3 Reasons why I hardly ever feed my pond fish

[@kermit9409]

I have a mini pond with no filter, the water stays clear because of how it is balanced with the plants. I don’t have terrible algae problems, I only have an algae bloom every once in a while. Love your pond. I hardly ever feed my pond fish because they forage for food around the rocks, plants and reeds. Hope 2022 brings you joy

[@Ozponds]

Awesome! You have a great 2022 also 👍

[@Sixe5]

​@@Ozponds can i give the food to my goldfish once a week?

[@pennydoyle5905]

Love your laid back, easy to understand information

[@Ozponds]

I appreciate that!😊

[@russbeardsley6732]

I cant stress enough how a well planted pond will make it healthier. Ive found that the "orange peel plant" is a really useful plant for a pond. Its roots relish the ponds nutrients and the white flowers are quite attractive also. It can be quite vigorous so you need to stay on top of it.

[@Ozponds]

Plants are an awesome addition. Especially marginal plants.

[@angiemcmeans888]

The worm you caught on video is just amazing. I've never seen fish do that. The pond is so clear and I love the water lilies too!

[@Ozponds]

It was pretty cool. When I saw it I just had to record.

[@angiemcmeans888]

@@Ozponds Oh no doubt! It's so cool! I may have to try this when my fish get big enough. Thanks again for sharing.

[@Ozponds]

No problem Angie. 👍

[@geoffj3191]

I have crystal clear water but still have struggles with string algae, which I keep under control with my cut down plastic lawn rake, which I also use to remove the large magnolia leaves which fall from the tree over the pond. I think you're onto something with this Kev, and I'm going to put my fish on the OzPonds diet.,

[@Ozponds]

😂 the ozpond diet! Love it! Have you tried the diatomix Geoff?

[@arielburge4973]

You have inspired our pond here in Albuquerque, NM. Thanks!!

[@Ozponds]

I hope it turned out great 👍

[@daprip456]

Hi, thanks for the prompt response, have tested water quality with. 7 point test, all ok, ph is 7.7, water temp 11 degrees c, 80 litre bog filter, pumping 400 litres per hour.

[@Ozponds]

I wouldn’t be feeding at all at 11C. They really can’t metabolise protein in low temperatures.

[@daprip456]

Oh, I have another larger pond same temp with koi and goldfish and they are very active and still feeding ok?

[@Ozponds]

Ok.

[@jinliz3173]

Thank you for the useful tips!!!

[@Ozponds]

My pleasure 😊👍

[@brendaworsley7155]

Going to try that being an old lady just want a pond nice and clear without too much hassle ,

[@draphotube4315]

Thanks a lot with this! Best KZbin channel on ponds I have to say! Someone who understands how to have a pond in a natural condition! Very rare to see. I myself got a UBBINK Vijver Calmus SI, 120 x 90 cm, 0,85M²/145 ltr. First I had lots of algae, yet now my pond has turned from green to black. I have tested the water quality, it’s all perfectly balanced, aside from a bit too much chlorine. How does one get rid of that? Or is that naturally condensing out of the water?

[@Ozponds]

There shouldn’t be any chlorine in a natural pond. Even if you fill it with tap water it should evaporate in 24-48hrs.

[@RockStar-dg7yi]

That's awesome, thank you for this! I feed mine every other day but, at a very minimal amount so they don't get spoiled!

[@Ozponds]

Nice 👍

[@JBOsurf]

Your videos are great thank you. I just bought a house with two established external ponds and the fish seem very healthy and active. They forage for food on underwater and surface rocks and plants, the water is clear, and there is thin layer of algae on the bottom of the pool. I feed them once to twice a week absolute max. I leave the filter pumps running 24/7...should I do that, or switch them off at night? One is a spout style that sends out a circular fountain in the middle of the pond. The other is an underwater pump that circulates the water over a two level pond so there is always a waterfall from the upper to the lower pond. Advice appreciated! Cheers from Eden Hills, SA.

[@Ozponds]

That’s great 👍. Definitely keep the pumps running 24/7

[@artsmith103]

Oz is the expert but my experience is 50% of the day is plenty. Off for too long could lead to algae growth in pump system. Mine runs 50% of day 5 minutes on/off, night is 10 seconds on - 5 minutes off. Mine is solar powered so governed by battery requirements.

[@daprip456]

Hi, love the video. Wonder if you can help, I have recently made a free standing pond (400 liters, 3 months ago) 8 small goldfish taken from my large pond, now in the new pond they don’t swim around, just sit at the bottom most of the time, feed a bit but not that kean, any ideas why?

[@Ozponds]

What the water test say? What’s the temperature inside the pond? Filtration?

[@awayfreedom]

How many gold fishes would you raise in a 1300l pond with a 180l bogfilter?

[@skullman322]

Excellent, iv installed a pond 2 weeks ago and I have not added fish or filter yet, but have noticed small black larvae wiggling about, I'm hoping this will be food for my new goldfish?

[@Ozponds]

Yes they will eat your mosquito larvae.

[@skullman322]

@@Ozponds thank you

[@fr332bme23]

I have goldfish and minnows in N. TX. My pond is 125 gallons. I feed them once, every evening. They act as if they’re starving. If I stopped feeding them altogether will they be ok?

[@Ozponds]

I don’t know. If there’s lots of fish you probably need to continue feeding.

[@shahnawazvlog6266]

127 Like Happy New Year channel always super video. So my question to you is I have 600 gallon pond out door like you wooden box above ground.. Inside this are 2 koi and 1 small blind gold fish. I do not have plant inside try it before koi kill all the floating plant question I can just feed the koi 2 times a week only ?? I live in USA no snow where I am at.. I see some video you tube like you said feed the koi only one time a week....

[@Ozponds]

So long as there’s adequate natural food, feed as little processed food as you can. It’s a little bit or trail and error keeping cutting down till you find the sweet spot 👍

[@briman1968]

Thanks Kev! Can I ask what camera you use for the underwater shots? I would like to get one, thanks for the help!

[@Ozponds]

Just an iPhone SE. It’s water resistant but I purchased a water proof case. I had a go pro but it died very quickly, I’ll never buy another one of those.

[@70mikepowell]

Hi Kevin what size pond is this and water depth plz.

[@Ozponds]

About 1000L 60cm deep

[@70mikepowell]

Awesome thanks,roughly same as mine,I've made a bog filter and pond after following your great vids.👍

[@Ozponds]

@@70mikepowell I hope you get as much enjoyment out of your ponds as I get from mine 👍

[@dw2843]

Hey mate. Wonderful vid. I'm wondering what your thoughts are on adding snails to the pond to eat up some of the algae? I'm worried they'll do this too well and become more of a pest.

[@Ozponds]

They are present in most of my ponds. If there’s lots of food the population will explode but as they consume it the population stabilises. I’m not sure what type of snail I have they are quite small. I think the goldfish eat them cause I rarely see them in the goldfish ponds. But maybe it’s just the goldfish consuming the algae, I’m not 100% sure.

[@artsmith103]

​@@Ozponds I have a 50 gallon pond that I struggled between very hard well water and creek water with algae spore. Have had a couple bad algae blooms but worked through it removing manually. I was interested to get larger Mystery Snail. The pet shop told me the goldfish will eat it. I see the gold fish eating string Algae, maybe I'll feed less.

[@jaydenmaliakal7215]

Should I add shrimp to my pond? My pond is an above ground pond, so will it still get bugs and larvae in it or should I also add shrimp. I was thinking of it in a way where shrimp control plant population and goldfish control shrimp population.

[@Ozponds]

You can definitely add shrimp. You’ll probably need to continuously add them the goldfish will eat them.

[@jentaylor9683]

I have a new pond with goldfish and minnows. I have been feeding them. I did experience a beautifully clear pond for about a week and then it clouded up again. I have plants in the waterfall as well as lillies in the pond. Will it eventually clear up again if I leave the fish to do their thing or is there something I need to do to help it along?

[@Ozponds]

New ponds are fickle things. There’s going to be many ups and downs in water clarity. Once it matures it should be beautiful.

[@Keiichi879]

New year and a new video already!

[@Ozponds]

😂 👍

[@sveltedaisy4]

thank you for your video. your pond is so clear with no algae! My pond is clear but there is this green/gray algae that sticks to the sides of my pond liner and rocks. At first it was string algae and I could wind it around a stick and get it out but it changed to this stuff which is kinda slimy and looks sort of fluffy too. I thought I could post a picture for you to see but I can't . I have 2 comet goldfish and at least 20 or more mosquito fish. I have plants too - water lilies etc. Any ideas how to get rid of the ugly algae? I really want to have a natural pond and not have to use chemicals.

[@Ozponds]

The fuzz algae is good and natural. This is a sign of a mature ecosystem. I have it too. If it gets too thick you can scrape it off with your hands or a pond vacuum.

[@sveltedaisy4]

@@Ozponds oh whew! I was worried it was not good stuff. The good thing is my 2 gold fish have tripled in size since I got them 6 months ago. I got them to eat the gazillion snails that proliferated my pond. They did a good job and got rid of most of them. Then, I started feeding the fish figuring there were no more snails for them to eat. Now the snails seem to have come back. Also my mosquito fish are multiplying like wildfire - I gave a bunch away but then I see new babies..ahhhh!! Thank you so very much for taking the time to reply to me.. you are awesome!!!! I love your ponds and videos!

[@Ozponds]

Yes those mosquito fish breed like crazy! They are very illegal to keep here in Australia. Your goldfish will also graze on the fuzz you don’t like, so don’t worry about them starving.

[@NielsTichelaar]

i have a small pond im feeding like 4 a 5 times a day. do a 20% water change every week and every week clean my filter out just the mechanical part. got the pond now 6 months. did this from the beginning. never had anny trouble. always clear water.

[@Ozponds]

That’s great 👍 if it are not broke, don’t fix it!

[@purple-porker]

Thanks for the vid

[@sabine3769]

I would love to have a pond so pretty

[@Ozponds]

You could. Even just a tiny one in a pot if space is limited.

[@nicola3540]

I never feed the fish in my pond and they all look healthy and well fed - sometimes I think too well fed as a couple are real fatty little boombahs! - and they breed like crazy. A little while ago I did throw in some fish food just to see their reaction …. and there wasn’t one,, they ignored it and carried on with their usual fishy business, I don’t think they even realised it was food!

[@Ozponds]

That’s awesome Nicola 👍

[@nickpain849]

I have a pond like that but I get terrible string algae in it

[@Ozponds]

That’s no good. This one has a bog filter in a barrel. Water is always clean and clear. Sometimes small amounts of string algae appear, but the fish eat it.

[@Ebsanging]

Thankyou

[@Ozponds]

Anytime 👍

[@jaideepsinghrathod7113]

Which variety of gold fish is good in pond?

[@Ozponds]

I like comets and shubunkins

[@jaideepsinghrathod7113]

@@Ozponds thank you for suggestion &you have beautiful pond

[@zzman5306]

Comets are cheap and hardy. If they die you aren't out much money.

[@alisonb5796]

So if my fish are lazy, is it a bad idea to stop feeding them?

[@Ozponds]

I can only give you the reasons why I hardly feed mine.

[@alisonb5796]

@Ozponds , well started to feed every second day, and have already seen a huge difference in the water..Ty!!!

[@shanzidaferdous9827]

My water Lily and fishes all died suddenly on mini pond!

[@Ozponds]

😞 that’s no good.

[@blairknight7793]

A balanced ecosystem is important but it is important to watch levels in a contained system. The bacteria that breakdown the ammonia and fish waste consume the carbonate hardness from the water as part of their life cycle. Rain water falling in the pond is also very soft and lowers the Kh, if it gets low enough your ph drops rapidly and both the important bacteria and your favourite fish die. Owners of every fish tank or pond I ever visited that say "I don't need to do anything" will admit after I test their system that from time to time they have fish die off. They also don't realise that fish growth is retarded by hormones that build up in the water. Never doing water changes is not good for fish health, it limits their growth and shortens their life as proven in top-end setups where goldfish grow to 18-24cm in 24 months. They will get to 30-40cm if the water is healthy for them. If they stay small for years its because of poor quality water conditions.

[@Ozponds]

This pond is only 5 years old, so far this hasn’t been an issue for me. Perhaps the media in the bog filter is the difference. I don’t really know. This is just what I do and what works for me and my lifestyle. So far I’ve never changed the water just top ups and whatever the rain provides. In my aquariums I always do regular water changes and add salt, but not the ponds.

[@blairknight7793]

@@Ozponds my pond needs 1/2 cup of bicarbonate of soda once a month(2000 plus litres) to maintain the Kh at 7-13 which is what healthy goldfish need. My tap water is about 3 on the scale, without extra buffering the bacteria pull it down to zero in about 2 months then the ph will fall aggressively and ammonia shows up in tests imediately. Certain rocks help maintain levels naturally if you're lucky, coral sand in a sock is a great trick, if your ph drops the acid water dissolves the coral sand and it automatically lifts your Kh and corrects your ph, it may save your system without you even knowing it, just gotta soak the sock in normal tap water once every 8 weeks to kill the bacteria in the sock, they make a slime coat that stops the water coming in contact with the coral when it needs to. With watching a few levels and doing a 40% water change every 8 weeks my fish grow about 10-15mm a month and they feed about 70% on Algae too.

[@Ozponds]

Awesome. Sounds like you’ve got it all perfect 👍

[@Lee-re1by]

🐟🐟🐟🐟

[@fishtales2597]

Heres me thinking im starving me fish if i dont feed them.....

[@Riley095]

It's probably healthier for the fish though. I highly disagree with this method. I mean you might infect your fish with parasites and nasty stuff these are not wild animals they r your pets. But do whatever you want

[@Ozponds]

It’s ok to disagree. I treat my ponds as ecosystems. They are different to an aquarium, a yard or an enclosure where other people might keep “pets”. I want them to be self sustaining. If I overstocked the pond I would absolutely supplement their feeding.

[@Riley095]

@@Ozponds alright

[@Riley095]

@@Ozponds I mean like I said do whatever you want it's none of my business but I assume that these fish are on your property which means you have ownership over them by definition making them pets,not trying to act like a Karen but just pointing it out.

[@Mothobius]

@@Riley095 so letting the fish live the most natural way is a bad thing?

[@MrJoshcc600]

I have a cat and refuse to feed her too. Just let her outside to eat the natural way