When it comes to pond food, it’s not just about choosing a food based on what the fish like to eat—it’s also about what the water in your pond can handle. High-quality food keeps your fish vibrant, while cheap food will largely up as sludge on the bottom of your pond.
Temperature is Everything
Fish are a cold-blooded species and their metabolism is directly dictated by the temperature of your water in the pond. Using the wrong food at the wrong time could actually be fatal because they can’t digest it.
- Summer (18∘C+): You want to be going for a high-protein “Growth” or “Colour” feed. This is when your fish will be most active and also need to most nutrients.
- Spring/Autumn (10∘C to 17∘C): Now is the time to switch to a Wheatgerm based feed for your fish. It’s much easier for them to digest as their systems start to slow down.
- Winter (Below 10∘C): Stop feeding entirely. Their digestive tracts essentially “shut down” for dormancy. Food left in the gut of your fish unfortunately can rot and cause infections.
Floating vs. Sinking
The style of food should match the species of fish you own:
- Floating Pellets: These are the best choice for you if you have Koi or Goldfish. They will encourage your fish to come to the surface, allowing you also to check them for injuries or any potential signs of illness.
- Sinking Pellets: Having food that will sink is essential for bottom feeding species such as Sturgeon or Tench. These fish have mouths positioned underneath their heads and will rarely actually surface to eat.
The Ingredient List (Quality Control)
If you want the best for your fish and your pond, you should aim to avoid brands where maize or wheat is on the label as one of the first two ingredients. These are cheap fillers that you fish unfortunately cannot fully process. This in turn leads to them eating more to get the same level of nutrition, and also to them producing more waste (and more algae growth).
- Look for: Fish meal, shrimp meal, or spirulina.
- Protein Content: Should be around 30% to 40% for active summer feeding.
- Vitamins: Look for stabilized Vitamin C and E to help with immune system support.
Pellet Size
This seems obvious, but it’s frequently overlooked. A pellet should be small enough for the smallest fish in the pond to swallow comfortably – there is no point having something too big that they just can’t fit in their mouth.
Pro Tip: If you have a mix of big Koi and small Goldfish, buy the pellet size for the Goldfish. The big Koi will have no trouble eating the smaller bits, but the small fish will starve if they can’t fit the “Large Koi” pellets in their mouths.
The “5-Minute Rule”
Overfeeding is said to be the number one cause of pond water issues. Only provide as much food as your fish can completely consume within 5 minutes.
If there is food floating around after that window, scoop it out with a net. If you leave it, it breaks down into ammonia and nitrates, which will trigger a massive algae bloom (green water).
