How to encourage fish to feed

[michaelsf90]

I've had fish in my pond for 10 days now. The pond was running for 7 weeks before adding fish. Cycled by a lot of frogs. New plants have grown like crazy. Anyway the fish are still very timid. One bright orange comet and three shubunkins. They're only about 3 inch long. They are other hiding at the bottom when someone approaches or hiding under water starwort which has grown like mad. I've been putting like a feeding ring in to hold the floating food. I put in food that the shop I bought them from feed them yet they still wont eat it. I go back a few hours later and the food is still there floating. Do I just need give them more time?

 

[GBBUDD]

Small fish don't need to be fed for the most part they pick at the rocks eat tiny insects etc. Give them time. And watch what they are doing.

 

[Lisak1]

Time is the best cure for most pond and fish "issues". Your fish are nervous about their new surroundings. You can keep trying to feed them, but make sure you remove any food they don't eat.

 

[michaelsf90]

I leave it in for a couple of hours around a floating feeding ring then remove it all. I want a natural environment for the fish but I also want to be able to see them

 

[Lisak1]

I'd leave it for no more than a few minutes. Just drop in a few flakes and then step out of view. If they aren't interested, scoop it back out and try again in a few days.

 

[michaelsf90]

As soon as anyone goes near the pond they either dart under the plant or to the bottom. Sometimes they sit on the bottom and sometimes they hide under the pond pipe

 

[mrsclem]

Maybe try sitting by the pond a little each day to let them get used to you. If they come up, give them a little food. Soon, they will be following you begging for food!

 

[michaelsf90]

Every day I pick leaves out so I'm there everyday. I use floating food which is what they were fed where I got them. The food is identical

 

[Criscar]

So, I'm a total newbie to outdoor ponds, but I'm also in the middle of acclimatizing both new fish and aquarium fish to the pond, and I've found a couple things have helped.

First, I have danios and they notice food faster, so I started by making sure I got their attention and their splashing and flailing started alerting the goldies that something was up.

Second, I have been offering food at the exact same time every day from the exact same spot. It only took about 3-4 days for them to start looking for food in that area around "dinner time."

Third, I agree with smaller fish probably not needing that much, but since my pond has only been running for about 7 weeks also and I have some adult goldfish as well, there's not that much stuff in there to eat yet, so I've been giving them a little extra.

Last, I don't know why everyone here feeds floating food? Is it so you can scoop it out later? As someone with an aquarium for years I'd always been told to alway feed sinking food to goldfish so they don't swallow a bunch of air. I've found in the pond that none of the goldfish will yet come to the surface for food but they are happy to wait for it to sink at least halfway in the water column and then dart out and grab it.

Good luck to us both as we learn by doing!