shanezam203
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I am in Illinois, water temp is approaching 45 degrees, when can I start to feed the fish again when it is over 55?
Water temp 45, feed above 55?
- Thread starter shanezam203
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j.w
I Love my Goldies
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Yep I'd wait till 55 consistently and then start giving them the kind w/ wheat germ.
shanezam203
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Thanks, the 10 day forcast is 50-60 so hopefully after a week of that I may be able to start feeding them again. 
crsublette
coyotes call me Charles
You can feed earlier, although not as much and lower protein food such as wheat germ, except whether to feed or not with colder water temperatures is more about the bio-filtration. Bio-filtration processing capabilities lags behind when colder water temperatures, except it never stops and it is still functioning unless the water is allowed to reach freezing temperatures. Most folk that I know whom feed all year round in cold weather have their bio-filtration enclosed in a heated shed, that is where the water is also temporarily warmed up while the water is on a slower flow through the shed during Winter.
shanezam203
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Thanks, I just turned the Pumps back on and have the water circulating for the first time this Spring, it is Great to see the fish come to the top, we had such a long cold winter.
shanezam203
Rookie
The petstore had fish food for temps 40-60 degrees but it said it was High Protein, any thoughts on using that or should I wait till water temp is over 50-55?
I feed when they come to the top which indicates they would like food. 40 degree water and sunny and they are plenty active and I feed them.
crsublette
coyotes call me Charles
Hmmm. Ask for the protein percentage. If it is truely high protein, then stay away from it unless you have a good filtration setup that can deal with the improperly digested waste. Personally, I would wait until the water temperature is over 50*F, but, for good reasons, I know others will differ with me on this.
While reading just now, it occurred to me that those of us who have had a pond for awhile will understand there is a noticeable difference between fish simply coming to the surface, and fish coming to the surface actively looking for food. When it gets warm enough that my fish might possibly feed, I will throw in a very small amount of food and see if anybody even takes note. Sometimes it gets eaten right away and I will toss in a little more, while other times the fish will completely ignore the food and I end up netting it out.
At this point my fish are eating about 4-5 days a week, but I'm only giving them about half the food they normally get in the Summer. Once they get hungry enough to start chasing food down the stream, I'll increase the amount they get.
At this point my fish are eating about 4-5 days a week, but I'm only giving them about half the food they normally get in the Summer. Once they get hungry enough to start chasing food down the stream, I'll increase the amount they get.
I don't mean to sound like a smarty pants but you said sometimes the fish will eat it right up and other times they will ignore it. I guess it really isn't that easy to tell! I feel like I can pretty much tell as well but they have ignored food on me on a rare occasion. I just leave it, and have a hunch they eat it after I walk away, because it isn't there later.
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My fish come up when I walk out there. I like to think they are happy to see me, but in reality, they probably want food. I will say my Gracie in the Fall will ignore the food I throw in there when it gets close to cooler temps. So, when she stops eating, is when I stop feeding. In the Spring, if it ever gets here, I wait til the water temp stays 55* for a week and this year, when the forecast isn't calling for snow after a week of warm weather.
Yeah you're right, its not always easy to tell. I guess I was referring to when the temperatures start to warm up, the fish will very lazily hang at the surface. I have a decent current in my pond, so anything they don't eat tends to get swept to the lower pond, and they usually won't go after it until the water temp starts to creep into the 60's.