Goldfish Pond Food
Water Conditions
An outdoor goldfish in a pond has very different needs than an indoor goldfish in an aquarium, including the type of food it should be fed. A pond will most often have a larger volume of water than an aquarium. The water in a pond also tends to be much more cloudier than that of an aquarium. What this means in terms of feeding goldfish in a pond is that it takes the goldfish residents more time to locate their food. Pond food for that reason needs to stand up to the pond’s water and not sink or fall apart as fast as the goldfish flakes that are used in aquariums.
Note: There are some pond pellets that are designed to sink to the bottom for bottom dwellers to eat. Goldfish can be fed these pellets since they too feed off the bottom substrate.
Time of the Year
An outdoor goldfish pond means pond water temperatures are directly affected by the changing seasons and the colder the pond water, the less active the goldfish become. This lack of activity equates to less eating by the goldfish. Goldfish pond food that is specially formulated for easier digestion is available for Winter. Goldfish pond food is alos available for Autumn, Spring and Summer conditions.
The Herbivore
Aquatic plants and green algae are common place in ponds. These greens are an important food source for goldfish as it aides in their digestion. Goldfish will eat and devour many aquatic plants in a goldfish pond but they don’t eat every type of aquatic plant. Of the aquatic plants goldfish do eat, load up on them so the supply outweighs the demand. If the goldfish pond is stocked at low levels, these plants might have a chance to regrow before they are eaten down to nothing. An alternative to this is to grow (farm) some aquatic plants in another tank where there are no goldfish and harvest some of the aquatic plants to be used as goldfish pond food.
Pond Plant Information:
The Carnivore
Goldfish eat live bugs and larvae that are in their pond water. They will also eat a wide variety of packaged foods that can be fed as a treat, including: Bloodworms, Krill, Brine Shrimp.
How to Feed Pond Goldfish
Many goldfish pond food packages come with feeding instructions but the basic rule is underfeeding is better than overfeeding. If floating goldfish food is used, after 3-5 minutes of the food being in the water, remove the uneaten pieces. If the floating pellets or sticks are placed inside a floating ring like a hula hoop, any uneaten pieces will be easy to remove. Any food that is left uneaten will eventually break apart and dirty the water.
Reviewed By: Tim Winter
Tim Winter has a strong affection for pets and wildlife. His years of experience caring for various types of pets has led him to share his knowledge with others on the best practices in pet care. Tim holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communications.
I have 5 to 7 little goldfish in a small but reasonably deep pond . These fish must have come as eggs with pond weed they are now approximately 3 yrs old and now changing from black to golden . I have never fed them. ? Should I start to feed them now or will they do their own foraging?
I don’t know if anyone answered you but I bought a place in Florida In 2016 and there were little goldfish In a small pond out front. I started feeding them flakes, then small pellets and now I have 20 fish some as big as 6”. Feeding makes them healthy and they will multiply and grow. Just don’t overfeed.