As water temperatures decrease, it can be challenging to know when your fish no longer require feedings. One method is watching how quickly they consume the food available on the surface of your pond surface and clearing away any leftover food pieces from it.
As water temperatures decrease in autumn, gradually reduce both the frequency and amount of feedings, switching to wheatgerm-based food which is easier for your fish to digest at lower temperatures.
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Spring
Once your pond has warmed up and begun growing plants, fish will start coming up to the surface in search of sustenance. If possible, try feeding only what your fish can consume within minutes so as not to pollute water quality with leftover food products.
As autumn and winter temperatures decrease, growth foods should be gradually phased out and replaced with low protein foods made of wheat germ. This is because colder waters require slower metabolisms which make digesting rich proteins from high protein foods more challenging.
As temperatures drop, feeding three times a day should be sufficient to maintain water quality and not overload the biological filter. Too much waste accumulation at this time of year strains its function, leading to reduced clarity in the pond.
Summer
As the temperature warms up, it is wise to gradually decrease feeding sessions. Aim to feed twice a day, monitoring how quickly fish consume the food; any leftover food should be removed within five minutes or it could contribute to low oxygen levels and even bacterial blooms in your pond.
As temperatures in your pond start to dip in autumn, growth foods should gradually be replaced with staple food as their high protein diet becomes harder for fish to digest. You should do this by gradually decreasing grain-based feed while increasing wheatgerm-based feed until all transition is completed.
Once temperatures in your pond reach 5C or lower, it is wise to stop feeding altogether as fish metabolisms will reduce and they won’t be able to process any food at this stage.
Autumn
As temperatures in autumn and winter drop, it is wise to limit or discontinue feeding pond fish. They enter a dormant state at colder temperatures which makes digestion of food harder – any leftover food could sit in their stomach for extended periods and pollute your pond water with infection, bloat or breakdown of nutrients that leads to pollutant release.
Once water temperatures drop below 15 degrees celsius, switch from high protein growth feeds to lower protein staple foods with wheatgerm content; during this period only feed your goldfish when you see them coming up for food at the surface or monitor for signs of underfeeding like sunken bellies – giving your goldfish time to build up fat stores before hibernation begins.
Winter
As temperatures decrease, your goldfish will enter a state known as torpor and no longer be able to break down food efficiently, so it is crucial to stop feeding them as soon as their metabolism slows and water temperatures reach approximately 10C / 50F.
Under warmer pond water conditions, your fish should be fed three times daily with high protein growth feed; once their metabolisms have settled down and temperatures decrease further, switch back to a standard food such as wheatgerm based diet for best results.
Introduce this approach as early as mid-autumn by mixing it in with high-protein feed, and once water temperatures hit 10C / 50F you can begin phasing out feeding altogether – fish will still scavenge for food from plants or submerged debris during this period, so no worries of starving fish need arise!
