Know Your Water TemperaturePublished: Sat, 16 May 2009
So why do we need to know the water temperature? Well there are a number of reasons.
Filtration
Firstly we will cover filtration this will help you to understand what happens during the colder times of the year.
As the outside temperature drops so does the pond temperature, your filtration system looses most of its efficiency as the Nitrifying Bacteria's hunger slows down, added to this your fish becoming less active and we have a recipe for disaster.
If we continue to feed 'summer foods' and 'summer quantity' at low temperature the fish simply excrete the partially digested food in to the water, the nitrifying bacteria cannot deal with it and the result is a drop in water quality shown as increased Nitrite and/or Ammonia both of which are toxic! This will lead to fish health issues.
Fish
The diet requirements of your fish change at lower temperature, they need less quantity and less protein, there are foods available for Autumn and Spring these are Wheatgerm based are very easily digested by both fish and filtration. These can be fed down to temperatures as low as 8 deg C
By feeding the correct food at lower temperatures we can build the immune system up of the fish and we see improved health, colour and shape which allows the fish to come out of the winter in better health.
Keeping wheatgerm in the diet all year round can be beneficial, however feeding solely wheatgerm in the summer is not enough. Once the temperature reaches 12 deg C staple foods can be introduced this transition step allows your filter to adapt to increase work keeping water parameters under control
Summer
As we hit summer and our thermometer shows 18 deg C+ we can really start to feed up our fish. The filter works at its best above these temperature and the fish are very active. At this time growth and colour enhancing foods should be used to keep your fish looking their best. This can be fed 2-3 times a day! Most koi food manufactuers produce a full range of foods
Summary
It is really important to feed you fish the correct foods at the correct time of the year. You can avoid making mistakes by simply by purchasing a thermometer and regularly checking your pond temperature.
To assist you in making the right choice most koi food manufacturers list the information you may require on the reverse of the tub, however if you require further assistance please contact us...........
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