter Feeding
Throughout the year I tend to blend my Koi foods across 3 varieties, firstly some kind of multi season pellet, secondly a good quality food (not to expensive) and thirdly wheatgerm.
I like to watch the temps and Koi & eating behaviours, as soon as they their start change from the summer mode, I give it a week, deep clean the pond and reduce feeding from 4-3 3-4 4-3 so that the Koi get used to a change in pattern, ie not always on tap.
About a month later I start to add wheatgerm to the multi season, I mix up small buckets of around 400g of 5:1 ratio and work my way up to 1:5 ie 1 part multi season to 5 parts wheatgerm. I also typically get a fluke outbreak at this time, so naturally deal with that as well.
I also monitor the water temps and once he pond falls below 10ºC I reduce feeding to 1-2 times a day and only if they come up looking when I pop over.
Winter Pond Cleaning
I also stop cleaning filters from weekly cycle to monthly at less than 5ºC, as there no real benefits of cleaning anything, however if high winds and or pollen outbreak I do a clean the following few days to keep the water balances right. (Koi do not like change it is a stresser, changing water when they are at their weakest is not always good. I do no more than 10% in a given 5 day period, if I do have to clean, which means I often do 3 cleans over the month anyway during Nov, Dec, Feb, Mar (if less than 5ºC
I also monitor the PH/KH during the raining seasons more closely, I always have a low PH so need to top up occasionally when not doing so may water changes.
Spring
This is always a challenge, temps are my main driver (let mother nature do its thing), I do 2 main cleans during Feb / March, then start bi-weekly and then weekly once the temps are moving up to 10ºC. I have 2 filters systems and I take this time to clean last years waste out of the beneficial bacteria (PP the alphagrog and K1) and do any maintenance during this time, as long as I feel that the Koi are behaving okay. I find being out there, gets them up quicker. I also add beneficial bacteria back into the pond at 10ºC upwards every week to kick start life.
I also run salt during the winter, currently 1.75% this is to aid rest and also fight infection during the winter months, not many things tolerate salt, does a good job with the Algae as well. I dilute the Salt during spring back to 0.1 which takes around 15 decent cleans which happen April onwards.
Whilst I share this info, it is only really useful for my pond and my way of doing things, so do what works for you.
Hi Karl, that sounds like a good way of keeping it interesting for your koi, variety is definitely good 👍
Merry Christmas Sir 🎅🎅🍻🍻🎅🎅
Great informative video
Thanks Robert 👍
Lovely view from the house. Especially the window and tiles. Where did you buy the tiles from.
Thanks Anthony, much appreciated 👍
The tiles are black split face tiles from here mrs-stone-store.com/natural-stone-tiles/mo101/eco-black-split-face-slate-tile-600x150x8-20-maxi/
Well done my friend
Thanks Chris 🍻
Awesome thumbnail 😁
Thanks for sharing 👍👍👍
LOL, thanks Syarif, RUclips statistics keep telling me my thumbnails are rubbish so I'm trying to spice them up a bit 😁
Cheers daz mate! 👍
You're welcome Col 🍻
Another great video buddy some good content looking forward to the next one
Thanks Mark, much appreciated 👍
Some great tips and advice Daz. I agree totally with everything you have said regards feeding over winter. Waddypete I recall saying good things about Hikari wheatgerm. Stay safe mate.
Thanks Martyn, you to pal 👍
Thank you!
Your welcome, thank you for watching and commenting 👍🍻👍
Nice to meet you. I saw this video on my top recommendations list. I would like to comment on it.
We will talk more about seasonal feeding methods that everyone in Japan practices, such as what kind of feeding should be done during which season, at another time. It is meaningless to talk about which KOI food is made by which particular manufacturer, or which KOI is made from which breeder.
When I started keeping Koi, I learned two principles from many of senior master. You should always have a sense of the shape of the feces and how well it's digested, and never trust their appetite.
KOI, or generally carp are always hungry by habit, and continuously feeding them under indigestion bring heavy burden on the filter, and makes their body shape change into shabby.
Hi there, thanks for taking time to reply 👍👍
Body shape is an interesting area with regards to feeding in winter. The obvious short term loss of weight over the winter months is one thing but what, if any, impact there is on long term body shape is something I couldn't comment on personally.
But I have certainly never seen my fish become overweight by feeding in winter, they still come out of the other side carrying less weight than they went in, albeit less dramatic than when they are not fed at all for several months.
@@DazzleKoi Thank you for your willingness to try to understand.
If you choose to hibernate during the winter months, the early autumn is very important for the seasonal feeding techniques I mentioned earlier.
This means that they must have enough nutrients to last through the winter months, which is a necessary skill if you want to keep the top-ranked KOIs in your pond, as they are the ones that compete in Japan's KOI shows. When these are practiced, the body shape of the koi is related to the so-called finishing technique, which we will discuss in a later. ありがとうございます！！
So Judging by what your saying I will have a better chance of less problems with water quality in the summer if I stay on wheatgerm all year. Could be the way forward.👍🏼
Everyday a school day. 👍🏼.
I believe so mate, yes.
Very interesting videos pal.
By the way why don't you run a skimmer on your pond?
Thanks Iain 🍻🍻
I like to keep things simple as much as possible and I just don't have any trees around so no real need for one to be honest. I've never seen anything floating on the surface so I haven't needed one so far 👍
Thanks Daz really helpful as per usual. Will be buying some hikari wheatgerm and switching them over. I have my first winter coming up for the pond - do you recommend a pond cover to stop it icing over (sorry I couldn’t find anything on this in the winter videos) or just leave uncovered? My pond isn’t heated
Hi Paul, its really down to personal preference but I have never covered any of my ponds. If you are in an exposed area it is definitely beneficial though as it keeps wind chill off. If you cover make sure to leave a gap someone for gas exchange and be sure to check on your koi daily as problems can go unnoticed under covers of you're not careful. A window is idea for this if you have one.
I am feeding my Koi wheat germ and garlic as well Daz mate
Good stuff Graham, hopefully not long now before we can get them on some high protein food 👍👍
Yes I hope so as well Daz mate 👍
Great vid mate cheers how thick is your window and is it toughened laminated thanks mike 👍🏻
Hi mate, window is 2 pieces of 10mm optiwhite glass laminated together to give a total thickness of approx. 21.5mm. Both pieces are also toughened. Its 1400 x 700mm overall.
@@DazzleKoi thank you 👍🏻
Another really interesting video there mate, a natural carp's diet is made up of a lot of plant based matter, and like you say fish need and can only use a certain amount of protein to stay healthy, so I wonder how much of this super high protein diet is to attract the fish keeper rather than the fish?
Hi Christopher, yes it does make you wonder doesn't it. I think it is very small margins so its hard to prove one way or the other but you cant argue that the water quality is better and easier to keep it good when using a good quality wheatgerm so that suggests to me that a lot of the extra ingredients in high protein food (or potentially cheaper food too) end up in the water.
@@DazzleKoi Agreed 👍, Also I suppose it depends on weather a pond is heated or not, but we hear much about importance of not disturbing that bottom layer of water in winter, which is supposedly a couple of degrees warmer, but doesn't water movement disturb this with bottom drain's aeration ect, and how much warmer is it? Maybe one for a future vid.
Yes heating definitely plays a part. My thoughts on water being warmer at the bottom (stratification) are that its not applicable to a garden pond as its way to small to happen. In huge natural bodies of water it can make a difference of 1 or 2 degrees but not in relatively tiny ponds. Heat transfer alone equalizes the temp in a pond, let alone the movement from fish, filter returns, air etc. You can see it yourself by running a cold bath and then adding some hot water. The temp difference lasts a matter of seconds before it equalizes out.
Water is the only substance where the solid form is less dense than the liquid form (hence why ice floats on top of water) so the ice can actually give rise to some insulation properties but that's only in extreme cold and not really applicable in UK koi ponds.
hi great advice you give iam going to be putting in a fiberglass tank with window. is 3foot deep enough? it will be 9x5 foot l&w.
Hi Eric, 3ft is a minimum depth really for koi. If you can go deeper I would, but if not then it will work 👍
Great information on the feeding ,I have never fed my fish in winter . My question is at such low temp and filter Bactria dies, how does filter process that waste and do you have any problems with water tests doing this, hope I've explained this correctly Thank you Carol
Hi Carol, although the bacteria does die back and become almost dormant I believe it is as much to do with the lack of food than the temp. When the food is there for them they seem to keep active. I guess with the fish being fed wheatgerm and fed a lot less often there is a lot less waste to process.
I've never had an issue with water parameters during winter that I can remember. I'll keep testing the water throughout but I don't envisage any issues 👍
Great video and very informative I'm the same as you in my thinking if the fish are active and looking for food then I feed them. A quick question for you...do you keep your air on throughout the winter???
Thanks Glynne, yes I keep everything running all year round. As well as the oxygen I need the air to provide movement that pushes waste to the bottom drain. Also it disrupts the pond surface so predators cant see them easily. If it ever gets cold enough it will stop it freezing too 👍
Really interesting video thank you! I’m feeding my goldfish wheat germ twice a day at the moment, do you go down to once a day as the water gets colder? Rebecca
Hi Rebecca, I don't really have any rule as such, I just tend to play it by ear to be honest. If they are hungry in the morning and I see then hungry again later in the same day I'll feed them. At the weekend, because I am often around the garden all day, I could feed them a few times in a single day. Other days they may not be interested at all so it varies. If I had to put an average figure on it then I would say it is more often than not once a day
@@DazzleKoi Thank you that makes perfect sense, watching them and reacting to what they’re ‘telling’ you.
6.5 woah coldest temp iv heard so far this year. Where u based? I'm near Morecambe. Mine are on nt labs garlic wheatgerm atm
Hi Ric, I'm in St Helens, right in the middle between Manchester and Liverpool. Its up around 9C again now here.
@@DazzleKoinot too far from me in Heysham then. Temps won't be too far off. First year on a heater ashp for me keeping it low tho at 12 just stable temps im after. Another good vid mate 👍
Yes not too far. I think I'm right in saying I got the ferry to the Isle of Man for the TT from Heysham. If so, not far at all 👍
@@DazzleKoi yeah thats Heysham the posh non tacky part of morecambe 👍🤣
Quick question do you leave your air on in the pond all year round? Thanks matey 👍👍
Hi Andrew, I just answered this very question so I'll copy and paste my answer from there 👍
Yes I keep everything running all year round. As well as the oxygen I need the air to provide movement that pushes waste to the bottom drain. Also it disrupts the pond surface so predators cant see them easily. If it ever gets cold enough it will stop it freezing too
Hi, Some really good points in there. Like you said, so many different answers to that question depending on other experiences with 'their' fish. Know your fish and know your pond... Cheers, #koipondlifestyle
Cheers mate 🍻