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DID YOU KNOW? You must maintain an opening in the ice to allow oxygen to enter the water and the fish waste gases to exit the water.
DO NOT BREAK THE ICE WITH FORCE it could kill your fish! If you do not know how to maintain the opening, contact your KOI Health Advisors Marlene Hyden MarleneHyden@nfkpc.org or Greg Young geyoung@buffalo.edu
DID YOU KNOW? That plants need to be introduced in such a way as to minimize the risk of bringing in unwelcome diseases.
The best way to do this is to acquire the plants bare rooted. If potted, remove the soil and discard. Inspect the plant for obvious eggs, diseased leaves, etc and discard anything in doubt. Don't worry the leaves will re-grow nicely.
The other advantages on cutting back the leaves, is that the plant can focus on root growth, along with new leaf development. In the case of lilies, they are less likely to float up out of your pots, as there are no buoyant leaves to float them, before their roots have had time to anchor the plant!
Once the leaves are removed/trimmed back, soak the plants along with any pots that have been in other ponds, in a solution such as potassium permanganate, or similar agent for a few hours minimum to overnight maximum. That should all but eliminate your risk of transmission of most diseases. It would be a shame to quarantine your fish properly, then introduce a pest/disease into your pond by some plant you added, without making an effort to "disinfect" it first!
DID YOU KNOW? Decaying plant parts, fish solid waste and decaying leaves that were not scooped out of the pond will sink to the bottom and quickly become an-aerobic (without oxygen). Without oxygen, some bacteria can respire by using sulfur, creating Hydrogen Sulfide, which is very toxic to fish.
If you are sure there are no parasites, no ammonia or nitrite concentrations and your fish are showing signs of respiratory distress, suspect this problem.
The fish need to be removed from the contaminated water immediately. The water should then be removed and the sludge cleaned from the pond. The pond can then be filled with fresh, dechlorinated water.
DID YOU KNOW? Floating Alligator Head Scares Away Herons and Raccoons. GatorGuard is a life-sized floating replica of an alligator head designed to scare geese, ducks, fish-eating birds and small animals from the water areas they love. Wind and water cause the head to move and bounce all around the pond. Mirror-backed flashing eyes reflect the sun from constantly changing angles. Birds and other nuisance animals think a predator is watching their every move. They recognize predator-like patterns and quickly flee. GatorGuard is made of durable, weather-proofed urethane foam with UV protected coating designed to last many years. An eye hook makes it easy to anchor. It's environmentally friendly, unassuming and ideal for any area. GatorGuard is 25 inches long, 11inches wide, and 7 inches tall, and weighs about 4 pounds. Available from Bird-X, Inc., Chicago, IL. 800-662-5021 or www.bird-x.com.
DID YOU KNOW? (if you haven't previously) to check morning and evening water temperatures to get a feel for when to be cutting back on feeding your fish. (Remember to average the morning and evening temperatures and stop feeding your fish when the average temperature gets consistently down anything under 55 degrees.) You should all, by now, have begun feeding your pets lower protein, higher carbohydrate foods, in preparation for their winter "rest". It will be here sooner than you think!
DID YOU KNOW? that no one should ever put new fish into an existing pond with other fish, unless they have been kept in an isolation pool/tank for at least 4 weeks. Even then as some fish carry disease without themselves developing symptoms, you should add one of your "lesser", more expendable pond fish into the isolation tank, for 3 or 4 additional weeks. I know 8 weeks may seem like a long ordeal, but consider that some of the newer deadlier viruses such as the non-treatable Koi Herpes Virus can quickly wipeout your entire (aka. often expensive, but always loved) collection of pets.
DID YOU KNOW? that liquid test kits should be discarded annually, but at the very most every 2 years, (and 2 years only if stored properly)? The solid (dissolve) test kits are good for 2 years, possibly even 3, again depending on how stored.
DID YOU KNOW? you should discard all food older than 9 months after the date of manufacture. It has lost most of its nutritive value, and most of its vitamins are totally degraded, esp. vitamin C, which is critical to fish growth and health.
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