Do you Need to Feed Fish in a Backyard Pond?

Wanting fish is one of the top reasons why people get a backyard pond to begin with--so they can house and then interact with their beloved fish pets. Fish feeding naturally comes with the territory of owning pond fish. When to feed pond fish and how much to feed pond fish and should you feed at all certainly is always the topic of conversation for newer pond owners. In this blog, we're going to answer the last question.

Koi and Goldfish

Koi pond fish are really awesome fish not only because of their unique patterns and colorations but because they are vivacious algae eaters. While goldfish don't love algae as much as koi, they will eat other micro-organisms in your pond, when they're hungry. In fact, when you think about it logistically in Mother Nature, fish fend for themselves all day, every day when it comes to their food sources.

So with that logic, you could quit feeding all together and let your fish eat up the algae and other nutrients in the pond as they would in nature. If you get your fish accustomed to looking to you for food, however, it may be hard to switch them to only what they find inside their ecosystem.

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Pond Fish Personality

The more consistent you are with your fish feeding (i.e. feeding your fish at the same time from the same spot every day) the more personable they will become-- seemingly coming to greet you as soon as you come outside to the pond. We also have been able to HAND-FEED fish and even pet them! Imagine the interaction your kids and grandkids will have with fish who literally are happy to see you.

If you neglect feeding your fish, they wont look to you as friends and may consider you a threat if they don't understand what role you play in their lives. You may notice fish bolt really fast when they see a shadow or sense quick movements and they may even go as far as hiding from you!

So Now What??

It's important to remember the more YOU feed your fish, your fish will look to you as their source of nutrition and will become more personable and friendly.

Dreamscapes also carries a full line of pond supplies from water treatments and fish medications to pond pumps, heaters, fountains, plants and fish! Tadpoles and snails are also available at our Aquatic Retail Center in Lebanon, Pennsylvania seasonally while supplies last from May-August.  If you think you need it, we have it!

Retail Hours:  April 5th-October 27th 2018:
                           Monday-Wednesday: By Appt
                           Thursday-Friday: 10am-5pm
                           Saturday: 9am-12pm
                     October 28th-April 2019: HOURS BY APPT


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2155 State Route 343, Lebanon Pa | 717-272-6555 | [email protected]

Dreamscapes Watergardens services the city of Lebanon, Lancaster, Harrisburg, Mechanicsburg, Camp Hill, Cleona, Cornwall, Fredericksburg, Indiantown Gap, Jonestown, Kleinfeltersville, Mount Gretna, Myerstown, Newmanstown Palmyra, Quentin, Reistville, Richland, Schaefferstown of Pennsylvania, PA