How to Keep Ornamental Fish? A Detailed Guide to Four-Season Management Methods

In recent years, ornamental fish ponds have gradually become a social trend, appearing in many homes, parks, tourist attractions, villas and many other places. When keeping them, different measures need to be taken for different seasons. How should ornamental fish be managed across the four seasons of the year?

Spring Management of Ornamental Fish

The focus of spring management is moderate feeding and disease prevention and treatment. As the weather warms in spring, ornamental fish that have gone through winter begin to become active, but their constitution is relatively weak, so the amount of bait should be gradually increased. Because the climate changes greatly, special attention should be paid to keeping them warm when it is windy and rainy. In spring, bacteria and viruses also multiply rapidly, and fish diseases are most likely to become epidemic. Netting and catching fish can easily injure their bodies, so attention must be paid to disease prevention and treatment.

Summer Management of Ornamental Fish

Summer is the peak growing season for ornamental fish. The water temperature is usually above 30°C, and the fish rarely get sick. If bait is sufficient and the water is changed frequently, their growth is better than in other seasons. The demand for oxygen increases, and preventing oxygen deficiency in the water has become the key to keeping them. Reduce stocking density, change the water frequently and remove waste, and pay attention to oxygen supply, especially in stuffy, hot weather and when rainstorms are approaching. Take care to prevent heatstroke and lower the temperature, using bamboo blinds and the like to shade 1/3 to 1/2 of the water surface to prevent “tail scalding.”

Autumn Management of Ornamental Fish

The focus of autumn management for ornamental fish is to feed them enough to fill them up. Appropriately increase the proportion of nutrients such as fat and protein in the bait. By late autumn, as the weather gradually turns cool, bait should be gradually reduced. At the same time, diseases such as branchial rot, white spot disease and skin mold disease are prone to outbreaks, so fish diseases need to be prevented.

Winter Management of Ornamental Fish

The focus of winter management for ornamental fish is cold protection and warmth preservation, with appropriate feeding. Use heating equipment in greenhouses or aquariums so that the water temperature is generally no lower than 20°C. Alternatively, use factory waste hot water and the like to maintain a suitable water temperature for normal breeding and reproduction. Strictly prevent a sudden drop in water temperature (especially at night) that could cause fish to become ill or be frostbitten or frozen to death.