Pond Fish Life - Behaviors and Care in the Early Spring

The early spring can be a dangerous time for aquatic life, especially fish. They are just waking up from a long, dormant winter and have little in the way of immune systems to protect them from bacteria and parasites. In addition the fish will continue to be sluggish until the water temperature reaches at least 60 degrees Fahrenheit or so. They need to be well cared for during this fragile time period.

Feeding
When you begin to notice your beautiful Koi and other types of aquatic life are moving around in the early spring you'll be tempted to feed them. The idea being they’ve had a long winter and are bound to be hungry. However this can be dangerous for the fish.

Your fish may move around and even eagerly eat the food you give them, but if the water is still below 50 degrees Fahrenheit their digestive tracks won’t properly absorb the food. Their metabolism is still too slow. The fish food will sit in their stomachs and rot, leading to risk of infection.

The best thing to do is wait until the water temperature is at least 52 degrees and start giving your fish small amounts of wheat germ food every few days. Don't give any animal products.

When the temperature gets to about 55 degrees you can start giving fish food with white fishmeal in it. Then you can start giving your fish normal amounts of food when the temperature gets close to 70 degrees and their metabolism has completely returned to normal.

Immune System
In the early spring the fish in your pond won't have much of an immune system. When the temperature gets to about 55 degrees, their immune system is only one quarter of its normal effectiveness. It reaches half the effectiveness when the water temperature gets to 60 degrees and becomes fully effective at about 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep this in mind when caring for your fish in the spring as the pond can be rife with bacteria built up over winter.

Special Care
Take the time to examine all of your fish during spring. You should look for signs of redness under the tail, pectoral and anal fins of your fish as well as open sores and fraying of the tail fins. This indicates a bacterial infection. Most bacterial infections can be treated with medicated fish food containing a mixture of tetracycline, romet, or oxolinic acid for about two weeks.

There are also several parasites, and viruses that can infect fish during the early spring. Keep examining your fish for suspicious changes on their scales, fins and gills. You may see a pale waxy white discoloration on your Koi fish during the early spring months. This is a harmless virus known as Carp Pox and usually it disappears when the water warms up. Other viruses are not so harmless and move quickly in weakened fish so stay alert.

Begin testing the water for ammonia and nitrate levels during spring. These chemicals build up during the winter and you'll need to get a fresh filter for your pond water designed to pull out the harmful chemicals. An aerator for the pond is also a good idea to ensure that the fish have plenty of oxygen until the oxygenating plants come back fully.

Time and effort can ensure that the fish in your pond stay happy, healthy and safe during the spring. By the time summer rolls around a pond teeming with life will be your ultimate reward.

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