Feed or not to Feed

[CeeJayH]

For a planted, naturalised goldfish pong, I agree 100% with CK's comments. There's enough natural food in a goldfish pond with plants, algae & larvae to keep them well fed.

When friends (and especially their children) come and they want to see fish in the pond, I go to my regular feeding spot and the fish congregate, expecting to be fed. Youngsters also enjoy feeding the fish. I have a few that will take pellets from my fingers, and kids love to see that.

I think a dedicated koi pond, devoid of plants and heavily filtered is a different matter. This type of pond doesn't contain enough natural food, and koi are often far larger that goldies with appetites to match. In these circumstances, regular daily feeding is essential.

 

[Jhn]

I feed my fish, but not on a set schedule. I have 2 diamondback terrapins in the pond, which need to be fed. So I feed the fish first to distract them away from the turtles food and it gets the turtles attention (if they are busy elsewhere in the pond and dont see me) so they come over to have a turn being fed.

I agree as was mentioned in a well established/balanced pond wih plenty of plant life feeding isnt neccessary, but it is also fun to watch the fish splashing at the surface while feeding.

 

[addy1]

When I feed mine they get high quality food. I feed a lot more as winter approaches. My pond is heavily planted, there is never a lack of food.

 

[Tula]

Tula. Aren't they hardwired genetically to know how to forage for food? Is it something they need to learn when they are young or they just know how to do it through instinct?

I honestly don't know....maybe @Meyer Jordan has some information for us? When we bought this house, there was a small pond with gold fish that had never been fed, so I didn't feed them. When we rebuilt the pond and added, first shubunkin and comets , I began to feed them...and they grew larger then the original gold fish. I now have only koi and feed them once a day.

I've seen some fat koi and think it's a shame to over feed them, just to grow them out, shortening their life span and health

 

[Gemma]

For me the best time is when feeding the fish

For me too! That's the time we strengthen our bond!

 

[Nyboy]

Very interesting thread. Any other animal we take responsibility for and don't feed would get us animal cruelty charges. I am very new to pond fish. Having a living creature and not feeding it, is something hard to get use to. I am not saying people who don't feed are abusing their fish. I would feel guilty walking by and not feeding at least a small amount.

 

[Lisak1]

You have to think of it more like a farmer who provides a field for his animals to graze in - he's not actively feeding them, but he's giving them good pasture land and the opportunity to do what comes naturally. I think it's hard for people to believe that fish are eating when they can't really see WHAT they're eating. A well balanced pond is loaded with all kinds of microscopic life that fish find delicious. Any time we clean off our waterfall the fish swarm to the bottom to eat whatever it is that we are dislodging - I can't see it, but they sure know it's there!

We stop feeding our fish in late fall and don't start up again sometimes until early May, depending on the weather. And yet every year our fish come out of winter bigger than they were in fall... obviously they are finding something in the pond to keep themselves fed all winter long. We do see them in early spring chomping on the algae that carpets the pond walls, so we know they are getting their greens!

 

[sissy]

My koi are over 2 feet long and this is the reason I feed them usually 3 times a week to give them extra vitamins that food can provide but also don't want to create water quality issues either and risk the health of my fish .They love krill and shrimp and all the other good stuff in the food I give them .Thing is my koi and other fish clean the liner of everything and the taddies that I did not get have cleaned it to bare liner .

 

[Nyboy]

Lisak1 very good point about farmer and livestock. All of a sudden doesn't seem so bad.

 

[sissy]

But farmers also feed cattle for better beef and milk production .I know coming from farm country here .Marty lets his cattle graze but he also feeds them

 

[Lisak1]

I know @sissy - I wasn't suggesting it's a bad idea to feed either fish OR cattle. Just that it's not neglectful to allow fish to graze a pond, the same way cattle are allowed to graze pastureland. There are big ranchers who graze cattle year round, moving them from one pasture to the next as they finish it off. If grass becomes scarce, say during winter or drought, then they would of course feed them.

 

[addy1]

You all made me feel bad, so I went to feed them, they ate for 15 seconds and quit. They are obviously not hungry.
The extra pellets will make good plant food

 

[sissy]

Marty moves his cattle from pasture to pasture just like his horse but he still feeds both the horses and the cattle ..I guess it is just like us we take vitamins to help get what we need that is missing from what we eat .Like me ,I don't eat meat so I know certain things are needed that I am missing .I was looking at my liner and it is clean as a bone .

 

[bettasngoldfish]

I think one of the most important things we are over looking is exactly what type of pond the fish are living in. A pond like @addy1 has with lots of plants and snails among other food items nature has provided for her fish. They wouldn't normally need man-made foods unless she enjoys spending time feeding and interacting with them.

Someone with a pond void of live plants and algae may want to think about the fact that their fish may not be getting enough nutrition to grow to their potential or be as healthy as they could be.

Another type of "pond" that could be an issue when not providing food would be in a very small or new pond that hasn't had time to mature and have lots for the fish to eat.

I dont recall who mentioned it but fish can and do live without extra care and food from their owners. I'm just not sure that surviving is the same thing as thriving.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Who feeds them in there natural habitats? Mimic Nature as close as you can and feeding is not an issue.