feeding fish
 

I am getting conflicting advice when to stop feeding fish. Some say stop
feeding fish when they stop eating, while others say stop feeding when the
water temperature falls to 50F or below.

Which is it?

Alex

Alex wrote Some say stop
feeding fish when they stop eating, while others say stop feeding when the
water temperature falls to 50F or below.

Go with the water temperature as fish are, in real layponder's terms here,
dependent on their body temperature (from the water's temp) for their digestion
workings and not from their appeitite.


kathy :-)
zone 7, SE WA state

On Fri, 15 Oct 2004 19:20:12 GMT, "Alex Woodward" wrote:

I am getting conflicting advice when to stop feeding fish. Some say stop
feeding fish when they stop eating, while others say stop feeding when the
water temperature falls to 50F or below.

Which is it?

Alex


What kind of fish? My goldfish feed throughout the winter months,
although they do slow down. My spring-fed pond stays within 15
degrees (50-65 degrees) throughout the year.

"Phisherman" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 15 Oct 2004 19:20:12 GMT, "Alex Woodward" wrote:

I am getting conflicting advice when to stop feeding fish. Some say stop
feeding fish when they stop eating, while others say stop feeding when the
water temperature falls to 50F or below.

Which is it?

Alex


What kind of fish? My goldfish feed throughout the winter months,
although they do slow down. My spring-fed pond stays within 15
degrees (50-65 degrees) throughout the year.

They area comets and golden orfe.

Alex

yeah. koi stop feeding below 50o (altho I dont use any different foods, I just feed
way less food and more infrequently).
those damn GF will keep pigging out and they stay quite active right thru winter. so
it is easier to just quit feeding them below 50o too. Ingrid

Phisherman wrote:

On Fri, 15 Oct 2004 19:20:12 GMT, "Alex Woodward" wrote:

I am getting conflicting advice when to stop feeding fish. Some say stop
feeding fish when they stop eating, while others say stop feeding when the
water temperature falls to 50F or below.

Which is it?

Alex


What kind of fish? My goldfish feed throughout the winter months,
although they do slow down. My spring-fed pond stays within 15
degrees (50-65 degrees) throughout the year.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

I really doubt that koi and GF can digest wheat germ. it is mostly a complex carb
which they dont digest. OTOH, it is bulk. Ingrid

Be sure to ony feed them easily digestible food
in the winter (preferably something that is mostly made of wheat germ, as it
will give them the most of the nutritian they need and is easily digested).


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

"Alex Woodward" wrote:

I am getting conflicting advice when to stop feeding fish. Some say stop
feeding fish when they stop eating, while others say stop feeding when the
water temperature falls to 50F or below.

Which is it?

Alex


I always go by temperature. The fish will act like they are hungry and
continue to eat as long as you provide food, but it isn't good for them. At
lower temperatures the food just sits - undigested - in their little fish
tummies.


San Diego Joe
4,000 - 5,000 Gallons.
Goldfish, a RES named Colombo and an Oscar.



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On Sat, 16 Oct 2004 11:03:22 -0700, San Diego Joe wrote:

I always go by temperature. The fish will act like they are hungry and
continue to eat as long as you provide food, but it isn't good for them. At
lower temperatures the food just sits - undigested - in their little fish
tummies.

I agree. My understanding is, koi have a very long gut, no real tummy. ;o)
There are three reasons to stop feeding by temperatu

1) Koi/goldfish go into habit mode when they see you approach the pond and
will beg for food, regardless.
2) They can't predict what the nighttime temperature is going to drop to.
3) They need swimming action to help pass the food thru the gut more
efficiently. So if one feeds, and the temperature drops severly and they go
to the bottom and sit. Game over.

Unfortunately, beCAUSE many things we do to our koi doesn't produce AN
instant EFFECT, we don't already realize in late winter it was that last
feeding that caused them to roll over an die in January.

I didn't see that mentioned on the Purina website. ;o) If I was selling
food, I'd want you to keep feeding and therefore buying as long as
possible. Since it will take so long for the bad effects to happen, you'll
never figure it out it was the food. 1st of the 10 Commandments of koi
keeping: Never, ever, trust a Marketing Rep. ;o) ~ jan

See my ponds thru the seasons and/or my filter design:
http://users.owt.com/jjspond/

~Keep 'em Defrosted~
Tri-Cities, WA Zone 7a
To e-mail see website

"Hal" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 15 Oct 2004 19:20:12 GMT, "Alex Woodward" wrote:

I am getting conflicting advice when to stop feeding fish. Some say stop
feeding fish when they stop eating, while others say stop feeding when the
water temperature falls to 50F or below.

Which is it?

There are several opinions.
I've always trusted Purina because they have been manufacturing stock
animal feed a long time. Here is what they say:
http://www.mazuri.com/winter-koi-feeding.htm

I usually feed once a day if they will come up to eat, but my water
rarely gets below 40F and never gets more than a sliver of ice which
won't last a week and my fish don't stay inactive very long.

You are going to have to weed through the posts and make up your own
mind. I enjoy feeding mine and haven't lost any figuring it out and
I wish the best for you.

Regards,

Hal Zone 8

Many thanks.

Alex

wrote in message
...
I really doubt that koi and GF can digest wheat germ. it is mostly a complex
carb
which they dont digest. OTOH, it is bulk. Ingrid

Be sure to ony feed them easily digestible food
in the winter (preferably something that is mostly made of wheat germ, as it
will give them the most of the nutritian they need and is easily digested).


If you look at the literature, that is what has always been recommended. And
every manufacturer of food for koi sell a product that is primarily wheat germ,
and sell it as food for use during winter months. Go figure.