How Do Koi Spend the Winter? A Detailed Guide to Overwintering Management

When the water temperature is below 12 degrees, feed easily digestible fish food, and the feeding amount must not exceed 0.5% of the total weight of the fish. When the air temperature is below 10 degrees, feeding can be stopped, and keeping them unfed for 1 month can help them get through the winter. This method is suitable for koi kept indoors. If they are kept in a pond, you need to follow the methods below.

How do pond-raised koi get through the winter?

1. Make sure the surface of the koi pond does not freeze over completely.

2. If the surface of the pond is completely sealed by ice, make air holes in the ice.

3. The water in the koi pond must be deep enough; if the water depth is more than 2 m, there is no need to worry too much.

4. Add a warming shed over the outside of the pond, put some straw or the like on it, and then cover it with a layer of plastic film, so that at least part of the water surface does not freeze. Winters are relatively cold, so you need to pay special attention when buying and selecting fish. In winter, the fish that fish dealers bring in are often diseased, and there is also the problem of temperature differences. So when selecting fish in winter, you must be very careful.

5. In spring (March to May on the solar calendar), the temperature gradually rises, generally between 10-20 degrees Celsius. The water temperature environment is relatively suitable for the growth and reproduction of various pathogens, and especially April to May is the peak season for fish diseases - "barley yellow". So everyone should pay attention to taking preventive measures in advance.

Generally speaking, by following the methods introduced above, koi raised indoors or in ponds can all get through the winter smoothly.