Winter feeding

[Pond skipper]

Really?

 

[GBBUDD]

Really

 

[Lisak1]

Our first winter we bought a second pump that we thought we could use as an aerator. Put it in the pond right near the surface and just let it pump straight up - no hose or anything. It bothered me all winter long. I felt like it was too much agitation, so I know what you mean. It didn't feel peaceful to me - like it would drive my fish crazy... haha. And eventually it got so cold that the water just froze and formed a dome over the water spout. So I don't know that it helped at all at that point. The fish were fine, but we never used that approach again.

We run our waterfall all winter long, so I don't even worry about the whole pond freezing over.

 

[GBBUDD]

We run our waterfall all winter long, so I don't even worry about the whole pond freezing over.

I don't mind the pond being down but I'll not do so until we're looking at temps below 20 for a week or more. And where the bog was just rebuilt taller it may make for a stunning ice falls.

 

[Anton_25]

Tie a string to it and raise it up to maybe a foot or less from the surface. Don't pump that cold air down to the bottom.

Is it an air stone? Or just a hose shooting out air or something else?
I think an air stone puts out lots of bubbles which is a plus.

Run it 24/7. Dont wait until ice forms.
Don't forget, the air bubbles are not just for keeping an opening in the ice, it's also needed for oxygenation. Surface agitation, breaking of the surface is needed for good oxygenation.

And in case you are not aware, never bang on the ice to break it up. That will cause shock waves which is very bad for the fish. If it's just a very thin layer of ice, no big deal in chipping it out, but no severe banging.

I completely agree with this. Skipper needs a clamp in the tube before the air stone to regulate the air flow or as you say raise the airstone just under the surface. At that pond depth, as the flow it is now, the entire pond could freeze solid including the lovely geyser. This is because you are agitating in extremely cold ambient air right through the system. Not only this but the fish will have to swim all the time thus burning up their stored energy which will make them very weak and prone to die off in Spring as they wont be replenishing any energy until then. Any deep agitation of the water columb is not good for them at the best of times. Goldfish like calm water.

Even in our cool season which never goes much bellow 60%F I turn the air off completely for things like platies and barbs etc. They too go into a resting phase when it's cool.

Goldfish can easily take ice on the surface as long as there is sufficient depth. Fish go into hibernation, reducing their heart rates and generaly resting on the bottom. If you feed well during the season they put on enough fat to happily survive. If your pond is too shallow, you should net out the fish and keep in a large container in the basement, garage (carport) shed, green house etc. Here they will stay ice free but also wont need feeding unless that area is heated. Any large boxstore type container will do, they need a very simple air stone with very light airation, tiny pump will do it.

 

[BarbAZCA]

Nothing special. All the manufacturers make at least wheat germ, growth and/or color foods. Some have even more choices, but those are the basic ones. The ingredients are usually listed so you can see the percentages. Some even sell different size pellets, small, medium, large and mixtures too depending on the size of your fish.

All fish food can get expensive, so you'll have to shop around.

Maybe I'm using the wrong wheat germ - I just bought organic from the health food store. They seemed to like it. Am I supposed to find an actual wheat germ fish food?

 

[SarahT]

Really?

Yes, really, basic Cheerios. I moisten the Cheerios with orange juice, then feed lightly. When I lived in the north, I didn't feed the fish anything when the water was 55 degrees F or below. I've never tried wheat germ, but it sounds like a possible alternative. good luck.

 

[Pond skipper]

I have another feeding question.. and an update.. first the update… The air hose popped off the air stone even though I had a hose clamp tightly attached. Since at the time there was ice thick enough for me to walk on and only the hole made by the bubble I couldn’t really get the stone out to reattach and don’t think I should anyway. What I did was take a wood handled rubber mallet and attach the hose to the handle with an elastic band. When I dropped it back in the water the head of the mallet went to the bottom and the wood handle floated vertically…thus I have inadvertently complied with the advice from those who said to suspend the air stone just under the surface.. (albeit without said stone) Ok , so here’s the question, I’m fairly sure what my answer is going to be here but I’ll ask anyway. So we are going through a January thaw here in Ontario, all of the ice has gone off my pond. The air temperatures are hovering between 35 and 50 degrees F. I don’t know the water temp. The good news.. so far my goldfish have survived. I see them hiding in the dead leaves that I didn’t manage to get out. The bad news… or at least my question, should I feed them anything while the ice is gone? I say no but my wife says yes, but then she would feed any animal (including me) 24 hours a day if she could..

 

[JRS]

No-the water temp is the critical measurement which is likely much colder than the air at this point, probably only a few degrees above freezing.

 

[Mgessert]

Definitely not

 

[Pond skipper]

thank you for the quick responses I feel better knowing for sure

 

[Dreyden]

How deep is your fish pond?

 

[Dreyden]

I have another feeding question.. and an update.. first the update… The air hose popped off the air stone even though I had a hose clamp tightly attached. Since at the time there was ice thick enough for me to walk on and only the hole made by the bubble I couldn’t really get the stone out to reattach and don’t think I should anyway. What I did was take a wood handled rubber mallet and attach the hose to the handle with an elastic band. When I dropped it back in the water the head of the mallet went to the bottom and the wood handle floated vertically…thus I have inadvertently complied with the advice from those who said to suspend the air stone just under the surface.. (albeit without said stone) Ok , so here’s the question, I’m fairly sure what my answer is going to be here but I’ll ask anyway. So we are going through a January thaw here in Ontario, all of the ice has gone off my pond. The air temperatures are hovering between 35 and 50 degrees F. I don’t know the water temp. The good news.. so far my goldfish have survived. I see them hiding in the dead leaves that I didn’t manage to get out. The bad news… or at least my question, should I feed them anything while the ice is gone? I say no but my wife says yes, but then she would feed any animal (including me) 24 hours a day if she could..

The safest way to de ice a fish pond safely is using hot to boiling water and pour slowly in one area. The pounding of breaking with anything else can cause stress to the fish.

 

[addy1]

I used a pot, kept filling with boiling water, let it sit on the ice, slowly made a nice hole. Many years ago when we actually had thick ice.

 

[WaterGardener]

The wheat germ being referred to is fish food made with wheat germ.

I use a simple approach to winter feeding. I feed my fish if they come to the surface looking for food. If they don't come up, they don't get fed and aren't interested in eating.