What to feed feeder fish while they are small

[chuckinnc]

I picked up 2 dozen larger size feeder fish from Pet co today, also some goldfish flakes. I plain on raising these to adults and see If they will reproduce. What would be the best type of food for this purpose? They thin flakes seem to thin out and vanish, is there a more stable or grainy food to fed these, most fish are about 2" long.

 

[Gemma]

I picked up 2 dozen larger size feeder fish from Pet co today, also some goldfish flakes. I plain on raising these to adults and see If they will reproduce. What would be the best type of food for this purpose? They thin flakes seem to thin out and vanish, is there a more stable or grainy food to fed these, most fish are about 2" long.

There is no "if" they will reproduce!....a lot!
I think they're fine on fish flakes, some people don't even feed pond goldfish!

Welcome to the group btw!

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Switch to small pelleted food. Flakes are notorious for fouling the water.

 

[j.w]

Are these goldfish in a pond or aquarium? I assume in a pond and I would feed the small pellets to them. I bought 12 feeder fish about 15 years ago for my pond and never fed them a thing for years. They ate bugs etc. whatever they could catch and they survived fine and bred like rabbits! Now I broke down a few yrs ago and started feeding them once a day. I feed them my cats dry food and goldfish pellets for the smaller fish. Boy do they love that cat food!

 

[PossumsDad]

Gold fish eat just about anything.. Though they do like small pellet koi food. They also like the floating stick food.

 

[chuckinnc]

Gold fish eat just about anything.. Though they do like small pellet koi food. They also like the floating stick food.

Ok. a local ebay seller has (live vinegar eel starter culture) suppose to be a renewable source of food. Not sure
if this is what I need, I have 800 gallon pond so I need alot of food.

 

[IPA]

Ok. a local ebay seller has (live vinegar eel starter culture) suppose to be a renewable source of food. Not sure
if this is what I need, I have 800 gallon pond so I need alot of food.

there should be plenty of food in the pond if it is well established unless you are trying to raise all of them. I just crushed up the pellets I feed the adults when I had babies and feed them very little. I'd stay away from the snake oil.

Edit: re-read initial post. Get small goldfish pellets from online pet store or local store. Again, no need to search for something someone is selling claiming to have reinvented the wheel.

 

[HomerJay]

Just pick up a small pellet food from the pet store to supplement their scavenging. If the pond has been running for a bit, they'll find plenty to eat.

 

[Angel]

Pellets will mush in the water softer for small fish to graze on.

 

[addy1]

Not sure
if this is what I need, I have 800 gallon pond so I need alot of food.

Don't over feed, you will foul your water and your fish could get in trouble. My pond is around 10000 gallons, I feed very little. I do have a lot of plants the fish graze on.

 

[dolceang]

There is no "if" they will reproduce!....a lot!
I think they're fine on fish flakes, some people don't even feed pond goldfish!

Welcome to the group btw!

My newbies aren't eating the flakes, they're timid and haven't swam over to eat, but I still feed them and I run a pump to air-rate the water as well as skim the top. Do you think the fish are eating by other means then, should I continue with the flakes or go with pellets (btw, the fish are tiny, not sure if pellets are too big?) or not feed them and hope they're getting enough nutrition and food from the growth in my pond?
Thank you in advance..

 

[addy1]

I hardly ever feed mine and a lot of the tiny fry survive just fine. There is a lot of food in the pond for them.

 

[Mmathis]

@dolceang Hello and welcome! How big is your pond, or do you have these new guys in a tank?

How “small” (and what kind) are your small fish? Have you tried pulverizing the flakes and/or the pellets into a fine powder? If your pond is well established with algae, as @addy1 said, they will survive on what’s available to them inside the pond.

Be careful not to over feed, especially if the fish are in a small volume of water.

 

[mrsclem]

I got a dozen tiny feeder goldfish last year, all under and inch. They were in a pond with a lot of lilies. They never got fed. This year I have baby goldfish!

 

[rubyduby]

I picked up 2 dozen larger size feeder fish from Pet co today, also some goldfish flakes. I plain on raising these to adults and see If they will reproduce. What would be the best type of food for this purpose? They thin flakes seem to thin out and vanish, is there a more stable or grainy food to fed these, most fish are about 2" long.

Bug Bites!