Feed your Goldfish small portions
One of the most entertaining aspects of having your own goldfish pond is watching them feed. It is better to feed them small portions in order to keep the water clean. It’s easy to put more food in, but not so easy to clean out the excess when we have given them too much. Without a decent filter system, this waste food will sink to the bottom and decay, giving off noxious gasses that will harm your fish.
Variety of foods
Goldfish are omnivorous and a varied diet leads to healthier fish. In addition to prepared fish food, goldfish will gladly eat algae, insects, worms, fish eggs, and fry. Check the contents on the label. Some foods are made primarily from rice or wheat and have a lower protein content than those made from fish meal. The best time to use grain-based foods is in early spring when the fish are still sluggish from the cool weather.
We recommend rotating between various types of prepared foods.
Dried shrimp are yummy
Of all the foods we’ve tested, our goldfish are most enthusiastic about dried shrimp. We buy them in one-pound bags. It is great fun to see them shove, jump, and splash to get their share. While goldfish have no teeth in their mouths they do have pharyngeal teeth deep in their throats; two rows of them arranged in an arch-shaped formation. They can even make a surprising clicking noise with them and shrimp feasts seem to encourage this behavior.
Flakes are messy
A lot of prepared fish food comes in the form of flakes. Flakes tend to cloud the water and settle to the bottom where they may decay uneaten. However, flakes are the easiest prepared food for small goldfish to eat. Try to avoid flakes with artificial colors as they are no benefit to the fish and add unnecessary chemicals to the water.
To the bottom
Mostly we use floating foods but there are times, such as especially blustery days, when we use food that will sink to the bottom. A properly designed pond includes ledges about 8 inches deep around the perimeter for plants. The ledges make suitable drop spots for sinking food.
What to Feed Your Fish
It is very important to feed your fish properly which was covered in Healthy Pond Water. This article will cover what types of food to feed your fish. The two main types of fish used in ponds are goldfish and koi carp, which are both omnivores. The main thing to keep in mind is balancing the foods that you give them.
Cheap foods are not always best as they may not have the proper balance of vitamins and nutrients to keep your fish healthy. This is especially true with koi, which have been selectively bred to encourage the coloration, and as an indirect side effect has developed unhealthy immune systems.
Another tip is to use a floating pellet type of food to allow the fish to come to the surface to feed as well as give you a chance to observe the fish up close.
Also, remember that during the winter fish tend to slow down their metabolism and almost enter a state of hibernation. During this time it is unnecessary to feed them as they will not eat in low water temps. A rule of thumb here is that if the water drops below 10 degrees centigrade then stop feeding your fish.
Once spring comes around and the fish become more active, keep an eye on them, and adjust feeding habits accordingly. Also, keep in the spring for any fish illness since they will most likely affect your fish during the winter months. And once summer is back, you can get back to your normal feeding regime.
