Pond goldfish have the ability to forage for algae, insects and plant matter to create a balanced diet in their environment. Unfortunately, when threatened by predators such as raccoons or herons they may become less enthusiastic about eating their meals.
Regain their appetite by hand feeding your fish! Training pond goldfish to accept food directly from you should be simple enough.
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Ranchu Goldfish
Ranchu goldfish are an exotic variety of fancy carp that don’t exist naturally in nature, created to possess desirable traits that aquarium enthusiasts appreciate and seek after.
Goldfish can suffer from poor water quality just like any other type of fish, leading to health problems caused by an excess of ammonia in their tank. Ammonia levels rise when goldfish consume food; further accumulation comes from waste produced from eating as well as uneaten food or decayed plant matter in the tank – too much ammonia may poison goldfish and have serious repercussions for its wellbeing.
Goldfish are ectothermic animals, meaning their environment must be at the appropriate temperature for optimal metabolism. Warmer temperatures make the metabolism work faster while helping prevent diseases that tend to be prevalent at lower temperatures.
Goldfish breed best during spring when air and water temperatures are warmest. To encourage breeding, lower the temperature gradually before gradually raising it back again. Some breeders separate males and females during this time to prevent aggressive breeding behavior while others don’t bother doing this at all.
Koi
Failure of growth indicates that your koi fish isn’t getting enough food. You should feed your koi once daily with enough food that they will consume within five minutes or less.
Koi fishes’ metabolisms are sensitive to water temperature changes; therefore they will begin to reduce eating as winter approaches and temperatures warm back up again. At times they may even stop altogether but will resume as soon as conditions improve again.
If your koi fish show signs of white cloud-like mucus covering its body, erosion of scales and decreased appetite this could be indicative of parasite infection. As soon as their gills become infected they’ll quickly lose weight while congregating near surface water or air supply systems to try and breathe more freely.
To identify parasites, run your hands over your body to feel for roughness or a sandpapery texture, look for signs of wormhole-like appearance on scales and use a microscope to check if there are rod-shaped parasites such as anchor worm, argulus or dactylogyrus, or disk shaped parasites (chilodonella and gyrodactylus), these are easy to treat.
Health
Goldfish need the nutrients present in food to support internal organ development, while an adequate diet helps them remain immune-compromised and remain disease free. If they stop eating regularly they could become malnourished and more vulnerable to infections like Ich (Ichthyophthirius multifiliis), swim bladder disease or others.
Fall and winter pond owners usually notice that their fish eat less frequently due to cold water temperatures that slow their metabolism. But the fish still find enough sustenance from live plants and insects in the cooler months, providing enough sustenance for survival.
Some causes for appetite loss in aquatic ecosystems include poor water quality, stress and illness. When measuring pH, nitrate and ammonia levels for your pond, make sure they fall within normal range. Also watch for any signs of illness like protruding scales, lethargy or damaged fins as an early indicator. Consult an aquatic veterinarian for diagnosis and treatment advice.
Feeding
Goldfish in the wild consume an array of insects, algae and plants for sustenance; in wintertime their body metabolism slows to the point of hibernation and they require significantly less food.
Goldfish that won’t eat are typically caused by waste from uneaten food that pollutes their tank water and is in turn consumed by bacteria, leading to contamination. A water change with clean tank water should remedy this situation.
Lack of oxygen in pond water is another challenge for fish to consume their food efficiently, as well as for beneficial bacteria to breakdown harmful substances in the water. Low levels can also result from stagnant or poorly filtered pond environments.
Rather than feed them more often and using frozen blocks of fish food which could potentially cause water temperature issues, try providing wheat-based supplements high in protein as a supplemental feed source.
