When you buy koi fish from windsor fish hatchery we want you to know how to take care of them and their environment.
1. Change half the water in your pond to fresh, remember to use our water ager for tap water instantly takes chlorine & other toxic chemicals out of your tap water. Dose can be added while filling or when you start. Not After you finish.
2. Remove all debris from the bottom of your pond with a large net or pond vac.
3. Cut back/remove dying plant matter in and around the pond. Don't re pot plants till spring.
4. Net the pond to prevent leaves & branches polluting the pond water & to keep predatory birds out.
5. Don't clean the filter and do a water change the same week, do the water change first.
6. If you intend to use Algae killer or Clear Water clean the filter the week after. If you have a ultra violet sterilizer clean the glass Tube the light is housed in.
7. Clear water binds particles floating in your pond water together so when they pass through the filter because they are bigger they stay there, within hours to days your pond water will be crystal clear. Clean the filter after the pond water has cleared. Clear Water is safe for fish & plants in the correct dose.
8. Algae Killer kills the free floating algae spores in you pond water, within a week you pond water will be crystal clear, even if the pond water was like pea soup. Algae killer will not remove the algae that grows on the floor or sides of the pond, that is part of the natural environment and provides microscopic food for the inhabitants of the pond. Clean the filter after the algae is gone and the water is clear. Algae Killer is safe for fish & plants in the correct dose.
If algae is a constant problem, you may need to put up a shade sail or Buy one of our UV lights, this is a permanent solution to Algae problems, as the water passes through the UV sleeve, the ultraviolet light kills the algae spores. This means no more algae. You do need to replace the UV Light tubes yearly.
9. In winter much of your good bacteria dies, and this makes the environment in the pond become unstable, This can result in sick fish, susceptible to diseases & parasites to prevent this dont over clean your filter cut back cleaning by half.
Drop in a pond block, Every three months, submerge the block in a spot with little to no water flow. The amount of time it takes for the block to grow a big population of bendficial Bacteria inside the porous mineral substrate and surrounding the zeolite particles is dependent on the water temperature.
Enzymes produced by colonies of beneficial bacteria in the environment break down organic waste, ammonia, and undesirable nutrients, which can lead to hazy water and algae and a reduction in oxygen levels—essential for aquatic life in a healthy ecosystem.
In addition to removing excess nutrients that promote algae growth from your pond water, these blocks serve as a pH buffer.
To treat sludge place the pond block under water directly in the sludge
10. Salt the pond, salt naturally builds up body slime on fish and gives them protection against bacterial infections. Dose 1kg of pool salt to every 2000 ltrs of pond water. Pour in where the filter return water is, straight from the measuring container. Do this once a year every Autumn.
Feeding your fish from Autumn to Winter
koi or goldfish in your pond, are poikilothermic, “cold-blooded.” Their internal temperature varies with the ambient external temperature. So in the wintertime when your pond’s water cools, the body temperatures of your fish cool, too. And with that dip in body temperature comes a reduced need for nutrients.
Our wheat germ-based diet is designed to transition your pond fish from eating a high-protein, high-energy diet, to fuel their active underwater lifestyles – to their winter period of metabolic inactivity.
The Wheatgerm we sell, is high in carbohydrate-based nutrients, packed with natural vegetable proteins and designed to provide your pond fish with the immune-system boosting vitamins and minerals to get them through the winter.
Wheat germ requires less energy to digest, so its perfect to ease the fish into or out of the colder months.
Time to Switch!
start transitioning your pond fish to the wheatgerm-based diet in Autumn, when the water temperature starts to cool, feed your fish a mixture of the wheat germ & the normal food you feed, gradually increasing the wheat germ and decreasing your other food until you’re feeding 100 percent of the wheat germ food.
in cooler water Koi fish & goldfish metabolism slows down, they can only really digest their food in the warmest part of the day.
Feed your koi & Goldfish in the morning so they have all day to digest their food
feeding wheatgerm improves digestion with lower waste.
You can feed our new Australia Pond Sticks through out Autumn and winter, highly digestible in cooler and cold temperatures. Suitable to feed all year round with extra minerals and vitamins.
Wont discolour water, no added food dyes
Food softens in water while still floating
feeds all size fish from tiny to large
Where ever you live in Australia Wheat germ can be fed without causing any harm to the fish ready for the inevitable drop in temperature.
Hikari put years of research into their foods, thats why we feed it. Their wheatgerm formula is the best, a floating food for Autumn and Winter so you can net off any excess you feed and also check out your koi when they come to the surface to feed. Its a good idea in winter to keep an eye on the condition of your koi and treat any problems that may arise quickly.
Only start to feed the koi and goldfish a higher protein pellet again such as hikari gold, when the weather turns warmer again, add a little of the protein to the wheat germ as the water temperature goes up or feed our year round food.
Windsor fish hatchery breeding and selling fish & goods since 1984