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Old 26-10-2011, 12:47 PM posted to rec.gardens
j[_2_] j[_2_] is offline
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First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Jun 2011
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Default when to stop feeding pond goldfish

On 10/23/2011 6:35 AM, David Wright wrote:
I stopped feeding the pond goldfish a week ago after the first frost.
Since then it has got warmer and fish have risen to the top of the pond.
Should I resume feeding or leave it till Spring. Also Ive taken the pump
and filter out as I have been told its safe to do so in Winter. Any
advice welcomed



Goldfish are cold blooded and have no stomachs. The problem then is that
the food slows down as it is passing through the digestive system and
rots. There is little reason to feed them if they are sluggish and not
active. The Koi groups typically list 50F as the food cut off point.

The bio filtration is to keep the ammonia and the nitrites down. If
there is little new waste, then the need falls. You can test.

Bubbling is to add oxygen. Warm water holds less oxygen than cold, one
of the reasons why the polar regions have a wealth of life. You can also
test. Oxygen depletion deaths are largely hot weather phenomena and
usually at nighttime when plants are out gassing C02.

The tendency for most people is to have a lot of goldfish, natural would
be more like 100 gallons per fish, where the pond system can balance
without filtration.

You'll want to keep a hole in the ice to release trapped gasses, a
bubbler will help.

I realize that goldfish are a man made domestication and created out of
carp (The Romans first farmed them, the Chinese took it up and then bred
the gold (yellow) mutations) and it is normal to have a very controlled
environment for them. My take is somewhat different, they are very
social creatures and naturally live as a group, this social grouping
breaks down as population density rises to the level of a fish ghetto.
Keep the population down and nature will take care of the rest.

With all that said, I'm a goldfish newbie with my 600 gallon pond, so
take what I say with some reservations. Those are all common types
(including comet and shubunkin) aren't they? Rules for fancy types are
different.

Jeff