Here are some tips on keeping your fish safe this winter!  BONUS: Here’s a YouTube video of the same!

​Because fish are cold-blooded, their bodies respond to outside stimuli.  Your fish will slow or stop eating, float upright with their fins tucked in, and look like they have just taken a nap! You may need a few items to keep them happy and healthy before and during their winter hibernation (technically called torpor) by doing the following items.

Before Winter: Clean out the extra muck in the pond. Keep muck out by using a pond net to prevent leaves from settling in and rotting. Set up an aeration system fitted to your pond size. Fish may stop eating but they still need to breathe!
During Winter: Keep a hole open in the ice to allow gas exchange by using a pond heater or “de-icer”. If the ice does freeze over, use warm water to open a hole in the ice. Chopping a hole can stress fish underneath. Let the fish be.  Don’t try to make them move.  Once water temperatures begin rising in spring, their bodies will start metabolizing again, also.
If you want help setting up your aeration system and de-icer, give us a call!

Keep your fish safe this winter!