General Chat

Advice please! The goldfish in my pond still appear to be very hungry when I go to feed them. As it's very sunny at the moment and has been for the last few days, but becoming increasingly chilly and cold at night, should I stop feeding them now? I have cut the feeds down from twice to once a day over the past week. Thanks.

I think they go into some sort of semi hybernation about now, have reduced feeding my coy to once every two days at the moment.**M**.Ps. don,t feed them Chips, they tend to get a little scared. :o))>

Thanks KG and Merlin for your replies. I shall cut down to every 2 days now and, don't worry, no chips. I did, however, hear a fish expert on the radio say that they enjoy cooked peas - don't know about mushy ones though.

You may even find out that during winter when there is a sunny spell they will come up and look for food. Try just a few bits at first and if they go quickly give a little more. I am just hoping we did not have any new fry this summer - last summer 25 and in spite of hard winter they all survived!

e had to remove fish from out pond as the mink were killing them. Havent made up our minds as to what we are going to do with the pond now. Any suggestions?

marsh garden? Or just keep for wildlife, frogs etc newts will stay there. on other hand possiblky otters will eat them - stick to first suggestion!!

Wend., the person you should have talked to was our Hayley. She breeds Koi Carp. She may reappear, so keep an eye out.
Julia in Derbyshire

Chris, yes, we want to keep water flowing in the garden, but maybe following your suggestion, fill in part of the pond, then put soil in and grow water loving plants, we could still keep the waterfall, which the birds like to bathe in, and the frogs and toads can continue to use.

*shocked......Hayley breeds Koi Carp? Well blow me down!! lol BCXX

Our Goldfish are still feeding. had a surprise too this year to see two babies with the four BIG adults, think one may have been last years and one the year before but they stayed hidden. both are now swimming around with the adults and feeding too .i have cut down to every 3rd day now and will gradually cut this down to zero. Still have the filter running though which also aerates the water, this year have had murky water nearly all the summer with it sometimes clearing a bit and them murking up again ,but the water coming out the filter is clear so they dont seem to mind .

Oh no, I hope there are no babies in my pond - haven't seen any yet, but they usually show up the following spring I thought. With over 40 'guzzlers' in there, I don't need any more. There was quite a lot of friskiness going on earlier in the year between the guys n gals, so there probably will be!

Jean, I'm sure the local wildlife trust would advise you regarding the mink. They may even trap them for you as mink are a major menace to our waterways and are almost solely resposible for the loss, indeed near extinction of water voles.

whirley has coi, xxx

do you really stop feeding fish in winter if there outside? well what do they eat?
we always had a pond but i cnt remembr nvr, not feeding them, saying tht mam fed them so i probably wouldnt have noticed her stopping, if she did haha x

i stop feeding them when the weather gets really cold . they go down the bottom of the pond and hover!! sort of suspended in the water.

oooooooooh thanks for this i have a small pond with a pump but its remained murkey any advice xxx

They go into hibernation, Stray, like squirrels, hedgehogs and the like. They don't eat all winter, but don't they just make up for it when they wake up. Wish I could do that lol! Mind you, the foxes don't - they start getting 'frisky' about now - I can already hear them at this moment in my garden. Off to find my pea-shooter - I'll spoil their fun - hey, not in my back yard, mate, fiss off hee, hee!

is that why ya shouldnt break the ice on a ppond? i remember getting told of for it when little lol, x

You shouldnt break the ice cos it causes a rebound of sound which gives them a shock !!

well you learn somthing new every day lol, x

I stand corrected by a much younger brain than mine. Thank you young Stray. Yes, it is Whirley that breeds Koi Carp, not Hayley, as I previously said. My apologies.
Shame on me
Julia in Derbyshire