Winter Temps and Feeding!

[barryian]

I am not running my pump/filter this winter, but have noticed my fish are a little hungry too. They are grazing around the rocks on warmer days and only at the bottom when it's very cold. With the warmer temps this winter it seems there may enough in my pond to keep them satisfied.

My question is this: Since I am not running any filtration would it be best to not feed them and chance an increase in amonia? Or will the lack of filtration not be a problem if I do give them a little food?

I do have minimum skimmer filtration and there is the biofilm and my temps remain at 48F minimum all winter. It costs me electric but it's one of my passions. If your temps which are milder than mine keep that water at 50F plus, I see no reason to not feed very little very seldom as a slight boost. But every so often, look at that ammonia level should you decide to feed a little.
Here's a great tool that Meyer Jordon once posted and being temperature is an ammonia variable, this is great! Pop in your reading and check it out.

http://www.koiphen.com/forums/koicalcs.php?do=calcnh3c For example .25ppm @ say 50F, depending on your pH is virtually harmless... Assuming someone doesn't make a habit out of .25 in the summer ... lol ... ...

Keep that bookmarked or as I keep it on my desktop .... Ciao...

 

[MitchM]

Well, my pond defies all physics but never had 1 gallon of 2000 freeze and we get cold. I think you did those formulas Mitch, correct
back some time? So, yesterday, 27F during the evening, 40F ish during the day and running through the deicer when on, this pond stays
at 50F.
I fed them a mix, not much yesterday. I'd say their energy level was 10 fold. They were cruising the surface as if it were summer for a good part of the day. I wouldn't do that often with only the skimmer filtering through the main drain to the falls, no bio on, but possibly once in a week. I would
think if I hadn't eaten in 2-1/2 months, I'd be energized too ...lol .... just have to watch those ammonia levels. probably not from once a week.
Never really tried that in 25 years.

You have 3 things on your side that help keep your pond ice free: mild temperatures from being located close to a large body of water, high humidity also from the large body of water, and your pond is protected from the wind.
Being protected from the wind is the biggest contributor to help keep your pond ice free. If you have a look at Colleen's pond, located here in Canada, she is able to keep her pond ice free even though she has low humidity and cold temperatures similar to mine. My pond only has 2 feet of ice, while large open lakes near me have 4 feet of ice. Wind is the deciding factor.
You also have much warmer ground temperatures that most northern ponds.

 

[barryian]

You have 3 things on your side that help keep your pond ice free: mild temperatures from being located close to a large body of water, high humidity also from the large body of water, and your pond is protected from the wind.
Being protected from the wind is the biggest contributor to help keep your pond ice free. If you have a look at Colleen's pond, located here in Canada, she is able to keep her pond ice free even though she has low humidity and cold temperatures similar to mine. My pond only has 2 feet of ice, while large open lakes near me have 4 feet of ice. Wind is the deciding factor.
You also have much warmer ground temperatures that most northern ponds.

Agreed ... I was suppose to be off to the gym and have procrastinated for 2 hours ... It's fenced on north & west and enough shrubbery around it. Even in cold snaps ( this is the 2nd mild winter ) the pond seems to stay as high as 45F and I'm talking when we're at 5-10F nights and teens during the day for a week. Still doesn't compare to a Canadian scenario. You're frigid and don't receive our breaks. Also as you said, the my pond is 4 feet. I'm picking up some god warmth naturally right there. Plus the skimmer circulation. The 1000 watts doesn't hurt either. All variable considered, It works well. Even if I'm away, I have it checked on every other day. If the pump goes, my son in law can swap it in 5 minutes. If the heater went, it is circulating.

 

[barryian]

I thought I posted this but maybe didn't hit the post button....

Has anyone used Koizyme ... It appears to be that studies and tests are documented that it works. Koizyme competes for the same food source that aeromonas bacterias live on. I perform a pp treatment or 2 in mid to end of March, 2-4 weeks after startup, which is usually March 1st ... Bio filter bypassed ...If I'm killing off aeromonas using pp, is Koizyme just throwing away money? Different principal and they're never gone completely. If fish aren't in a stress situation, I would assume they won't be affected to begin with. I posted this somewhere so I thought. I know some are anti-pp treatment, but in my years, done properly, I've never seen an adverse reaction or post problem...

Any opinions or facts ....?

 

[Meyer Jordan]

I thought I posted this but maybe didn't hit the post button....

Has anyone used Koizyme ... It appears to be that studies and tests are documented that it works. Koizyme competes for the same food source that aeromonas bacterias live on. I perform a pp treatment or 2 in mid to end of March, 2-4 weeks after startup, which is usually March 1st ... Bio filter bypassed ...If I'm killing off aeromonas using pp, is Koizyme just throwing away money? Different principal and they're never gone completely. If fish aren't in a stress situation, I would assume they won't be affected to begin with. I posted this somewhere so I thought. I know some are anti-pp treatment, but in my years, done properly, I've never seen an adverse reaction or post problem...

Any opinions or facts ....?

My opinion......Snake Oil!

The facts.....claims to work on the principle (theory?) of Competitive Exclusion (CE) which has never, that I know of, been proven as pertains to any product.

 

[barryian]

My opinion......Snake Oil!

The facts.....claims to work on the principle (theory?) of Competitive Exclusion (CE) which has never, that I know of, been proven as pertains to any product.

If you feel like reading this, this is what I read that me wonder if the product was really tested to be tried and true. 95% of these concoctions
out there are snake oils. I was curious about Koizyme as it's been around quite a while, even under another name. Everything really comes back to
"Water Quality" ... Thanks Meyer!

 

[Meyer Jordan]

If you feel like reading this, this is what I read that me wonder if the product was really tested to be tried and true. 95% of these concoctions
out there are snake oils. I was curious about Koizyme as it's been around quite a while, even under another name. Everything really comes back to
"Water Quality" ... Thanks Meyer!

Did you mean to post a link to an article?

 

[barryian]

Did you mean to post a link to an article?

Oops, yes I did! Thx! http://www.koicarekennel.com/How-KoiZyme-Works-About-Koizyme-sc-3.html

 

[CometKeith]

My two cents on winter feeding or even spring feeding for that matter. I never feed my fish until my pond is cycled. This way I don't have an excessive build up of ammonia and nitrite from fish waste that my pond can't handle. There is always plenty of algae and other things for the fish to feed on and they don't need me to feed them. I have used this method for several years and have never lost a fish to disease.