Wait, I’m Supposed to Stop Feeding My Fish during Winter?

This is a question I hear from many first-time pond owners because there is a lot of confusion around the topic of feeding fish in wintertime. With most pets, you feed them consistently regardless of the temperature or time of year. However, when you have fish that live outside, you have to take a different approach.

I’ve talked about this before, but it never hurts to reiterate, especially because so many questions seem to surround it. When temperatures get cold enough, you need to stop feeding your fish completely. Yes, that’s right. Your fish don’t need any food to survive when temperatures are really cold.

How is that possible? Well, as previous posts have discussed, fish require different kinds of nutrition at different times of the year. For example, when temperatures begin to consistently hover around 60 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit, you are supposed to start giving your fish cold weather fish food. Then, when temperatures hit about 50 degrees Fahrenheit, you should stop feeding your fish completely.

At those temperatures, it is simply too difficult for your fish’s digestive systems to function. Their metabolisms are almost completely slowed down, and their bodies are in a semi-hibernation state. Any food you would give them at that point would do more harm than good because they would have difficulty processing it.

Now, if you hit one of those unseasonably warm stretches of weather that sometimes occur during winter, you can give your fish a little bit of cold weather fish food to tide them over during that time. However, temperatures will inevitably drop again, so you want to still feed sparingly during any periods of semi-warmness.

If you have other questions about cold weather fish food or general winter pond care, please contact one of our pond supplies professionals today.

*Image provided by yo Alex (away launching a new web site)

What Size of Pond Heater is Right for My Pond?

Finding the right pond heater for your pond is much easier than you may think. You have lots of options, but the most important things to pay attention to are climate and size.

Starting with size, all you need to do is determine how many gallons of water your pond holds. Not sure how to do this? Use our handy pond liner size calculator. Just enter the appropriate measurements of your backyard pond and our tool will determine the volume for you.

Once you have the volume of your pond, it’s time to think about your local climate. The average winter temperatures your pond is going to be battling directly influence what kind of pond heater you need to buy.

Use the map below to identify your zone. Then use the corresponding chart to match your temperature zone and your pond volume to determine how powerful your pond heater needs to be. (to view a larger image of the map, click here and scroll to the bottom of the page)

Does it even really matter how powerful my pond heater is? Absolutely. If it isn’t powerful enough, it won’t work effectively to keep a section of your pond from freezing over and your fish could suffer. However, if it’s too powerful, you’ll be losing lots of money in energy costs. Either way, it definitely pays off to choose a pond heater that accurately meets your pond’s specific needs.

Have more questions about pond heaters and other pond supplies? Contact a professional at Pondliner.com today.

*Image provided by Sparkling Backyard Garden Koi Ponds, LLC