"CC" wrote in message
om...
My 1200 gallon pond in Sacramento California has a few Kois in it
since I put them there last spring. So far they have been very happy
and voracious. Since the weather has turned cold, and particolarly in
the past 7 to 10 days, I noticed left over food pellets sitting in the
pond overnight. At feeding time they do not come to the surface
anymore like they used to but otherwise I am not seeing any other
signs of distress. At times they are vivacious, but generally they
seem to be staying on the bottom on the pond in schools and they seem
suspicious of me approaching the pond, in a fashion similar to the one
they had after I cleaned the water this past summer.

I have been feeding them the same amount of food and the water is very
clean. Nothing has really changed aside from the temperature outside.
Should I be worried? Is there anything I can do to find what is wrong
with them?

Thank you in advance for your help.

What is the water temperature? I don't know what kind of winter you get (my
wife is from San Fransisco, and used to live in Sacremento, so I know the
summers are fierely hot), but if the water temperature has dropped below 55 F.
then it is likely that they've stopped eating because their metabolism has
slowed. This is normal behavior. If this is the case, you should reduce or
stop feeding altogether and monitor the water temperature daily. If it gets
about 55 F they may start feeding again.

If, however, the temperature is above 55 F and they are still not feeding for
several days, I would first suspect that they are hiding from an unknown
predator, perhaps a large bird or even a racoon. Are any fish missing? Look
for teltales (disturbed plantings, animal tracks, droppings, etc). If it is a
predator, you may need to put netting over your pond to prevent them from
getting to your prized fish and turning them into lunch.

If you don't suspect it is a predator, and the temperature is not out of the
ordinary, and all other water parameters are normal (ammonia, nitrites,
nitrates, pH, etc), then watch their behavior carefully to see if they are sick
or have parasites (darting or flashing, listless in the water or swimming
erratically, white or black spots, red sores on the skin or raised scales,
redness around the mouth and gills, or inflamed or bulging eyes or abdomen are
symptons I'd look for). I suspect that that is not the case since it appears
that all of the fish are responding in the same way. Most likely, it is either
the temperature or other water parameter, or there is a predator visiting the
pond. Keep us all informed. We are here to help.