Pond Food

Floating sticks, like Pets Choice Pond Sticks or Tetra Pond Fish Food Variety Sticks, sit on the surface and let you see exactly how much is being eaten, which makes it easy to spot if fish have gone off their food.

Pellets, whether floating or sinking, work well for a pond with fish that feed at different levels, and a variety pack that mixes both formats suits a pond with a mix of species and sizes.

Pond fish eat far less as the water cools, and most stop feeding altogether once temperatures drop enough that their metabolism slows right down for winter. Continuing to feed heavily through cold weather does more harm than good, since uneaten food simply fouls the water.

In warmer months, feed only what fish clear in a few minutes rather than a fixed amount every time, and remove anything left floating after that to keep the water clean.

A small tub of sticks or pellets suits a modest garden pond with a handful of fish, while a larger, resealable bag makes more sense for a bigger pond or several ponds, since food kept airtight and dry lasts longer than a small bag opened and closed repeatedly through the season.

Buy only as much as you will realistically use across a feeding season rather than stocking up heavily, since fish food loses some of its nutritional value once a bag has been open a long time, particularly in a damp shed or garage.