Advice for a garden/fish pond newbie

[GoneAnon]

This will be our first winter with 6 smallish goldfish in an outdoor pond and I'm hoping for some guidance from anyone with some experience.

I've had conflicting advice about:
feeding the goldfish/stopping feeding them below 1 degree C.
running the pump to keep the water from freezing/switching the pump off to preserve any heat in the water.

Apart from the above, should I keep opening the ice on the surface? (the area around where the fountain is has remained ice-free so far)

[IainRS]

I've kept pond fish for over 20 years and been through some pretty serious winters without any serious issues.

I usually stop feeding my fish about October and start again once things begin to warm up in late March/April.
The pond pump is on all year round. Mine runs through a bio-filter and then down a little water run/fall thus keeping the water moving and also keeping an area free from ice. Occasionally it will ice right over in severe weather but DO NOT break the ice with anything like a hammer etc as the shock waves can kill your fish.
Best way to clear ice is pouring hot/boiling water on the ice till you make a bit of clear open water.
Good luck

[kooky guy]

I've been wondering about this this year.

I've always had a pressurised filter previously but changed to a gravity feed this summer as the pressurised filter couldn't keep the water clear.

My winterisation technique with the presurised filter consisted of simply lifting the pump up and putting it on one of the shelves so that the layer of water at the bottom of the pond where the fish hibernate remained undisturbed.

I'm quite worried that the filter box might freeze this year. The pressurised one couldn't really, because the water was always moving through the filter at quite a lick, but there is much less speed of movement in a gravity filter so I'm a little concerned but don't know what else to do...

[GoneAnon]

Thanks for that - I think I will lift the pump at the weekend to leave a lower layer that isn't having water drawn directly from. (It's an all-in-one with UV, bio filter, pump and filter just plonked in the pond).

The fish are still swimming around at the bottom of the pond (never really seen them come to the surface but their food sticks keep going so I guess they must), but their food is freezing in the ice that forms on the surface, even in the feeder ring. If I put it in something like a bird-feeder than can sink into the pond, would they be able to eat it from that kind of thing?

[kooky guy]

GoneAnon said:

Thanks for that - I think I will lift the pump at the weekend to leave a lower layer that isn't having water drawn directly from. (It's an all-in-one with UV, bio filter, pump and filter just plonked in the pond).

The fish are still swimming around at the bottom of the pond (never really seen them come to the surface but their food sticks keep going so I guess they must), but their food is freezing in the ice that forms on the surface, even in the feeder ring. If I put it in something like a bird-feeder than can sink into the pond, would they be able to eat it from that kind of thing?

I'm surprised about that - mine are completely inactive and haven't been eating for quite a while now. Are you sure it's not birds taking the food sticks?

It's good to keep the pump going as it helps prevent the formation of ice, but the downside is that it stirs the water which cools it more than it would do naturally, hence the reason for lifting the pump off the bottom.

[VetteG]

I stop feeding in October and start again when I see the fish on the surface actively looking for food. I also turn of the pump and filter before the first ice starting up again after a good clean up around April. Rather than pouring boiling water on the ice, fill a plastic bottle with hot water and lay it on the ice for 30mins or so then remove it. Your fish will not be feeding now, your sticks will saturate and sink to the bottom.

G

[GoneAnon]

So we have a split decision on the pump on/off question here too.

The water is very clear so I can see the bottom and there is no sign of food down there.

It is possible that birds are taking the food and the wife wants me to put a net on the pond to keep birds away so I'll do that at the weekend as well and see if the food keeps disappearing.

[VetteG]

If you keep feeding your fish, assuming they are eating you may kill them, their digestive systems change in the winter months and they dont process food well. I'm not an expert but you would do well to read up on this.

G