Prepping Your Pond For Fall – Santa Clarita Koi & Water Garden Club

Fall is just around the corner and a ideal time to clean any plants with dead branches or yellowing and removing any spent flowers in and around your pond, also cleaning out any leaves that may have fallen into the pond and settled at the bottom. Do so a little at a time not to stir up the muck at the bottom of your pond. Do a little cleaning every few days as to not make the muck toxins spread throughout the pond.
As the temperature of the water falls, not only does the fishes metabolism slow down, but so does the bacteria’s protein metabolism necessary to play their part in the nitrogen cycle to make the water less toxic. Therefore, feed very little or no proteins when the the water is under 55°. In the fall, you can switch to wheat germ foods.
Don’t try to force feed your fish this time of year, any food that ends up in the skimmer will be thrown away. With Koi or other fish, it could take up to four days to complete the digestion of today’s food at 50°.
For those interested in exploring the joys of Koi ownership and connecting with like-minded enthusiast, the Santa Clarita Koi in Water garden club is a welcoming community. Reach out to us at info@santaclaritakoiclub.com to learn more and enjoy conversations about these magnificent and therapeutic fish.