Ira-Hayes
Koi Lover
Dec 12, 2004, 11:37 PM
Post #1 of 4
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Koi winter feeding
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I have also posted this message on the feeding forum but repeat it here as I hope you guys have similar temperature ponds to me and some local knowledge my help.
I have a 3,000 gal 5ft deep pond with biofilter set up and 7 Koi 20 - 26inches and live in Sussex, Southern England.
My problam is with winter feeding. All of the books I read and food packets tell me to stop feeding when the temperature is below 10c and only feed once a week or so at temperatures of 10 - 15c. The books say that at these low temperatures the fish will become dormant, go to the bottom and not want to feed. However my fish seem just as hungry as ever, I can't get near the pond without them coming to the surface looking for food and when left alone they certainly don't seem to sit about at the lower levels of the pond. I am currently feeding them Hikari wheatgerm in very small quantities (two or three large pellets each) once or twice each day and they are eating all that is offered (I feed them high protein in the summer and a mixture of HP and staple in the spring/autumn). Should I still being doing this at these low temperatures? If they refused the food I would happiliy stop feeding them but they appear to be as hungry and active as they are in the summer. I have read that at lower temperatures they find it hard to digest food but what would happen in the wild or in a large self-sufficient pond where natural foods are always available? Would they carry on eating or stop when it got cold?
I would be grateful for any help or advice you could give. Thanks
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