Looking After Fish

Feeding fish :

In well-established garden ponds, fish survive without being fed from the outside if there is plenty of vegetation on which water insects can breed. The one exception is when fish are introduced into a newly made pool, because the vegetation and other natural foods have not built up to the extent needed to sustain fish without some additional contribution. Supplementary feeding should be carried on for at least the first season after stocking such a pond.

The food which various types of fish eat differs to some extent. Several, such as perch, pike and zanier, live largely on other fish, even to the extent of cannibalism of their own species. It is important therefore that such predators are not introduce into a gender pool stocked with, say carp pr rainbow trout , which although they will eat fry, largely liven on insects, larvae etc. and especially with  carp, pond, vegetation. There are some fairly well-defined rules covering the feeding pf fish dept in a garden pool, whether for decorative or edible purposes. To produce healthy fish these rules must be adhered to strictly. In the first place, if fish are to grow quickly for the table, it is essential that they should have ample oxygen. Another factor is the temperature of the water. When it is warm there needs are greater than when it cools down in winter. In fact when it is rally cold their food intake falls almost nothing. Between late November and early March it is seldom necessary to feed fish at all. 

There are, however two times in the years when it is important to be sure that they are well fed. One pf these is at the end  of summer and early autumn –September and – October –when a supplementary high-protein ration should be provided, because natural life in ponds diminishes and it is important for the fish to be fortified to withstand the winter, during which time they rely on nourishment stored in then own bodies. The other time is in the spring when insects and other natural foods are only just beginning to come to life again. At these two periods it is an advantage to supplement their natural diet with chopped-up earthworms, vegetable proteins, yeast products, shredded meat etc. There is an excellent proprietary high-protein food in the form of floating pellets, produced by a leading manufacturer of trout and salmon food. 

It is a complete diet of fish meal, vegetable proteins, yeast and cereals to which is asses a proportion of shrimp meal, vitamins and mineral. As the pellets float, the fish come to the surface to nibble them. The pellets are easily removed if they are not soon devoured, so there is no risk of pollution. During the rest of the year other food that can be given includes baked breadcrumbs, oatmeal soaked in hot water, mashed peas, cooked potatoes and, cheapest of all, household scraps. If fish are being raised for the table and are table and ate to grow satisfactorily in a reasonably short time, they must be given an amole amount of food in addition to that which they get from pond life. The operative word is ‘ample’ as a guide, they should have no more food than they will consume in five minutes. The amount fish will eat in this period depends on a number of factors, such as whether they are din and active, and the temperature pf the water. Normally, one feed a day, if it is pf the right size is sufficient.

There is one danger period –when you go away for two or three weeks’ holiday. a kindly offer form a neighbors to feed the fish should be gently refused, because the fish may well be inadvertently overfed. It is quite safe to leave the fish to fend for themselves.