We have four outdoor goldfish in a plastic container - about 20 gals capacity. Do we feed them overthe winter?
We are in London UK and the container is outside in the sheltered area of the front semibasement. We get little frost in town tho' there is always a risk. The container sits on concerete, so there are exposed sides -- it is not embedded in anything. There is a small fountain playing to keep the water moving and aerated. Any help would be appreciated.
Answers:
Not very critical. A water temperature of 68 degrees Farenheit is considered ideal. Above 80 degrees some fish may suffer and even die. Below 50 degrees the fish will become lethargic and should not be fed.
Obviously watch it doesn't freeze if it gets really cold.
In fact the best thing would be to fetch the container inside.
As regards food you should definitely feed them though.
I don't feed my fish over winter and they always seem to be alright!
feed only wheatgerm in the winter. You could try lagging the container with an oldblanket wrapped in plastic.
my dad used to put a tennis ball in the water and it would float and when the top of the water froze, then he could lift the ball out and pop their food in.
They will still be needing food.
what the f u c k
You shouldn't feed outdoor fish in the winter because the colder weather makes them sluggish so the food just stays in their stomach and ferments and can kill them.
Change to Wheatgerm food when the temperature is 10 degrees C and under, when it gets down to 4 or 5 degs C, stop feeding. Fish metabolism slows right down, wheatgerm is easier to digest so they can cope with it as they begin to slow down, but then NO FOOD AT ALL until it's warmer, otherwise it will kill them.
20 gallons is not too big though, might be better to move it inside if at all possible.
the water will be froze so you wont be able to feed them.
I've read once the water temp starts dropping to 50F degrees=10 degrees Celcius, you should NOT feed them at all. Before that, once the water temp starts dropping, cut back feedings to every 2 days or so. When it gets colder, they're metabolism starts slowing way down, and any food in their system will just sit there and rot inside them till spring time. Then they end up getting sick/dying.
I just brought mine in and put them in a fish tank. I'm in Tennessee US, I couldn't bury my pond(90gallons with a filer) in the ground-too many rocks, and I was afraid the pond wasn't deep enough and would freeze over. You sure yours won't freeze over? You guys are colder then we are here. Might want to think about bringing it inside or buying a small pond heater.
Found a site that has some good info:
http://dragonflylanding.ca/winterfeeding.
a fish is a cold blooded animal, as the temp drops so does their need for food. They will go into a dormant type state and have less need for food. Food will only rot and build up ammonia. I believe that you stop feeding them when the water is about 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Double check me on the temp cut off but I know for a fact you do not feed them in the winter time.
gl and happy fishing
use wheatgerm based pellets. Remove any that are leftover approx 2hrs later, feed in morning if possible. Every 2 to 3 days.Insulate sides of container, this will keep the water temp up as only the water surface will be open to the cold.
no, do not feed them after the temp gets to 50 degrees or so, they usually wont beg for food either, and feeding them when its cold will only pollute their water and they are not able to digest their food
yeh but in the summer they eat the flys and insects that drown in the water
:o)
gd luck
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Answers:
Not very critical. A water temperature of 68 degrees Farenheit is considered ideal. Above 80 degrees some fish may suffer and even die. Below 50 degrees the fish will become lethargic and should not be fed.
Obviously watch it doesn't freeze if it gets really cold.
In fact the best thing would be to fetch the container inside.
As regards food you should definitely feed them though.
I don't feed my fish over winter and they always seem to be alright!
feed only wheatgerm in the winter. You could try lagging the container with an oldblanket wrapped in plastic.
my dad used to put a tennis ball in the water and it would float and when the top of the water froze, then he could lift the ball out and pop their food in.
They will still be needing food.
what the f u c k
You shouldn't feed outdoor fish in the winter because the colder weather makes them sluggish so the food just stays in their stomach and ferments and can kill them.
Change to Wheatgerm food when the temperature is 10 degrees C and under, when it gets down to 4 or 5 degs C, stop feeding. Fish metabolism slows right down, wheatgerm is easier to digest so they can cope with it as they begin to slow down, but then NO FOOD AT ALL until it's warmer, otherwise it will kill them.
20 gallons is not too big though, might be better to move it inside if at all possible.
the water will be froze so you wont be able to feed them.
I've read once the water temp starts dropping to 50F degrees=10 degrees Celcius, you should NOT feed them at all. Before that, once the water temp starts dropping, cut back feedings to every 2 days or so. When it gets colder, they're metabolism starts slowing way down, and any food in their system will just sit there and rot inside them till spring time. Then they end up getting sick/dying.
I just brought mine in and put them in a fish tank. I'm in Tennessee US, I couldn't bury my pond(90gallons with a filer) in the ground-too many rocks, and I was afraid the pond wasn't deep enough and would freeze over. You sure yours won't freeze over? You guys are colder then we are here. Might want to think about bringing it inside or buying a small pond heater.
Found a site that has some good info:
http://dragonflylanding.ca/winterfeeding.
a fish is a cold blooded animal, as the temp drops so does their need for food. They will go into a dormant type state and have less need for food. Food will only rot and build up ammonia. I believe that you stop feeding them when the water is about 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Double check me on the temp cut off but I know for a fact you do not feed them in the winter time.
gl and happy fishing
use wheatgerm based pellets. Remove any that are leftover approx 2hrs later, feed in morning if possible. Every 2 to 3 days.Insulate sides of container, this will keep the water temp up as only the water surface will be open to the cold.
no, do not feed them after the temp gets to 50 degrees or so, they usually wont beg for food either, and feeding them when its cold will only pollute their water and they are not able to digest their food
yeh but in the summer they eat the flys and insects that drown in the water
:o)
gd luck
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