I feel guilty not feeding my goldfish in winter

[Laaf]

Can you convince me not to give them any food?

They do come out during the day and swim around except during the coldest days/weeks. They have been more active this week than the past few weeks. They stay deeper in the water than their usual warm weather behavior.

I worry they are hungry so I put in some sinking food and they did eat it and more fish came out of hiding to eat. I do not feed them every day, but it has been about once a week that I give in and put some sinking food in.

Wouldn't fish "know" not to eat if they do not need it or it would make them sick?

Air temps are 21-high 50s this week. There has even been light ice on the pond when the fish are swimming around.

I understand not putting food in if they are holding still and out of sight. But when they are swimming around, they look hungry to me. Yes there is algae they can eat on the pond walls.

I am in USDA zone 7a-7b.

Here are pics from am today (most sparse) to just over a month ago when they were more active and at the surface and plants were more alive.

 

[BKHpondcritters]

I have koi, not goldfish, so my experience might not be relevant or helpful for you, but I absolutely do NOT feed the fish once water temps are 50 or below. The thing is, I don't even have to look at the pond thermometer because once it hits that temp the fish stop their active begging. They swim around, they suck on the rocks & gravel, they might even come up & eat a small bit of something that falls in the pond - but they don't follow me or come racing over to 'ask' for food. That tells me that they don't need/want supplemental food.

So, how do your fish normally 'ask' for food, or act when they are really hungry? If they're not doing those same behaviors now, then don't feel guilty for not feeding.

 

[JRS]

I once gave my goldfish some pellets during a warming spell in spring. Only one seemed really hungry. Probably ate most of the pellets and was dead the next day. Assuming the pellets swelled and caused an impacted gut.

Remember the air temp is higher than the water temp which is the important value. If the water temp is good, and will stay warm, light feeding with the appropriate cold water food is probably ok but remember at cooler temps the digestion is not as fast and if the weather turns cold you could have problems.

Another opinion: On warm days the fish may become active and "beg" for food. Don't be fooled. Stay strong and do not feed. If the fish do need a little food, they will find enough growing in the pond. The algae that coats the pond liner is all they need. These cold temperatures slow the metabolism of your fish and food will not be properly digested. It can take 3-4 days for the fish to digest the food. It's not worth the fish's life to give it food. https://aquanooga.com/care-feeding-of-pond-fish/

 

[poconojoe]

If you truly care about your fish you will stop feeding them. If you feed them when the water temperature is below 40F you are risking their health. There's a medical term for this condition that I dont recall, but basically the food will rot in their stomach since they are in a type of hibernation mode.

Also, the water retains it's temperature longer than the air whether it be a low temperature or high. So the air temperature doesn't affect the water temperature as quickly as you would think.
Test your water with a reliable thermometer.

 

[Laaf]

Ok. You all are convincing.

They are not coming to the top to beg like they do in warmer weather.

I will resist feeding.

 

[Stephen Noble]

You must resist the 'Dark Side' and use the Force!

 

[GBBUDD]

Fish are not like humans and thankfully for that.
They do not get 3 square meals a day.
They graze all day. often getting next to nothing for days or even weeks .
Add cold temps into the equation , Around here that can be 34 degrees.
At those temps the fish are more like the living dead.
IF they recognize Food on the surface the odds are it will take them a minute to act . they are next to frozen and the reaction time is WAY OFF. everything is off with them . Their breathing is very shallow , thank god cold water holds more oxygen. The digestion works but like everything else just barely.
Sounds terrible to us , heck if we get into 60 degree water for any length of time we are done for .

ITS WILD LIFE they have learned to adapt

 

[Lisak1]

That's what we call in our house a "misplaced emotion". You are humanizing your fish. Imagine how you would feel if you acted on that emotion and then they all got sick or worse. I've visited ponds filled with goldfish where they never get fed by hand - all healthy, thriving fish just living on what nature provides.

And remember - it's WATER TEMP not AIR TEMP that matters. When those spring temperatures jump above 50 degrees for a day, your pond might still be 40 degrees - too cold for food. Err on the side of later rather than earlier - your fish will thank you for it!

 

[CometKeith]

Hi. LOL goldfish and Koi are cold blooded creatures. That means they do not feel cold or hot. In the winter theirmetabolos slows down and they cannot digest food. This is kinda like the very cold frogs in biology lab if you have taken any college biology courses. You are actually hurting them by feeding them below 50 degrees centigrade because they can no digest the food!

 

[Laaf]

I really have stopped feeding them.

They were very active today. My misplaced emotion for the day is that they were having fun and playing in the air stream from my aerator. They line up and cluster around it and swim through it. They seem to enjoy getting tossed around by it like it is roller coaster ride.

The past few weeks they were staying deeper and away from the aerator.

(( I never did frog labs in college, but we did dissect preserved dead frogs in high school. The smell (weird plasticky smell) still haunts me))

 

[GBBUDD]

When the temps get down to 40 and lower you'll want to bring the air stone into the shallow area.
You don't want to stir up the bottom water of the pond as it is the warmest in the winter down deep.

 

[Laaf]

Thank you for the comment. It is not in the deep end.

 

[Doctor mcboy]

i never feed my goldfish and they do fine

 

[addy1]

I started feeding last year to help more eggs survive = more fish. The snakes ate over 200 fish. I know it was at least that many, I bought over 300 fish and now down to 75 or so.

 

[Miami Al]

We're having a bad cold snap. I fed my finish anyway. I killed a few fish. Like you I feel bad, but need to stop.

My goldfish are okay in this temperature (mid 40s), but a few of my tropical fish died.

A few were hanging out in warmer corners of the pond barely moving.

Editted: a few of my tropical fish died... like 2, out of 40+