Fish

An automatic pond fish feeder provides supplemental feeding for fish in a pond. This pond feeder is needed to improve the health of pond fish and feeding fish supplements helps them grow and reproduce in a healthy manner. A wide range of automatic fish feeders is available in the market for all sizes of ponds and all types of pond fish.

Whenever a fish is netted, bagged and shipped (or driven home) it is a highly stressful adventure for him. He loses his immunity to disease for about 72 hours after the trip. He is weaker than another fish that has not suffered through the same ordeal. During this stressful 72-hour period his general health and body system is at a critical low point.

Autumn is a great time to add fish to your pond. It's cool so water holds more oxygen and that is important when you consider a koi or goldfish has to be subjected to a little cramped bagged environment for an hour or two while you transport them. It's also the time of year when koi and goldfish are more plentiful and prices are generally more competitive. Many koi clubs hold their annual koi shows during the fall and sellers who usually are not accessible are in town with koi fresh from Japan and from the breeders. Fall is the end of pond season. Unless you are in Florida or Southern California where the seasons do not change as dramatically as the rest of the country, water garden centers and pond stores are trying to whittle down their live stock for the winter so deals can be found more readily.

It’s February and soon spring will be here. Spring is my favorite time of the year but, unfortunately, it is the most crucial time for our koi and goldfish. During winter and cold weather our finny friends go dormant. They are cold-blooded so, as the water temperature drops, their metabolism slows down. They do not eat (and should not eat in water temperatures under 50°) and just hover on the bottom of the pond. The most concerning effect cold water has on pond fish is that they lose their immunity systems and are weak from not eating. As warmer weather approaches they will become more active but will not fully regain their immunity systems until water temperatures reach 70°.

During our recent stay in London the Doc and I found out the “fun way” just how the English compare to Americans through the antidotes of a gregarious, cockney-accented taxi driver named Kevin. Kevin picked the Doc and I up outside our hotel in London and adjusted his rates so that he could escort us around all day. He must have seen that we needed guidance — and guidance was his middle name.

Lately, I’ve been confused about the double standard concerning fish. Are we supposed to take care of them, like the whole Save the Dolphins thing, or just torture them before swallowing, like the standard All You Can Eat Fish Fry thing? Around our house, we do both. For example, take the fish in our backyard, which live in luxury in our three nice ponds. My husband is obsessed with their welfare. He starts each day by going out for a gill count. Then he feeds them, turns on a little waterfall so they won’t be bored, changes the water and general fusses over them like a mother hen.

Stress gives us headaches, makes us feel lousy, tears down our systems and causes heart attacks that can lead to death. We get our stress from missed deadlines, traffic, arguments, tragic events — you name it! We often ignore the warning signals and will live many years under stress.

One of the aspects of fish health that never ceases to amaze us is the resilience of fish and their strange ability to seemingly come back from the dead. Even fish that have jumped out of the pond and are beginning to stiffen have a chance for survival! I know of several incidents when a fish jumped out of his pond sometime during the night and appeared dead the next morning. Amazingly a single shot of steroids brought him back!

We have since late winter been experiencing water temperatures fluctuating between 50º F and 55º F. If it’s cold we want the water temperature to stay below 45º F. If it’s warm we want the water temperature to stay above 65º F. This dangerous zone in-between desirable water temperatures is playing havoc on the health of our fish.

We know in our hearts when it is time to say goodbye to an ailing animal — when the quality of life is not quality at all. Many people feel the same emotions when losing a pet koi or goldfish as they feel when they lose a furry pet such as a cat or dog — to a more or lesser degree. When a koi or goldfish gets to the point when he needs to be euthanized it most often is up to the pet’s owner to do so. We receive many calls throughout the year asking the least painful way they can put their fish to sleep. Although we don’t know for sure what a fish feels we do know what we feel and most of us want to use the least painless route.