Feed or not to Feed

[Faebinder]

I feed them once a day and many days two times a day. I'm heavily stocked goldfish with 1 koi. I don't believe there is enough food for all if I don't feed. My fish devours the food I put in 5 minutes... it's a fight. Even the bubble eye goldfish gets in there for the fight. She aint holding back.

 

[bettasngoldfish]

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

We are not talking about wild fish in natural habitats in this thread. The original poster asked about fish in his back yard

 

[addy1]

Mine, like I posted above, 15 seconds of eating and left the pellets just floating , totally ignoring them. In the big pond and in the 1000 gallon pond. Both ponds have hornwort, anacharis ,lilies, parrots feather, bog bean, and other stuff, tads snails and whatever else is around.

 

[bettasngoldfish]

Mine, like I posted above, 15 seconds of eating and left the pellets just floating , totally ignoring them. In the big pond and in the 1000 gallon pond. Both ponds have hornwort, anacharis ,lilies, parrots feather, bog bean, and other stuff, tads snails and whatever else is around.

And your fish look fantastic from video you have posted.

 

[bettasngoldfish]

I feed them once a day and many days two times a day. I'm heavily stocked goldfish with 1 koi. I don't believe there is enough food for all if I don't feed. My fish devours the food I put in 5 minutes... it's a fight. Even the bubble eye goldfish gets in there for the fight. She aint holding back.

My fish quickly eat any food I put in the pond as well. Of course I have a smaller pond at only 500 gallons. There are approximately 15 common goldfish and a small number of rosy reds. They also love to gobble up the bugs we get living near the lake. Never ending supply of midges (mosquito-like bugs but don't bite) They are around in the spring and the fall.

 

[MoonShadows]

Maybe because my pond is only 3 1/2 months old, maybe because I just have a small water hyacinth, a dwarf cat tail and a small lily...but, I feed my 8 comets (3 to 6 inches) 3x a day, and they gobble up what I give them within 15-20 seconds...every bit. My water parameters are good, my water clear. I would even feed them more, but I'm wondering if I am doing something "wrong" after reading so many times on this forum about people feeding their fish "when they think of it" or saying they "need to clean their own house". This thread is enlightening.

 

[Lisak1]

If you search for "how often / how much should I feed my pond fish?" you will never find a definitive answer. I know - I tried. You will find a variety of approaches, all backed up by reasons, and they all make sense on some level. So we determined long ago that we will do what makes us happy, keeps our fish healthy, and keeps the pond functioning well. It's a learning process and part of the fun of having a pond.

 

[Jhn]

I agree with Meyer, setting a pond up to mimic nature as closely as possible and feeding is a non issue. I have gone months w/o feeding my fish, but I set the pond up with this in mind.

 

[bettasngoldfish]

If you search for "how often / how much should I feed my pond fish?" you will never find a definitive answer. I know - I tried. You will find a variety of approaches, all backed up by reasons, and they all make sense on some level. So we determined long ago that we will do what makes us happy, keeps our fish healthy, and keeps the pond functioning well. It's a learning process and part of the fun of having a pond.

Agreed

 

[Usman]

i think it depends on ratio of fish and pond volume plus surface area plus vegetation plants , in our ponds , major source of food is algae and plants and koi goldfish eat these in nature too , if u have enuf surface area to graze algae and alot of growing plants vegetation then fishes will flourish . same goes with koi but i think they are too large for our ponds to feed naturally , they can do well in natural mud ponds which are huge just like fish farming .

i think goldfishes do well eating algae compared to koi as they are good in grazing , while koi is more like bottom feeder and they will not grow well without artificial food .

but my counter question will be why u wudnt feed them (at least once twice a week)? it will not harm them rather keep them healthier full fill any deficiency if any .

 

[sissy]

my hubby feeds mine and he loves it and i think it relaxes him and lowers his blood pressure ,so it is just as healthy for us as them

 

[Jimmy Gibson]

Ok here is my take on feeding Koi..... I have a crystal clear pond and the water chemistry is close to perfect..... I have 7 large Koi and god knows how many babies..... We feed them every afternoon and on the the weekend we feed them morning and afternoon..... Sarah hand feeds them first.... Then I throw the rest out and we sit and watch the fish and talk about our day..... My fish are healthy, not a blemish on them that I can see, and it's a high priority that they stay that way..... But I know for my part I spent the money, hard work for a pond that Sarah and I can enjoy, so if I feed them a little too much during the summer, they will lose it from November to March..... My opinion