Winter Koi Care

[site admin]

Now that Winter is upon us, there are a few things that we can do to help our Koi though the worst of the cold weather.
One important thing that a lot of keepers do tend to over look is to fit a pond cover. What this is made of makes little difference, but some are better than others.
For a number of years, I used bubble wrap stapled to a timber frame and this worked very well, but does not survive from one year to the next.
The best is a cover made from polycarbonate sheets a little more expensive but will last for years.
The reason for covering the pond is to keep the wind chill of the water, this alone will drop the temperature very quickly, also a cover will help to keep leaves out of the pond. Any filter returns that return to the pond above water, must be adjusted so that they return under water.
And finally, one very important thing check your water pH regularly
with the cover on it is very easy to get a pH crash, and this will harm the Koi more than the cold water.
Check your Koi weekly, and they will come though the winter with very little problem.

Feel free to ask any questions regarding this.
Dave.