goldfish over winter

Hi

I moved into this house a few months ago and inherited a pond with about 20
goldfish in it. the pond is about 12" deep 20' long and 6' wide, it is
quarter filled with lilies and other plants.
I do not have a clue of how to look after them properly, they are lovely to
look at and I would be hurt if anything happened to them. I read that I
should stop feeding them from November to April, is that correct? I am so
busy dealing with urgent repairs that I have not got round to the fish yet,
the place is so overgrown that I cannot even find the pump. Apart from
finding more time, what is the best thing I can start with? I live in the
south of England and we have very mild winters generally.

Regards

Charlie

Stop feeding any time now. With mild winters and that depth, the water
will not freeze to the bottom. If you get a real cold spell, boil some
water in a pot or kettle and place the vessel on the ice to thaw out a
hole. You may have to do this more than once to get free water. Do not
pour the hot water on the ice.
Gene

Charlie Brown wrote:
Hi

I moved into this house a few months ago and inherited a pond with about 20
goldfish in it. the pond is about 12" deep 20' long and 6' wide, it is
quarter filled with lilies and other plants.
I do not have a clue of how to look after them properly, they are lovely to
look at and I would be hurt if anything happened to them. I read that I
should stop feeding them from November to April, is that correct? I am so
busy dealing with urgent repairs that I have not got round to the fish yet,
the place is so overgrown that I cannot even find the pump. Apart from
finding more time, what is the best thing I can start with? I live in the
south of England and we have very mild winters generally.

Regards

Charlie

Hi Charlie.
im in Bristol and ive just stopped feeding now.Ive cleaned out the pump and
turned it down so as not to disturb the warmer water at the bottom of the
pond,but enough to keep the filter "ticking over".
I think I read somewhere that you could put a sheet of polythene over the
pond to help keep the frosts out(not sure if that's true though).
good luck with the fish.
"G.M." wrote in message
news:qtC5f.6233$vk1.4679@dukeread04...
Stop feeding any time now. With mild winters and that depth, the water
will not freeze to the bottom. If you get a real cold spell, boil some
water in a pot or kettle and place the vessel on the ice to thaw out a
hole. You may have to do this more than once to get free water. Do not
pour the hot water on the ice.
Gene

Charlie Brown wrote:
Hi

I moved into this house a few months ago and inherited a pond with about
20
goldfish in it. the pond is about 12" deep 20' long and 6' wide, it is
quarter filled with lilies and other plants.
I do not have a clue of how to look after them properly, they are lovely
to
look at and I would be hurt if anything happened to them. I read that I
should stop feeding them from November to April, is that correct? I am
so
busy dealing with urgent repairs that I have not got round to the fish
yet,
the place is so overgrown that I cannot even find the pump. Apart from
finding more time, what is the best thing I can start with? I live in
the
south of England and we have very mild winters generally.

Regards

Charlie

Hi Charlie,

I'm in the Channel Islands, only a little further south than you. I'm
playing it by ear as this is my first year of pond keeping. A couple of
weeks ago my fish (Goldfish and Golden Orfe) became reluctant to feed,
so I switched from feeding small amounts twice a day to a small amount
once a day, thinking they were slowing down for the winter. Since then
we've had some bright warm days and they have regained their appetite,
so I've gone back to twice a day, though less than I was feeding in
summer. By the end of October I think I will switch from goldfish
pellets to lightly cooked peas with the skins removed (The fish go mad
for them!) as I've heard it's not wise to feed too much protien as
winter approaches. Being something of a laxative to fish, peas are
supposed to help ensure they don't go into winter torpidity with a lot
of nasties in their gut.

As for icing, that shouldn't be a problem here. We very rarely get hard
frosts and ice hardly ever lasts for more than a day or two. My pond is
a metre deep and I'm not over-stocked so oxygen levels shouldn't be a
problem either.

Bill.

[QOUTE]Charlie Brown wrote: I moved into this house a few months ago
and inherited a pond with about 20
goldfish in it. the pond is about 12" deep 20' long and 6' wide, it
is
quarter filled with lilies and other plants.
I do not have a clue of how to look after them properly, they are
lovely to
look at and I would be hurt if anything happened to them. I read that
I
should stop feeding them from November to April, is that correct? I am
so
busy dealing with urgent repairs that I have not got round to the fish
yet,
the place is so overgrown that I cannot even find the pump. Apart
from
finding more time, what is the best thing I can start with? I live in
the
south of England and we have very mild winters generally.

Regards

Charlie


--
billfish

Hello Charlie ... As winter approaches, use a thermometer to monitor the
temperature
of the water, and when it drops to 55 F, stop feeding the fish ... until
then try to feed
them only with foods meant for cold water (wheat germ and such) it's easier
on them
as their system shuts down ... then feed them the same in the spring as
their system
starts up again.
You may want to do a bit of a clean up in the pond ... trim back the plants,
get rid of
any dead matter, such as leaves from trees ... these items just rot in the
water over
winter and create a gas that needs to vent through open water ... if the
pond freezes
over this gas is toxic to aquatic life and will very likely kill your fish

Try not to let the pond freeze over
)
Rex}{{{{o


"Charlie Brown" wrote in message
...
Hi

I moved into this house a few months ago and inherited a pond with about
20 goldfish in it. the pond is about 12" deep 20' long and 6' wide, it is
quarter filled with lilies and other plants.
I do not have a clue of how to look after them properly, they are lovely
to look at and I would be hurt if anything happened to them. I read that
I should stop feeding them from November to April, is that correct? I am
so busy dealing with urgent repairs that I have not got round to the fish
yet, the place is so overgrown that I cannot even find the pump. Apart
from finding more time, what is the best thing I can start with? I live
in the south of England and we have very mild winters generally.

Regards

Charlie

Hi,

I have had a pond with two goldfish in it for over four years and have never
cleaned it and never fed the fish. Sometimes the pond looks quite
disgusting, other times it seems to go quite clear. The fish however just
seem to get bigger and bigger. In winter it sometimes freezes over and you
can just about make out the red shape of the fish below the ice. The pond
is about 2 foot deep in places and 5 foot long. There is about 6 inches of
mud and gunk at the bottom.


"Charlie Brown" wrote in message
...
Hi

I moved into this house a few months ago and inherited a pond with about
20 goldfish in it. the pond is about 12" deep 20' long and 6' wide, it is
quarter filled with lilies and other plants.
I do not have a clue of how to look after them properly, they are lovely
to look at and I would be hurt if anything happened to them. I read that
I should stop feeding them from November to April, is that correct? I am
so busy dealing with urgent repairs that I have not got round to the fish
yet, the place is so overgrown that I cannot even find the pump. Apart
from finding more time, what is the best thing I can start with? I live
in the south of England and we have very mild winters generally.

Regards

Charlie

On Wed, 26 Oct 2005 12:18:55 +0000 (UTC), "nic" wrote:

Hi,

I have had a pond with two goldfish in it for over four years and have never
cleaned it and never fed the fish. Sometimes the pond looks quite
disgusting, other times it seems to go quite clear. The fish however just
seem to get bigger and bigger. In winter it sometimes freezes over and you
can just about make out the red shape of the fish below the ice. The pond
is about 2 foot deep in places and 5 foot long. There is about 6 inches of
mud and gunk at the bottom.


"Charlie Brown" wrote in message
...
Hi

I moved into this house a few months ago and inherited a pond with about
20 goldfish in it. the pond is about 12" deep 20' long and 6' wide, it is
quarter filled with lilies and other plants.
I do not have a clue of how to look after them properly, they are lovely
to look at and I would be hurt if anything happened to them. I read that
I should stop feeding them from November to April, is that correct? I am
so busy dealing with urgent repairs that I have not got round to the fish
yet, the place is so overgrown that I cannot even find the pump. Apart
from finding more time, what is the best thing I can start with? I live
in the south of England and we have very mild winters generally.

Regards

Charlie






Goldfish are of course a lot more tolerant than Koi they will survive
in conditions that would really surprise you. A friend of mine had his
pond freeze solid some years ago and we fully expected his fish to be
dead on thawing out. When the pond eventually melted the fish were
fine it was like they had entered some sort of suspended animation.

Andy

I accept had a pond with two goldfish in it for over four years and accept never cleaned it and never fed the fish. Sometimes the pond looks quite disgusting, added times it seems to go absolutely clear. The angle about just seem to get bigger and bigger. In winter it sometimes freezes over and you can just about accomplish out the red appearance of the angle beneath the ice.