Quick question. I've got a 75 gallon pond outdoors. We live in northern Maryland and the weather has been bizarre of late. It's been in the thirties but the temperature is steadily climbing and is supposed to be 57 by Wednesday! The pond water temperature has fluctuated from 40 degrees all the way up to 60 degrees F.The four Ryukins and one Comet are dormant one day and swimming around looking for food a few days later. Should I feed them their winter food and turn the heater back on? I think this erratic weather is really starting to stress them out.

any ideas?

Are there plants and algae in the pond? If so, the fish will pick on that and will be fine. I wouldn't feed them if the temperature is fluctuating down into the 30's.

Don't feed again until spring. I would keep the heater plugged in. It is a pond heater right? I would also worry about the Ryukins, I thought they couldn't handle water too cold? I honestly don't know for sure since I've never had them.

Ryukins are usually okay outdoors. The truly round bodied goldfish.. orandas, Ranchu, lionheads, etc. are what cannot hack it. Have these Ryukins made it through a winter before? The larger your pond, the less odds it will freeze over and the slower it will get really cold. (I.E- my 3000 gallon pond won't freeze this winter while my mother in law's 150 gallon has already frozen over twice) So at 75 gallons.. I assume your pond will be freezing over? As strange as it sounds I have heard that ryukins with the less squished, hump backed shape do better than ones that are quite squished and hump backed. With ryukins I believe it is sort of fish by fish...

Since we've had a frost, mom sunk the pond plants. two of the ryukins have endured a winter and so has the comet. I'll cease feeding them and leave the pond heater plugged in. we plan to let the pond freeze over and we have the harmful gas-releaser contraption too. If they're hungry theres plenty of sunk water hyacinths to nibble on

Yeah, those pond fish do very well in the winter, although we always worry about them. Strange thing is, after months of no feeding whatsoever, they seem to come out in the spring, looking fatter and better than you'd expect.