Feeding Year 'Round
This
year, in Southwest Florida, I expect to be able to enjoy my koi all year,
unlike the New York winters with the pond covered with ice and
snow. This year, I don’t expect to use the floating de-icer
because I’m not anticipating any ice on the pond. With summer
water temperatures generally above 85F, I hope the fish will not
experience anything lower than 50F throughout the winter. If
the water is not going to dip lower, suddenly, as it always did
up north, then I can continue feeding all year, even at 50F.
But what
happens to the fish when they are fed all year, with no period
of dormancy? For one thing, they continue to grow. They will
reach larger sizes earlier in life, while their skin is fresh
and supple. This will better serve them at koi shows if they
are ever entered into competition. Big fish are always
impressive, whether at a show or in a pond. At 50F, I don’t
expect to feed them MICROBE-LIFT/Growth & Energy, or other
high-protein foods, but they will remain active and will be
maintained on
Wheat Germ.
Do fish need
time to sleep in winter? There is some controversy here that
suggests fish that are deprived of their dormant months will not
live as long. My fish may live only half as long as fish that
are given the winter “off”. So, it seems that rather than the
dormancy being a “long time with no nutrition” it is a veritable
resting period and a natural process for these fish, koi. Koi
are not tropical fish. They are temperate zone fish, more
suited to New York than Southwest Florida, apparently. But time
will tell…
On the other hand, if you are feeding all
summer, trying to fatten up the fish and make it grow larger,
the food simply gets “pushed” through the system and no more
nutrients will be absorbed than if they were fed every other
day. More is not always better when it comes to feeding fish.
The little fish in the corner will manage to get a meal at least
every four days, I assure you, if it is healthy. And if it is
healthy, that is all it will require. I, on the other hand,
with a stomach and complicated digestive system, will be very
hungry if I miss one meal and probably become quite cranky.
Let’s try not to think of these fish as humans. They are built
differently and have different requirements. Once you
understand this, you can have the nice, clean pond your fish
deserve.
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