Wintering of fish in the river. How do fish prepare for winter? How predatory fish winter

On the verge of life Denkov Veselin A.

Do fish hibernate?

Some species of a wide class of fish (Pisces) also adapt in a peculiar way to low water temperatures in winter. The usual body temperature in fish is unstable and corresponds to the water temperature or slightly exceeds it (by 0.5–1 ° C). With a sudden sharp drop in water temperature, fish fall into a state of shock. After a short excitation phase, they

stop breathing, swim and look like dead. It is enough, however, for the water to warm up, and they quickly "come to life".

A significant decrease in metabolism in fish with a decrease in water temperature has long attracted the attention of scientists. It has been found that some fish species revive after being frozen, while others die before the water temperature reaches freezing point. Cases of freezing of some species of sticklebacks, on which experiments were carried out, are described. The ice broke the vessel in which the fish were, but after defrosting, they continued to swim, as if nothing had happened.

Experiments have shown that frozen fish come to life only when their blood vessels are not frozen. The Soviet ichthyologist Borodin worked especially a lot in this area. As a result of a number of studies, he came to the conclusion that if fish freeze in the water, they will die irrevocably. When freezing in air, they can come to life, but only if the freezing extends only to their surface tissues. It was not the cooling itself that was fatal for the fish, but the formation of ice crystals in their blood and tissues, damaging the walls of blood vessels. Other studies have shown that if fish freeze in the air, they can known time live off the oxygen reserves in your swim bladder. It has been proven that the assumption that frozen fish breathe with the help of gills is groundless.

The adaptability to freezing in the so-called black fish (Dallia pectoralis) is interesting. This one of the most cold-tolerant fish lives in the cold waters of the Chukotka Peninsula (in rivers, lakes and peat bogs) and Alaska. The harsh climate here allows the ice to melt only during the summer months, which the fish use for breeding. During the rest of the year, fish burrow and freeze into the silt. If the temperature of the fluids in their body does not drop below -0.3 ° C, then they come to life with slow defrosting. If the blood freezes, then the fish die. Frozen during hibernation, they can remain in this state for months in a row until they revive for the short summer season. It is curious that the local population often uses this fish as dog food. It is said that if a dog swallows frozen fish whole, then soon after that it thaws in the stomach and begins to greatly irritate him. In such cases, the dog usually regurgitates the fish, and if it gets into the water, it immediately swims away calmly.

Some fish that live in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic waters originally adapt to low water temperatures in winter: they change the composition of their blood. With a decrease in the water temperature in the fall, salts accumulate in their blood in such a concentration as is characteristic of sea \u200b\u200bwater, and at the same time the blood freezes with difficulty (a kind of antifreeze).

Of freshwater fish even in November, carp, ruff, perch, catfish and others fall into hibernation. When the water temperature drops below 8 - 10 ° C, these fish move into deeper parts of the water bodies, into the so-called wintering pits, burrow in large groups in silt and remain there in a state of hibernation throughout the winter. It has been established that in this state, the heartbeat of carp slows down: instead of the normal 25-30 beats, 2-3 beats per minute, and breathing slows down to 3-4 breaths per minute. An interesting adaptation is found in sturgeon, sterlet and beluga, whose body is enveloped in mucus at the onset of severe cold weather, which protects it from the adverse effects of the environment and cold, and they go into hibernation. Some species of herbivorous fish (grass carp, silver carp) also winter in groups, covered with a thick layer of mucus.

Some sea \u200b\u200bfish also tolerate severe cold in a state of hibernation. For example, herring approaches the coast of the Arctic Ocean in the fall in order to hibernate at the bottom of some small bay. Black Sea anchovy also overwinters in the southern regions of the sea - off the coast of Georgia and the neighboring coast of Asia Minor at a depth of 70–80 m, and at this time it is weakly active and does not consume food. And the Azov anchovy, before the onset of the winter period, migrates to the Black Sea (along the North coast of the Caucasus), where it gathers in groups at a depth of 70 - 150 m in a relatively sedentary state.

Hibernation in fish is characterized by extremely limited activity, complete cessation or sharp reduction in nutrition, and a sharp decrease in metabolic rate. At this time, their body is supported by the reserves of nutrients accumulated through abundant nutrition in the autumn.

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How fish winter: informative stories in pictures, fairy tales, riddles for children.

How fish winter

Fish by winter they gather in flocks to winter. They sink into the depths of rivers and lakes. Their bodies are covered with mucus like a fur coat.

Fish spend winter deep at the bottom. At the bottom, the water does not freeze even in the most severe frosts. By winter, the fish becomes immobile, lethargic.

Fish hibernate in different ways.

Crucian carps, carps burrow into mud at the bottom of the reservoir and survive until spring. They are immobile and lose their appetite.

Many fish hibernate - catfish, tench, bream, roach. They lie on the bottom or bury themselves in the silt.

It is difficult for fish under the ice in winter. The algae begin to rot, the air becomes less and less under the ice, and it is difficult for the fish to breathe. Therefore, people break ice holes in rivers through which clean air flows under the ice.

Predatory fish don't even sleep in winter - burbot, pike, perch.

Burbot a very nimble and voracious predator - like a wolf, only an aquatic one. He eats fish, frogs, caviar. Burbot is very fond of cold water. Burbot hunts at night. And when the water gets warm again, the burbot turns into sluggish and motionless.

Trout, whitefish, salmon love cold water too. In the fall, they make holes at the bottom - nests, lay eggs in them. In the spring, small fish will appear from this caviar - children. They are called "fry".

Read fun stories and fairy tales to the children about how fish hibernate.

How fish winter: informative tales and stories for children.

E. Shim. You are all covered.

Morozko walked through the forest for the first time and got his feet wet. On the ground, there were still autumn puddles, in the swamps there was a lot of water, and forest lakes from the downpours even came out of the banks.
And Morozka has feet in felt boots. Unable to spank.
Morozko sneezed, sniffled his nose. And then he got angry and began to pat each other with mittens.

As soon as it pops, the ice cover is ready.
I made small lids for puddles.
For swamps - more cover.
For ponds and lakes - very large lids of strong green ice.
Morozko took them in an armful and went to seal the water.
- Now, - he says, - I will cover all this slush.

Leaned over puddle, tries on the lid. And from the puddle, weak voices:
- Frosty, Frosty, do not seal the puddle, do not lower the lid!
It looks Frosty, and in a puddle of all living creatures is full: here there are swimming beetles, and water loving beetles, and whirligig beetles, here water spiders, fleas and larvae ...
I tried it on - bang! - and instantly sealed a puddle.

Further goes. TO swamp got out.
- Now, - he says, - and here I will pick up the lid!
And voices are heard from the swamp:
- Morozko, Morozko, do not lower the lid, do not seal the swamp!
Lo and behold - and there are a lot of inhabitants: frogs, newts, snails swarming.
- Enough! - said Morozko. - Outlived. You are all covered!
I tried it on - bang! - and instantly sealed the swamp.

Further goes. On lake came out.
- Now, - he says, - I'll find the biggest cover!
And voices are heard from the lake:
- Morozko, Morozko, do not lower the lid, do not seal the lake!
Lo and behold - the lake is full of fish. Here and pike, perchand minnows, and every small fry, fry underyearlings.
- Enough! - said Morozko. - Outlived! You are all covered!
Trying on, taking aim - bang! - and a thick ice cover lay on the lake.

Like this! - Morozko says. - Now it's my time - to walk through the forests and fields. If I want - I will have mercy, but if I want - so I will destroy everyone.
Morozko boasts, walks through the forest, crunches on ice, taps on trees.
- I am the only master here!

And it is unaware to Morozka that all the aquatic inhabitants are alive and well.
Beetles and larvae sank to the bottom, buried in soft silt.
The frogs buried themselves in the mud, the snails closed the entrance to the sink with lime doors.
The fish found the pit deeper, lay down in a row, sleep.
And for those who do not sleep, people made a hole in the ice.
- Breathe yourself, - they say, - to your health!
Of course, it's not too fun to live under the ice. But nothing. You can hold out until spring.

And spring will come - he will print all the Morozkins' caps!

  • What kind of "covers" did Morozko do in winter? Have you seen such ice "covers"?
  • Where did he make the ice caps?
  • Which of the inhabitants of the puddle (swamp, lake) asked Morozko not to make an ice cover?
  • How did the inhabitants of the water escape from the cold in winter and from the Frosty ice on the water? How did they survive? (sank to the bottom, dug in silt, buried in mud, fell asleep).
  • How did people help them survive in the winter?
  • Who will print the Morozkin covers? When will this happen?


L. Karpova. How fish winter.

The frost covered ponds, rivers, lakes with a thick ice cover. Only in an ice-hole, as in an outlet, is the transparent, quieted water visible.
It is gloomy and dull in the winter river. The sun does not shine through the water, the sand does not shine, the water grasses do not bloom ... In deep silence among the hills and valleys of the river bottom they stand motionless fish. They stand in large herds, with their heads all in one direction. They do not move their fin or tail. Only the gills rise slightly - they breathe. Even in autumn, fish gather in herds and choose a place for wintering.

Summer puffy head catfish walks slowly in the deepest places, moving a long mustache, looking out for a hole or a pothole that would be deeper and more spacious. He loves to lie in such holes. He will get enough sleep during the day, and at night he goes hunting: he will grab the fish, and he will grab the crayfish, and eat the frog. But in winter he lies in the pit completely motionless.

Wide, flat bream before wintering, as soon as the first ice appears off the coast, it quickly rises to the surface, overturns on its side in the water and so lies for several minutes, as if saying goodbye to light and air. And then headlong rushes into the depths and lays down on the bottom. Breams lie in rows, like wood in a woodpile, without any movement.

Carp choose a muddy bottom and bury themselves in the mud. Sometimes they will find a soft pit and settle in it with the whole herd.

Cheerful, agile perch loves stones and half-rotten trees that have fallen to the bottom. Closely clinging to each other, dropping their red fins, perches fall asleep in such places for the whole winter.

With a wide ribbon they fall to the sand of the herd minnows and ruff. Above, under the ice, near grasses and reeds, silvery herds stand motionless roach. Pikeand walleye doze in rows in dark hollows.

Gluttonous pike does not sleep well. Narrow, with predatory eyes, with a huge mouth, no, no, and she walks along the river, swallows sleepy fish. But her movements are slow, not like in summer, when she rushes with lightning to prey.

And only one burbot all winter walks lively and merrily along the river. He walks nimbly between sleeping fish herds, looking for and swallowing young sleepy fish.

But time will pass by the spring, the sun will drive away the ice and look into the river. The fish will wake up and swim, inflating their gills ... And the burbot will no longer rush after them. Sluggish, half asleep, he will start looking for a place to hibernate. It will be hammered under a stone or under a stump and fall asleep like a dead man for the whole summer, until the very frost.

N. Sladkov. Perch and burbot.

- Miracles under the ice! All the fish are sleepy - you alone, Burbot, cheerful and playful. What's the matter with you, huh?
- And the fact that for all fish in winter - winter, and for me, Burbot, in winter - summer! You, perch, doze, and we, burbots, play weddings, caviar with a sword, rejoice, have fun!
- Ayda, brothers-perches, to Burbot for the wedding! Let's disperse our sleep, have fun, have a burbot of caviar ...

  • What a miracle did a perch see under the ice?
  • What do all fish do in winter? And burbot?

"How do fish winter?" Project type: cognitive, creative research. Dates: January - February (mid-term). Project participants: Educator, pedagogue-psychologist, children and parents of the middle group CCT 7 secondary school Authors of the project: Barskaya A.D., Voynich N.Yu.


Relevance: Insufficient cognitive activity of children in matters of seasonal changes in nature, insufficient interest in environmental education among parents; lack of the topic "how fish winter" in basic program Preschool educational institution (not only for middle-aged children, but also for older children); Insufficient level of implementation of project activities in OOD for middle-aged children.




Tasks: an active cognitive position, the formation of ideas in children, how they can seek answers to questions (the formation of cognitive actions), the expansion of children's ideas about how different living things survive the winter, the inclusion of experimentation in the GCD, the development of the creative and intellectual abilities of children, attracting pupils and parents to this problem, popularizing the method of projects in cognitive activities at preschool educational institutions.




I. Preparatory: - initial diagnostic conversation with children on the topic of the project; - discussion of the planned work of the teacher with children on the topic of seasonal changes in nature in winter; - study of methodological literature; - creation of the necessary conditions for the implementation of the project, that is, the necessary visual material (paintings, drawings, fiction, selection of games; selection of consultations for parents Formation of motivation for parents to cooperate in the project (Consultation “We will help children find answers to difficult questions. cognitive interest ".


The main stage: creating an interest in the problem in children. Conversations about seasonal changes in nature in winter on walks OOD Cognition "How different animals winter" OOD Speech development "By the pike's command" OOD Cognition "Water, snow, ice: transformations of water in winter". (Experimental activity, presentation for children). Consultation for parents "Experiments with children 4-5 years old".














The main stage: we are looking for answers to the question of OOD Knowledge, Artistic creativity "What will happen to the fish in winter?" (We mold and freeze plasticine fish). OOD Cognition, Speech Development "How to find the answer to our question." (We recall the fairy tale "By the Pike's Command." Conversation "What did the parents tell us?" Viewing and discussion of the cartoon "Ice-hole"). OOD Speech development listening and discussing cognitive stories (E. Shim "You are all covered" and L. Karpova "How fish winter). OOD Cognition “Fish live under the ice” (experiment “Ice cover”, presentation “Life under ice in winter”, generalization and conclusions.












We draw conclusions. Fish for winter gather in schools for the winter. They sink into the depths of rivers and lakes. Fish spend winter deep at the bottom. At the bottom, the water does not freeze even in the most severe frosts. Fish hibernate in different ways. Many fish hibernate. Catfish fall to the bottom or burrow into silt. Predatory fish do not sleep even in winter. Burbot especially loves cold water. Fish do not freeze in winter.


The main stage: creation of a model - an interactive model of a winter pond. Discussing the idea of \u200b\u200ba winter landscape. OOD Artistic creation "Drawing a snowy background". OOD Artistic creativity "Drawing silhouettes of trees" OOD Communication, Artistic creativity collective work - layout "How the fish winter". Game-presentation "How the fish winter" using an interactive model.


Learn to draw a snowy background for our landscape Learn to create different shades, soft transitions. Learn to work with wide free strokes. Learning to collaborate: working together in a confined space. Learning to create different shades, soft transitions. Learn to work with wide free strokes. Learning to collaborate: working together in a confined space.


Final stage Presentation of the project "How fish winter" for children of group 5 (other middle group in kindergarten) Participation in the festival of projects of preschool units in school 1315 Results: The implementation of the project showed the advantages of the project method: the ability to concentrate on a specific topic. Children also turn on curiosity, develop creativity, cognitive activity, and communication skills. Children received new knowledge, broadened their horizons. Children got the first conscious ideas about how to find answers to their questions. Parents have broadened their ideas about possible activities with children aged 4-5, we hope.


Analysis and conclusions The study with children 4-5 years old was not a full-fledged research activity. The question was initiated by adults. During the experiments, the children were very interested in the process itself, and the logical conclusions were also organized by the teachers. In the process of conducting experiments, the children were more willing to act than observe. By its structure, the project is more suitable for older children preschool age... The project turned out to be complex, it allowed covering various educational areas: cognitive, speech, social and communicative and artistic and aesthetic development. The project was a bright and memorable event in the lives of children.

How do fish winter? I have always been interested in the question: where does the fish go for the winter? On the one hand, it is clear where - it goes to winter, but it’s still interesting: how all of a sudden whole hordes of crucians, ruins, ides disappear without a trace. Come on, if only the crucian carp and the tench, the bream, which, in theory, does not belong to such heat-loving fish at all, disappear almost completely in many bodies of water. In my opinion, the wintering of fish is one of the most interesting natural phenomena.

When I started to deal with this issue, first of all I was attracted bream... I could not suppress my curiosity and not find out where this fish went. It turned out that bream is one of the most organized inhabitants of rivers and lakes in terms of wintering. At the end of autumn, this fish moves in large flocks to their permanent wintering grounds. Mainly thanks to bream, such a concept as a wintering pit appeared. Bream is the main inhabitant there. The first to enter the pit are the largest individuals, which occupy the deepest, that is, profitable places. Those bream, which are smaller, are located on a higher level, and on the edges and at the top - undergrowth. I, of course, portrayed all this too exaggerated, but in fact, something like it all looks like. Multi-storey fish arrangement on wintering pits The bedsores on the belly, which are observed in the largest individuals, are also confirmed (still, such a mass presses from above). Most often, this phenomenon is observed in carp fish farms, where there is little wintering space, and the fish weigh decently.

For a long time already, ichthyologists have known the fact that fish of the same species and age hibernate together and in large concentrations. If the pit is small in size, then absolutely identical individuals are located in it. This has been repeatedly confirmed in practice, without special scientific research. It happens that, due to oversight or for some other reason, the nets of the fishing brigades, no-no, scoop up fish from the wintering pit. And then the fishermen are surprised - all the fish (as a rule, it is bream) as a match, one to one.

Yes, it is truly a mystery of nature. Scientists explain such an interesting phenomenon by the fact that the mass accumulation of fish of the same species and age provides better conditions for their wintering, since the metabolic processes in the body are less intense than it would be if the fish hibernate alone. In addition, the mucus secreted by the fish bodies as an insulating agent is more efficiently used. By the way, ruffs are often the closest wintering neighbors of bream. And anglers are familiar with this phenomenon, it's not for nothing that there is even such a sign: "a ruff appeared on the hook - wait for a bream soon." This fact is also very curious in itself, because, as you know, ruff mucus is destructive for other fish species and most of them avoid thorny neighbors. As we see, there are no bream at all.

Judging by the fact that in some reservoirs bream is caught well in winter, and in others it is not at all, it can be assumed that they endure winter processes in different ways. Most likely, this is due to some peculiarities of the reservoir, but just with which ones, it is completely incomprehensible. In theory, in a more flowing reservoir, where the oxygen content in the water throughout the entire wintering period is quite high, bream should be the most active, but in fact, everything is far from simple. It even seems that there are some subjective factors that are completely incomprehensible to a person. To understand fish, you need to think like them, and this, alas, and perhaps fortunately, is practically impossible.

But I digress, let's see how, for example, predators hibernate.

It turns out that they winter not at all like all normal white, that is, predominantly peaceful fish. Predators cannot be found in wintering pits. Sometimes they hang around somewhere nearby to seize the moment and grab a sleepy scoundrel, but this is an exception. For the most part, pike, perch and pike perch, either out of a sense of compassion - they say, how bad you are under the ice, or they are simply afraid of a large crowd of fish, but they do not touch the wintering fish in an organized way, preferring to hunt for those who have an ice shell above The head is not how much - it is, first of all, perch, roach and ruff. So nature, in a sense, took care of its wards here too, because if a predator was lighter, it could easily provide itself with a well-fed existence all winter.

Due to a significant decrease in water temperature, a decrease in the amount of oxygen dissolved in it, a change in the length of daylight hours, quite serious processes take place in the organisms of the inhabitants of wintering pits, which make them very vulnerable. In many warm-water fish, and not only fish, during the winter there is a significant decrease in the level of vital activity and metabolism, a slowdown in growth processes, inhibition of reaction to stimuli, a decrease in heart rate and other physiological processes. In some species falling into suspended animation, this is primarily crucian carp and tench, life processes change so much that there are almost no visible life processes. Fishermen must have noticed that the crucian carp and tench caught on the eve of winter show miracles of vitality: after lying for more than one day in the refrigerator and being then released into the bath, they can swim as if nothing had happened. This is because the life processes in the fish organism have already slowed down and they almost fell into a trance, so that by by and large they don't care where they spend the winter, in the mud of a reservoir or in your refrigerator (just kidding). However, even with the deliberately thermophilic fish, not everything is as simple as it seems.

How many of you caught carp in winter? I am sure there are many. For some purely carp-like reasons, these fish are not averse to eating a moth or two under the ice. True, this happens most often during thaws, reminiscent of the coming spring, or during the first ice, when the memories of autumn are still fresh in the fish's memory. The same thing, by the way, happens not only with fish, but also with bears or hedgehogs, for example. Prolonged February thaws often mislead clubfoots and thorns, forcing them to leave their winter shelters. I can imagine how the bears are bursting back into their dens, when the deceptive February warmth is replaced by severe frosts. In this regard, it is easier for crucians - there is no need to hide anywhere, they just sank into the silt and froze until better times. By the way, even if the crucian carp is not caught from the ice on a jig, this does not mean at all that he fell asleep somewhere in an inaccessible place until better times. Once in the wilderness, I wandered into one inconspicuous backwater reservoir, located next to a small village. Out of purely sporting interest, he began to fish this section of the reservoir and found suspicious sticks on the ice with ropes tied to them. Naturally, he began to pull them out and found so-called "TVs" at the other end. He made several holes around and, risking his life (suddenly the owners would show up), began to take them out onto the ice one by one. And what do you think? In three of the five, half-kilogram crucians sat and did not behave at all as they should behave in winter: at first they tried to get out of my hands with all their foolishness, and then for a long time and angrily tossed and turned in their backpack. I suppose that the locals, knowing about such crucian features of their backwater in winter period, put poaching gear there regularly. Probably, somewhere nearby, and the networks stood.

Now answer me this question: "Which one of you has caught tench in winter?" Perhaps not many will answer in the affirmative, but there will certainly be such. You don't have to go far for an example - several of my friends regularly during the under-ice season take out several golden-sided lugs on a jig. And all the time on the same reservoir. The winter lines look somewhat different from the summer ones, and therefore it was even suggested that these are not at all familiar lines with the Latin name Tincatinca peck from under the ice, but a completely different kind - tench golden. Ichthyologists, at my request, considered this option, but did not accept it, believing that this is the most common Tincatinca, who simply cannot sleep for some reason. The reasons were also given - most likely rather strong springs are beating at the bottom of the reservoir, near which the waking fish gathers. If there is an opportunity to spend the winter not in hibernation, then why not take advantage of it? In my opinion, so, because you can sleep a lot of interesting things.

The need for oxygen is one of the most vital wintering conditions for fish. Everyone has heard of such a phenomenon as death. Most often, small and overgrown water bodies suffer from it, in which the process of photosynthesis stops under a thick layer of snow. However, even on lakes and reservoirs favorable from the point of view of freezing, there is a hidden death of fish. This is observed firsthand during the extraction of bloodworms, when, along with the mosquito larvae, a dead fish appears in the bucket. Most often it is for some reason perches. Although some fish species are much more demanding on oxygen content in water than this predator. It is interesting that the first to suffer from oxygen starvation are fish, which are very active in winter - burbot, for example. The value of the threshold oxygen content in water for grayling, chub, gudgeon is also high. When crucian carp, tench and loach appear at the holes, it means that things are very bad. It is gratifying that anglers help the fish family in many ways. The more holes they drill in the ice, the better the fish will be.

However, according to experts, death is a natural phenomenon and should not be perceived as something extraordinary. However, preventive measures will not hurt. One of the latest innovations in this regard is the introduction of herbivorous fish into highly overgrown reservoirs grass carp and silver carp... These fish are released every year in many free, but valuable from the commercial point of view, and then caught in the fall. During the season, cupid manages to decently thin the thickets of emergent vegetation, and silver carp - to eat up microalgae. True, there is also such a moment that these herbivorous comrades destroy spawning grounds for fish, and they are undesirable in the reserves, otherwise there will be less rare plants there.

The very same wintering in natural (but not native for these settlers) reservoirs, cupid and silver carp tolerate well. I have already heard about the facts of capturing cupids from the ice. This fish, as a rule, is large and many people certainly want to catch such exotic things. Despite the fact that it is quite easy to detect winter accumulations of cupids by the so-called "pasta" - filaments of mucus washed off by water that envelop the body of a fish - few manage to catch newcomers from the Far East. It is much more common to catch a carp in winter. Sometimes huge fish peck from the ice even on those bodies of water where no one suspected their existence. Moreover, such cases are becoming more and more. Here's another winter mystery of nature.

The under-ice world is truly amazing!

In the warm season, a decorative pond on a personal plot does not require special care. Only on very hot days do you have to deal with water bloom. However, with the onset of cold weather, you need to make a lot of efforts so that the reservoir and its inhabitants winter safely and with the arrival of spring they again become the center of attention in the country.

Prepare the pond for winter long before the onset of cold weather. Before falling leaves, cover it with a net so that foliage does not fall into the water. If this is not done, then in spring the leaves will begin to rot under water, and all beauty will be ruined. But with the onset of the first night frost, it must be removed so that it does not freeze into the ice.

If the leaves do get into the reservoir, catch them with a net or with a water vacuum cleaner (skimmer - surface suction pump).

We clean the bottom

Bottom cleaning - This is a mandatory procedure, regardless of whether your pond is wintering or not. Everything that accumulates at the bottom - silt, garbage, fish food - decomposes and forms disease-causing gases that can poison the inhabitants of the reservoir. Therefore, do not ignore cleaning. This can be done with a rake.

Remember to keep your pond clean for the winter.

Removing equipment

Already from the beginning of autumn, start constantly monitoring night air temperatures. At the moment when the night temperature approaches 5 ° C, turn off the pressure pumps (if any) and disconnect them from the filter. If the equipment is equipped with special frost protection, it can be safely left in the pond for the winter. But if there is no such protection, then all auxiliary elements are removed from the water, washed with a weak saline solution, dried and transferred to a warm and dry place, where they are stored until spring. Store pumps and hoses rolled up in a container filled with water.

Preparing the pond for wintering

To prepare the reservoir for winter, initially you need to assess the scale of the upcoming actions. This largely depends on its size. Let's figure it out.

Small bodies of water are generally not left for wintering. A pond with an area of \u200b\u200bup to 20 square meters and a depth of up to 0.8 m in winter will freeze to the very bottom, regardless of its origin (artificial or natural). Therefore, you need to extract everything from it plants and living creatures... Then the water is pumped out and the walls and bottom are manually cleaned.

After that, the pond is filled in half or 2/3 with clean water so that in winter a lot of snow does not accumulate in it, which will then melt for a very long time.

If the winter is very cold, don't be lazy - make a small hole in the pond. By creating a kind of air cushion under the ice, you will significantly speed up the process of melting and heating the pond in spring.

Water bodies an area of \u200b\u200bover 20 square meters and a depth of more than 1 m can be left full for the winter. However, before that, they also clean the bottom and remove all equipment (filters, pumps, etc.).

Wintering aquatic plants

Before the cold weather sets in, you need to take care of aquatic plants.

Swamp and shallow plants cut almost at the root. Those that are not frost-resistant are covered with burlap or leaves. And if there is an opportunity, it is better to get such plants and send them for the winter to a room where there will always be a small (about 5 ° C) positive temperature and a minimum amount of light.

Only reeds are left to winter in their place. It will be a source of oxygen for wintering fish.

Water lily, yellow capsule, elodea, swamp, vodokras, duckweed, calamus, marigold, hostu, equilegia, sitnikleft for the winter in a pond. However, it is advisable to cut off several buds and keep them warm. If the plants, for some reason, do not survive the winter, they can be grown from the buds left behind.

And heat-loving plants ( water hyacinth, pistia, nile papyrus, pontederia, marsh iris, tropical water lilies) is taken out of the reservoir and placed for the winter in a container with water, the temperature of which should be at least 10-15˚С. The water in the containers is changed every 2-3 weeks, while the lighting in the storage area should not be intense and bright.

The wintering reservoir should contain as many plants as possible. This will help maintain biological balance in it.

Wintering fish

For fish, changing habitat is stress. And the most the best option for them it will be to spend the winter in their native, already familiar reservoir. But this is not always possible. If the pond is less than 1.5 m deep, the fish will freeze.

The main step in preparing fish for winter is changing the diet. You can give less feed in autumn than, for example, in summer. And with the onset of cold weather, the fish stop feeding altogether. Because in winter they have to get used to getting food on their own.

To leave the fish to winter in their permanent place, you can purchase special equipment (pond heaters and aerators) that will help maintain the water temperature within normal limits.

If it is not possible to use all this equipment, you can make a small hole and spill it with boiling water. But remember, you cannot make an ice hole with an ax, since the shock wave can harm the health and physical condition of the inhabitants of the reservoir.

Heat-loving ornamental fish ( cold water trout, carp koi, gold fish, verkhovka, minnow) do not leave to winter in the reservoir. A large aquarium is usually prepared for them in advance. The conditions in it should be comfortable enough for the fish so that they do not hibernate, but at the same time a little harsh so that in the spring, when they are launched into an open pond, they do not die.

The wintering place should be spacious enough. For each fish up to 10 cm long, you need at least 10 liters of water. The aquarium should be equipped with a water filter and oxygenation system. The water temperature should be at the level of 10-12˚С.

If there is no aquarium, for the winter, the fish can be moved into a large barrel with a water temperature of 15 ° C, in which a recirculating filter is installed. In such conditions, fish can be left indoors until spring with little light.

The final stage of preparing the pond for wintering

Complete pond preparation at the summer cottage you need one important event. To prevent the freezing water from damaging the walls of the pond in winter, several logs or rubber balls are lowered into it. During severe frosts, the reservoir is additionally covered with straw, boards or burlap. However, if fish hibernate in it, it is not recommended to leave such a shelter for a long time (fish need light to maintain life). Also in winter, you need to constantly clean the surface of the pond from snow and do not forget to monitor the presence of ice holes ..

If you take proper care of the decorative reservoir in the fall, then it will survive the winter without much hassle and loss. And next year it will again delight you with a picturesque view and coolness.