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 Blackwater Wheat Germ Cool Season Koi Food Can Do For Your Fish This Winter

Last month we gave you a breakdown of one of our most popular kinds of cold weather fish food: Microbe Lift Legacy. This month we’re going to give a similar synopsis of another great brand we carry: Blackwater Wheat Germ Cool Season Koi Food.

As we’ve discussed before, your fish’s dietary needs change based on the weather. Once the temperatures start falling, their metabolism slows down, meaning they need to be given food that is easy to digest.

How does Blackwater's brand of cold weather fish food meet this need?

Blackwater Wheat Germ food provides a low fat diet that is highly digestible. Its primary ingredient, as you may have guessed, is wheat germ. This ingredient is great to see in cold weather fish food, because it is designed to take the place of protein and give fish nutrients in a form their systems can handle.

Some of the other key ingredients include: premium grade fish meal, wheat, dried yeast culture, soy protein concentrate and wheat flour. All of these things are easy on your fish’s digestive systems, which makes this food a great choice during the cold winter months.

Something you might not know: this cold weather fish food can also be used in the spring to aid in spawning. Because it’s low in fat, it helps reduce the buildup of fat in your fish’s ovaries, which may reduce the incidence of “egg bound” females. Pretty neat!

The weather is turning colder quickly, so make sure you make the switch to cold weather fish food. Your fish – and their digestive systems – will thank you.

Learn more about cold weather fish food and how it can help your fish stay healthy all winter long.

*Image provided by Cindy Funk on Flickr

Featured Cold Weather Fish Food: Microbe Lift Legacy

In a past post I talked about the power of cold weather fish food and how important it is to your pond life's health. Today I’m going to talk in greater detail about one of the specific kinds of food we at Pondliner recommend you buy: Microbe-Lift Legacy Cold Weather Fish Food.

This type of fish food comes from a brand that our pond supplies professionals really trust. Microbe-Lift makes great products, and we think this fish food does wonderful things for your pond life during the cold winter months.

Why is it so great? Well, this particular cold weather fish food is made with lesser amounts of protein and wheat germ, and instead contains a higher level of fats. This makes it much easier for your fish to digest as their systems begin slowing down and processing food less effectively. In addition, it contains probiotics that produce enzymes used specifically to break down carbohydrates, protein and fat.

So not only does this cold weather fish food contain ingredients that are easy to digest, it also contains elements that help with the digestive process itself. Pretty cool.

The Microbe-Lift Legacy brand provides a balanced feeding system that will keep your fish healthy and happy even as their systems begin steadily shutting down for winter. It meets their unique nutritional needs = and helps to keep them strong even during the coldest months of the year.

Remember, feeding your fish the proper kind of food during winter is essential for keeping them healthy and happy. Take a step in the right direction by purchasing the Microbe-Lift Legacy brand this season.

The Power of Cold Weather Fish Food

As humans, we often eat different kinds of food – and different amounts of it – depending on the weather. For many of us, summer is a time to eat lighter foods like salads, grilled fish, chicken, and fruit. We also tend to eat less food when we’re hot. On the other hand, fall and winter is a time to load up on comfort foods like hearty stews and soups, mashed potatoes and pot roast.

Fish in your backyard water garden are pretty much the opposite, because they need more food in the warmer months of the year and less food during winter. That’s because fish go into a form of hibernation when it gets cold. Their metabolism slows down steadily until it is almost nonexistent, and they spend the majority of their time hovering at the bottom of your pond to avoid freezing to death.

Because of this lack of metabolism, their digestive systems can’t process large amounts of food, or food that has high levels of protein. And during the coldest weather, they actually don’t need to eat at all.

So how should you handle the changing metabolism levels and food needs of your fish?

Feed them the type of food that is appropriate for the weather conditions they are experiencing.

For the winter months, that means giving them cold weather fish food. It's made with lesser amounts of protein and is instead comprised mostly of wheat germ, an ingredient that is easily digested and contains a higher level of fats. Switching to this kind of food is extremely important, because if you continue to feed your fish food they can’t process, they will produce excess amounts of ammonia that can actually poison the water they are living in.

Another benefit of cold weather fish food is that it has important probiotics that help produce enzymes that break down carbohydrates, protein and fat. So the food you’re feeding your fish is essentially helping their digestive systems to process it. Pretty neat system, huh?

Most pond supplies experts recommend switching to cold weather fish food any time nighttime temperatures can go below 55 degrees Fahrenheit, or when the water temperature drops to 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Once your fish stop coming to the surface for food, or the water falls below 42 degrees Fahrenheit, you can stop feeding them altogether until the temperature starts rising again.

Have questions about cold weather fish food, or how to properly care for your fish during winter? The pond supplies experts at Pondliner can help. Just give us a call today!

*Image provided by Eustaquio Santimano on Flickr