Help feeding goldfish

[dutchman]

I have 10 comet feeder goldfish in my backyard pond. The fish have been in there 3 weeks and seem to be doing fine. They do hide a lot but I do see them darting and cruising all over the place, usually in a pack (ok, school?). They like to stick together.
The question is if I need to feed them or not and how much.???
I sprinkle a few pellets on the surface and they rarely will come get them. Sometimes they do but then it's right back to the depths.
But when I go back in the morning (or in a couple hours) the pond is spotless and they have eaten all the food. I assume they also nibble on the plants and the misc algae.
If they were hungry would they not come right to the surface when feeding?
Or do they have to learn this?
By reading other posts, it's easy to overfeed, so how do I figure out how much to give them??

sorry for the long story but any advise is appreciated

 

[koiguy1969]

they are bottom feeders by nature but they will figure it out.

 

[MassKoi]

Do you stay at the pond after feeding? If you feed them and then hang around they should over time connect you with food and coming looking for it when they see you.
If there is no food when you come back on the surface or on the bottom of the pond then you are not overfeeding.
I have heard that some people never feed their fish. The fish just eat what's in the pond like bugs and algea.

 

[koiguy1969]

yeah, some people dont feed their fish or feed but dont stick around. to me thats the biggest part of my pond enjoyment...communing with my fish. if you stay there they will associate you with being their food source, you just have to be patient. put the food in and step back where they can still see you.. each time move alittle closer.. before you know it they'll be eating out of your hand. my fish will follow me around the pond like a bunch of puppies that see a bag of treats in my hand.

 

[dutchman]

Hey, thanks for the comments. Sounds like nothing is wrong. I did feed them again today and watched from a far and could see them casually cruising the surface. When i got too close they started to dart around or hide. I'll keep on trying this, since I too would like to see them closer up.

 

[Nanci]

I have four comets that I've had about a year. I "call" them to come feed by whacking their food container on the edge of their pond before feeding them. About four quick taps. It only took them a couple days to figure it out. They also seem to mill around near the surface at feeding time, which is the same time every evening. They are pretty friendly; if I am weeding or doing something with my hands underwater, they are always right there checking things out.