5 Tips for Feeding Fish

Feeding your fish is a fun activity that the whole family will enjoy. In the beginning, after you first bring your fish home, they will be a little shy and not seem interested in what you’re feeding them. Don’t worry too much about this; just sprinkle a little food in the pond and move back. After a few minutes, they will take an interest and eat.

1. Be Consistent

The key is to be consistent, try to feed at the same time each day, and from the same spot. After a few weeks in your pond, they will be conditioned to you feeding them and the response will be considerably different. After a complete season, you will have them eating out of your hand.

2. Serve High Quality Food

Since everything you put into the pond is going to be broken down and removed by the filter, it is important to remember to only feed them high quality food, such as Aquascape Premium Fish Food, that is specifically designed for the fish in your pond. Feeding them anything other than high quality fish food could lead to many water quality issues like green water, string algae, and poor water conditions.

3. Variety is the Spice of Life

Many pond owners also choose to offer their fish a treat now and again. If you want to spice things up a bit, try a little fresh watermelon and watch your fish go crazy. Most fruits and vegetables will be fine as well, just keep in mind that the natural ecosystem has to deal with every bit we feed them or that is left in the pond.

4. The Five Minute Rule

A good rule of thumb is to only offer what your fish can eat in four or five minutes. The decision to feed your fish is up to you. Many pond owners never throw a single piece of food into their pond. Your pond will produce food for your fish to eat and also help create a balance between plants and fish. Remember, however, that larger fish need more food than small ones, so they may take a look at your plants for a snack. Not to mention the fact that if you are not feeding your fish, you are missing out on another whole level of fun that your pond has to offer.

5. Choosing the Best Food

Studies have been done comparing the digestion of protein from various sources in fish, and found that fish proteins were the best digested and assimilated by fish. Fish eat fish.

Fish are adapted to the consumption of others in their food chain, so fish proteins are the best for fish. When you look at a bag of food and the first ingredient is wheat, is that the best choice for your fish? No, wheat protein is not equal to fish protein so keep looking. You should look for fish or other aquaculture proteins as the first ingredient in a decent diet for your koi and goldfish.

Watch our video for more important information about fish food: