Pond Food. How to choose pond food.

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This information sheet has been designed to help you make an informed choice.

How to Choose Pond Food.
Like all living things, fish need the right type, quantity and quality of food if they are to grow, remain healthy and fight disease. The simple guide below will help you to choose the right food or feeds for the occupants of your pond. These foodstuffs may be of a general type suitable for all or many different types of fish or they may be tailor made for the special dietary requirements or specialized feeding habits of just one or a small group of fishes. The changing seasons will also mean that appropriate food will need to be chosen as water temperature effects the ability of fish to digest certain types of feeds with consequences to their health if not fed the correct type.

General Feeding Tips.
Just as in the aquarium, pond fish should be fed sparingly. In a pond, food is added to supplement the fishes diet as they also have available to them a natural food source. This comprises of aquatic larvae and other pond inhabitants as well as insects attracted to the pond surface and plant material. For this reason they should be fed a small amount only every 2 to 4 days. Ignore manufacturers instructions to feed every day several times as this is not required and can have adverse consequences to the pond water quality. Un-eaten food will decay and pollute the water and excessive fish waste will do the same. This pollution will cause the water quality to deteriorate, which will affect fish health leaving them more susceptible to disease, it will encourage the growth of unsightly algae’s and will dramatically increase maintenance chores. Floating feeding rings can be used to contain food in one area, especially useful in heavily planted ponds where there is a risk that food can become lost amongst foliage and rot away. All this applies to the fish inhabitants of the average garden pond but of course the feeding of Koi in purpose built Koi ponds is a different issue as their environment is more artificial and these large fish are totally reliant on their nutritional requirements being provided by the Koi keeper.

Types of Pond Food.

Staple Foods.
It is essential that foods given to the fish be comprised of material that will provide all the building blocks of life, Proteins, Carbohydrates and Fats together with correctly balanced vitamins, minerals and trace elements. So-called “Staple Foods” have been formulated to provide all these and are, in theory complete so that together with the natural food available to pond fish, no other food needs to be given. Treat foods are available and these can be given sparingly. Staple foods are available in Pellet, Stick and Flake options. Most of these are designed to float to minimise wastage and encourage fish to rise from below to the surface. Sinking food is available for bottom feeding fish.

Pond Pellets.
Pond Pellets are small balls of food available in different sizes to suite small to large fish. They are an efficient way of delivering nutrients to the fish and should be fed sparingly. Un-eaten pellets should be netted out and discarded. Store away from damp and extremes of temperature. As well as staple floating food they are available with colour enhancers that promote the appearance of more vivid reds and blues, higher protein versions to promote growth in younger fish, low temperature digestibility versions for winter feeds and even types with complex additives that can enhance the fishes immune system response. Sinking pellets are available for bottom feeding fish such as Tench, Sterlets and Gudgeon.

Pond Sticks.
Pond sticks are lightweight, stick-like food items, made from the same basic material as pellets but extruded into the stick form. They are a clever marketing ploy and now hugely popular but they are not as good value as pond pellets in terms of food weight to price ratio. Sticks can be purchased in all the same variety options as pellets apart from sinking as they are too lightweight to sink. Because sticks are quite soft they can be crushed in the hand to provide smaller morsels for small fish whilst being fed whole to larger ones, which is a benefit in ponds containing fish of a variety of sizes.

Pond Flake.
Pond Flake is a lightweight, almost confetti like material similar to the popular food for aquarium fish but specifically formulated for the slightly different dietary requirements of pond fish. It is suitable for small to medium sized pond fish but not for larger ones, as they tend to be less interested in it and spray it through their gills to waste. Pond Flake is suitable for summer feeding only and is a relatively expensive way to provide food, which whilst not a problem for the fish keeper with a smaller pond, may well prove cost prohibitive for those with a larger one.

Feeding Fish in Winter.
When the average water temperature reaches 55F (10C) you should stop feeding your fish with their usual food and switch to a low protein or, ideally, a vegetable based food supply. This is because it is difficult for fish to digest proteins at lower temperatures. The most commonly used winter feeds are wheatgerm based in either a stick or pellet form. Some pond foods have all temperature digestibility and can be fed the whole year round. When the temperature reaches 45F (7C) you should stop feeding your fish completely as even low temperature feeds cannot be digested at temperatures lower than this. Highly specialized foods such as Oase’s “Ground Formula” specifically for bottom feeders such as Sterlets and Tench, are digestible to temperatures as low as 38f (3C). Caution: Feeding your usual food to fish at temperatures below 55F (10C) can result in intestinal or stomach ulceration as the food sits undigested. (See – ‘Pond Winter Food’ sales area on this website).

Treat Foods.
Treat foods are for occasional use and are not usually suitable for replacing a staple food. Fish treats often contain ingredients that many fish find particularly appealing and can promote great feeding frenzy when added. With patience many pond fish can be taught to take treat items from the hand. A large number of treats have always existed for aquarium fish but not so for their pond dwelling counterparts although lately this has been addressed and more are being introduced for pond fish. If feeding treats be careful not to over do it for all the reasons already mentioned.

Live Foods.
Live foods are a traditional treat food the most common of which are Bloodworm, Tubifex, Daphnia and Brineshrimp. They are useful for promoting breeding condition and can ease digestive problems (Sometimes evident by trailing strings of faeces) associated with the wrong diet or insufficient dietary variety. They are sold in small liquid filled bags and it is important that this liquid is not poured into the pond with the live food. This is because the liquid is full of pollutants and other undesirables. First pour the contents into a net and rinse carefully under the coldwater tap before upending the contents of the net into the pond. Even after rinsing there remains a risk that live food can transmit disease causing pathogenic organisms and for this reason many aquarists choose not to feed live food under any circumstances. Myxazin, a chemical produced by Waterlife Research can be used to sterilize live food and minimize the risk of disease transmission.

Just as for aquarium fish the maxim for pond fish is “Hungry fish are happy fish’’, use good quality branded product, use it sparingly and you will be rewarded with a clean pond full of healthy, happy fish.