As the weather turns colder and the air temperature begins to drop, the fish in your backyard pond need to go on a cold water fish food diet. Lucky for them, their diet has nothing to do with losing weight, but if you don’t administer it properly, they won’t make it through the winter. This is because fish’s digestive systems slow down as the weather cools, and they are unable to digest the same foods they consume during warmer months. If they cannot digest the food you are feeding them, it will sit in their system undigested, and this can result in intestinal or stomach ulceration. Koi are particularly susceptible to this, because they have no stomach and undigested food passes directly into their intestines to rot.
The first step to properly feeding your fish during the winter is knowing the temperature of their water. If you do not have a thermometer now is the time to get one, and Pondliner offers a reliable and inexpensive model. Suspend your thermometer in your backyard pond about 18 inches deep in the water to get accurate readings.
Once you have a thermometer, you can use the temperature of the water as your guide for what to feed your fish. Once the water temperature drops below 65 degrees Fahrenheit, you should start feeding your fish wheat germ-based cold water fish food. Wheat germ is much easier to digest, making it the ideal base for cold water fish food. Pondliner’s Micro-Lift Legacy cold water fish food is especially helpful, because it contains Probiotics that produce enzymes to aid the breakdown of carbohydrates, protein & fat.
Once the water temperature drops below 50 degrees Fahrenheit,you can stop feeding your fish altogether. It’s likely that they will be spending the majority of their time dormant at the bottom of your pond at this point, and therefore they will not need cold water fish food to sustain them. Cease feeding for the remainder of the winter, unless temperatures warm unexpectedly, and resume a cold water fish food diet once temperatures start rising again in the spring.
As temperatures begin to drop this fall and winter keep your pond fish happy and healthy by feeding them Pondliner’s Micro-LiftLegacy cold water fish food.
If you have any further questions, feel free to contact one of our helpful and qualified Pondliner professionals today!