UNDERSTANDING WHAT WINTER MEANS FOR KOI----

 Winter is a time where all the natural things of summer and spring ‘go to sleep’ and ‘wake up’ in spring to renew their active lives. Green trees, flowing water, jumping fish, crickets and frogs, all come alive again in the spring.

  And we really don’t usually think much further about when the average ponders ‘puts their pond to bed for winter’.

  But then there’s that pesky naturalist Darwin! He told us that survival is only for the fit! So what are the challenges that make for a better natural product? Could WINTER be one of them?!

  If I haven’t reached you yet—I’ll shout!  WINTER is one of those things that makes carp stronger as a species—that’s – “as a species”. It does not mean that YOUR pets necessarily will be spared the stress of winter!

 Want to help them out? Yes of course you do----

 So here are the things you need to know to allow your pets to survive the winter in Northern Midwest and in the east from the Tri-State area to the mid Atlantic region and from Oregon to Northern California.

  First you need to appreciate and understand that koi are common carp. Inbred common carp with robs of amazing color and elaborate pattern—but common carp just the same. Winter is a test of their survivability.

   So winter is BAD, then? NO not really. It is rather a challenge that carp have faced for some 40,000 years. And in coping with this condition, as four season fish, they have adapted. But here is the million dollar statement---as they ‘adapted’ they came dependent on winter!! True! Koi are conditioned to experiencing winter and because if that—they have actually become to need it. This is best demonstrated by their very breeding cycle and physiology that prepares them for an upcoming winter long before it arrives. They can’t KNOW that, but their biological clock does.

  Think of winter as a tonic for preparing for next spring’s breeding cycle and also as a way to drain the excesses of spring and summer. For a carp’s job, like the ant and the squirrel, is to prepare physiologically speaking when the days are warm and long for the winter ahead.

  Natural is fascinating in its wisdom and koi like every other subject of nature, is wise to the future and the rules of nature. Once the light becomes less intense and lower in the sky and night temperatures change, the koi works frantically to store sugars in its organs for the long winter ahead. And the point here you need to embrace is that you can’t stop this!

   It is just as important however not to ignore this time of year. When autumn sets in your koi become very active. They are invigorated by the cooler night temperatures but are also aware of the shorter days of sunlight. They are well oxygenated due to cooler waters but also beginning to shift into the winter mode.

  Your koi might be under ice or under a nice solar trapping tent—they are equipped for stasis—a condition of complete rest for cold blooded creatures. In either case, they are closing down all ‘non- essential systems’ like any good submarine or star ship commander might. This well be their life for the next 8- 16 weeks. Longer than that and ‘supplies’ start to run out. This is usually seen as disorientated fish wandering the margins of a pond in late March/ early April. Or heaven forbid, in the winter thaw of mid February.

    Once spring comes, your koi will be fine and know that the experience, when done in a muted way, is healthy and part of a natural process and tonic. If done badly however it will mean the end of your koi.

   The key here is to make sure your koi are in tip=top condition going into winter. Cover the pond and allow for an air space. Do regular water changes once a month. DO have an indoor pond as a precaution. Remember that the very young and the very old should not be exposed to Darwin’s law and should be brought inside.

 In the end, when we take responsibility for living things we become their sole provider of living conditions. So do your best to be a responsible koi owner and help your pets to survive the test.    
                                        
                                                           Best wishes,   James Reilly USA District Chairman.