How Often Should I Feed?

[SeaWitch]

I was wondering how often I should feed my pond fish? Right now, are temps are very hot and I had read where if the water is above 80 degrees or so, then not to feed the fish. I do have plenty of algae in the tank, so it isn't like they are not getting any food, but I just wondering how often I should feed them with our temps so hot right now? These are all fancy goldies.

[GlassGoldfish]

60-65 degrees 1x/day
65-85 degrees 2x/day

[WakinAZ]

The low temperature guidelines are pretty well documented, but advice on what the upper limit on high temps is is harder to find. My indoor tanks are 82-84 degrees with ambient temp around 80-82 and filters adding a degree or two. I feed twice a day, and the fish are active and always hungry. I found this through a Google search, seems like good general advice:

From http://keystonehatcheries.com/default.asp?id=188 :

Seasonal Feeding
As water temperatures go up and down it is important to adjust your feeding patterns accordingly, taking into account the ability of your fish to digest and assimilate the food, and your biofilters ability to process the waste. Below are some guidelines, but never feed more than your fish can consume within a couple minutes and never feed if your water quality is poor. Koi and Goldfish that are in good condition can go weeks without feeding, so if you have poor water quality, cease all feeding until you have performed water changes and resolved the problems.

Above 85°F: These high water temperatures are dangerous because of stress to fish and lower oxygen levels. Do what you can to cool the water through partial water changes and shading. Only feed Wheat Germ based diets in small amounts that the fish will eat in one or two minutes during the morning and/or evening.
70 to 85°F: This is the ideal growing water temperature for Koi & Goldfish. Feed Staple, Color and Growth diets in amounts that the fish will consume within a couple minutes up to 4 times a day. Koi & Goldfish have very small stomachs, so they prefer eating small amounts of food frequently rather than large amounts occasionally.
60 to 69°F: Reduce feeding frequency to once or twice a day at most. Feed Wheat Germ and Staple diets but avoid Growth diets.
50-59°F: Feed no more often than once a day and limit it to Wheat Germ diets. If your fish show no interest in feeding, let them rest.
Below 50°F: Do not feed your fish unless they are begging you! This will only happen if the sun has warmed the water and triggered their feeding behavior…or if you have a bad thermometer! If you do feed them, limit it to Wheat Germ diets and only feed once or twice per week. Once the water temperature has dropped to the low 40’s, you will do more harm than good by disturbing your fish.

[SeaWitch]

Thank you so much, WakinAZ!

[marlin08]

Great information, thank you!