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Early Spring is the time of year that we, as fish keepers, can do a lot of damage just because we see our fish up and moving around. They look like they are hungry, eating algae from the pond walls and scrounging around on the pond bottom looking for something to eat. That's a good sign that things in your pond are going well. So if they are hungry and eating then why shouldn't we feed them? What they are eating is plant material that is very low in protein and they are eating very little. They are cold blooded animals and their bodily functions are very limited and not very efficient at these cold water temperatures. In a nut shell they are not digesting what they eat very well and just recycling it right back into the water. If you feed them fish food (protein) they cannot digest and absorb the proteins and then they'll just poop it into your pond water. Well, what's so bad about that? Remember that the beneficial bacteria in our biological filters are not converting anything until our pond water temperatures get above 58 degrees and then it's barely converting ammonia. Then you'll have to deal with nitrites. Nitrites will not be converted until the water temp rises to the low 60's. Also remember that it takes time to reestablish a useable colony of beneficial bacteria. The only thing that you will accomplish by feeding too much too early is that you will provide harmful bacteria (flesh eating) the environment that it needs to flourish. Don't forget that the fish have no immune system until water temps rise above 58 degrees and stay there. Feeding too early will also likely cause redness, raised scales, ulcers and death, months later. Feeding early might seem like the humane thing to do but nothing could be further from the truth. They are living off stored fat reserves and are expending very little energy. They're just fine. When you do start to feed, do not use food left over from last year unless it's been vacuumed packed and stored in the dark. Air and light destroy the food in a few weeks, so be safe and start fresh. If you need to do something on a warm sunny weekend clean up your pond and filter system. Do a major water change and some pump and filter maintenance. As the water temperature continues to rise, add some salt (thickens the slime coat) to help the fish deal with any parasites. It's also a good time to start monitoring water parameters (ammonia, nitrites, etc.). Dave Smieja Copyright February 2007 All Rights Reserved |
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