With spring here and hardly any coverage on our ponds it gives those predators a clear picture of our fish swimming about.  Until we can get some coverage to at least help in protecting our fish these items help.

Check out the gator!

On the few warmer days of spring they will come to the surface acting as if they want fed.  The water should be stabilized around 50 degrees before you resume feeding.  You will want to feed them an easily digestible food, such as a wheat-germ-based floating pellet to start with, since their digestive systems are still slow. Microbe-Lift makes a Fall/Spring Fish food that is wheat germ and easily digested. Feed the fish in the morning, feeding them lightly at first so that they will digest their food before the temperature lowers at night for a couple weeks.  Once the water temperatures rise above 55 degrees, resume feeding them their normal high-protein food.  Any good quality fish food with vitamins will work.  Another good choice food for fish is duckweed or azolla.  I always put some duckweed  in a container in the shade so it grows and multiplies. That way I have it for a treat all summer long.   I have heard also that frozen peas are good for fish.  I haven’t tried that but thinking about it now I will.  Just to see if my fish like it. 

You may want to add some flake food or balls of cooked oatmeal to your feeding regiment for the baby fish, once they start to appear in early spring. 

You will want to make sure your pond water isn’t high in ammonia or nitrites for your fish.  You can buy test kits to check for this.   I always check all the fish for any signs of infection or disease in the early spring so I can treat them before it gets worse.  We sell a medicated floating fishfood that works well in treating fish.  It is always easier to see the fish in the early spring, before the plants are in the pond.

You would first figure the total surface area of the water garden.  Multiple length by width to find the area surface coverage.  This will give you an idea as to how much oxygen will be available to them.  If the surface of your pond has some coverage of floating plants you would include this area but don’t include areas that contain marginal plants.  Each inch of the fish should have 6 square inches to 1 square foot of water.  Koi, however, need more space, and should have at least 25 square feet for every fish.  You want to always go on the side of too much space rather than too little.  You can use the following table to help you stock your pond.

1-2 inch fish – 1 square ft.      3-4 inch – 2 square ft.     5-6 inch – 3 square ft.    7-8 inch – 4 square ft.   and so forth.

If you have aeration in the form of a waterfall or fountain, you can add a few more fish.  A waterfall will actually aerate the water substantially and you could double the number of fish.  Where as a water fountain doesn’t provide as much aeration.

Fish, Comets,Calicos,Shubunkins,Koi, Sarasas, Yellow Comets here.

As winter passes and spring arrives with water temperatures being below the 50s,  the fish have been experiencing a form of hibernation.  Their metabolisms are too slow during the cold period to be able to digest food so you  don’t want to feed them.  Their activity is minimal as they survive the winter months by burning the stored body fat they accumulated prior to winter. 

On the few warmer days of spring they will come to the surface acting as though they want fed.  The water should be stabilized around 50 degrees before you resume feeding your finned pets.  You will want to feed them easily  digestible food, such as a wheat-germ-based floating pellet to start with since their digestive systems are still slow. Microbe-Lift makes a Fall/Spring Fish food that is wheat germ and easily digested. Feed the fish in the morning, feeding them lightly at first so that they will digest their food before the temperature lowers at night for a couple weeks.  Once the water temperatures rise above 55 degrees resume feeding them their normal high-protein food. 

Once autumn starts approaching and the water temperatures begin to cool, switch back to the wheat-germ-based food.  Begin to taper off the amount of food as the appetite of your fish starts to decrease. 

A good rule of thumb is to only feed your fish what they can consume in a 5 to 10 minute period.  You can then net out any left over food so that is doesn’t sink and rot in your pond causing more sludge.  When your water temperature falls to below 50 degrees you want to stop feeding them completely. 

You may want to add some flake food or balls of cooked oatmeal to your feeding regiment for the baby fish once they start to appear in early spring. 

Adding fish to your pond can be a rewarding experience and you’ll have yet another thing to enjoy while relaxing by your pond.

Buy pond thermometer and pond fish here.