What to Feed Pond Goldfish

Goldfish are omnivorous fish and will eat a surprisingly wide range of foods in a garden pond. They graze on natural plant material and algae, search for small aquatic animals and insect larvae, and readily accept prepared pond food.

That variety does not mean that anything from the kitchen is suitable for them. For pond goldfish kept as pets, a good-quality complete food formulated for goldfish or ornamental pond fish should normally remain the main part of the diet. Natural foods and suitable vegetables can provide useful variety and enrichment, but they should not turn the diet into a collection of nutritionally incomplete leftovers.

What do goldfish eat naturally in a pond?

Wild and naturalised goldfish are opportunistic omnivores rather than strict herbivores.

Their natural diet can include:

• small planktonic crustaceans;
• insect larvae and other aquatic invertebrates;
• phytoplankton and algae;
• soft plant material;
• organic detritus;
• fish eggs and very small fry.

A mature garden pond can therefore provide a surprising amount of natural foraging. Goldfish may spend much of the day picking through plants, surfaces and the pond bottom even shortly after they have been fed.

This natural behaviour is useful enrichment, but it does not automatically mean that a stocked ornamental pond supplies a nutritionally complete diet throughout the year.

What is the best food for pond goldfish?

For most pond goldfish, the simplest and safest staple is a quality commercial food formulated specifically for goldfish or compatible ornamental pond fish.

A complete prepared diet is designed to provide an appropriate balance of protein, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. That is difficult to reproduce consistently by combining random kitchen ingredients.

Goldfish foods are available as flakes, granules and floating or sinking pellets. For outdoor ponds, pellets are often convenient because different sizes can be selected for different sizes of fish and it is easy to see whether the food is actually being eaten.

The best product is not necessarily the one with the longest list of exotic ingredients. Choose a reputable food intended for goldfish or pond cyprinids, store it correctly and replace old food that has become damp, mouldy, rancid or otherwise deteriorated.

Do you need to feed goldfish in a pond?

Goldfish in a mature pond will find some natural food for themselves, especially during the warmer months when insect and plant life is abundant.

However, a stocked ornamental pond is different from a natural lake. The number of fish may be much higher relative to the available natural food, and the pond may not provide the same variety throughout the year.

For that reason, routinely kept pond goldfish are normally given a suitable prepared food while temperatures and fish activity support feeding.

A lightly stocked, mature and heavily planted pond may provide more natural food than a densely stocked formal pond. The amount of supplementary feeding needed therefore depends partly on the individual pond.

How much should pond goldfish be fed?

Overfeeding is a much more common problem than a healthy goldfish failing to eat every time food appears.

A useful practical rule is to offer only a small amount that the fish can consume within a few minutes. Food that remains floating, sinks uneaten or accumulates around the pond ultimately becomes additional organic waste.

More food also means more fish waste, increasing the load on the biological filter. If ammonia or nitrite begins to rise, continuing to feed heavily will make the situation worse.

Observe the fish rather than following a feeding quantity mechanically. Fish size, stocking level, water temperature, season and the nutritional density of the food all affect how much should be offered.

How often should pond goldfish be fed?

Once daily is a reasonable routine for many adult pond goldfish during normal feeding conditions, provided the portion is small enough to be consumed quickly.

Juvenile growing fish or unusual husbandry situations may require a different feeding schedule, and the manufacturer's instructions for the particular food should also be considered.

The appetite and metabolism of pond fish change with water temperature, so a summer feeding routine should not simply continue unchanged into cold weather.

Feeding goldfish as the water gets colder

Goldfish are cold-water fish, but their metabolism slows as water temperature falls.

During cooler conditions, feed less and use a diet appropriate for lower temperatures where required. Easily digestible pond foods such as wheatgerm formulations are commonly used during the cooler parts of the year.

When water becomes very cold and goldfish are largely inactive, feeding may be reduced dramatically or stopped. Current pond-fish husbandry guidance commonly uses approximately 8 °C as a point below which feeding ordinary pond fish may no longer be appropriate.

In spring, reintroduce food gradually as water temperature and fish activity increase.

What can I feed my goldfish if I run out of fish food?

This is one of the easiest pond emergencies to overthink.

If normal goldfish food has temporarily run out, do not compensate by throwing large quantities of bread, meat or assorted leftovers into the pond. A short interruption in the normal feeding routine is preferable to creating a water quality problem with unsuitable or excessive food.

If you want to provide a small temporary meal, reasonable choices include:

• thawed and shelled peas;
• plain spinach;
• softened or blanched lettuce;
• daphnia, if you already have frozen or live food available;
• bloodworm in modest quantities;
• brine shrimp in modest quantities.

These should be regarded as temporary foods or dietary supplements rather than a permanent replacement for a complete goldfish diet.

Vegetables that goldfish can eat

Vegetable matter can be a useful part of a varied goldfish diet.

Peas are a familiar choice. Frozen peas can be thawed, the outer skin removed, and the soft inside broken into pieces suitable for the size of the fish. Spinach and soft lettuce can also be offered in small amounts.

Tough vegetables should be softened where necessary so that the fish can tear off manageable pieces. Any uneaten vegetable matter should be removed rather than allowed to decompose in the pond.

Vegetables are supplements, not evidence that goldfish are herbivores. Their natural diet also includes animal material such as small crustaceans and insect larvae.

Do peas cure constipation in goldfish?

Peas are a suitable supplementary vegetable food, but describing them as a universal "natural laxative" oversimplifies fish health problems.

Abnormal buoyancy, swelling, reduced appetite or unusual faeces can have many causes. Feeding a pea should not replace checking water quality or investigating an unwell fish.

Use peas because they are an acceptable part of a varied goldfish diet, not as a guaranteed treatment for every digestive or buoyancy problem.

Can goldfish eat cabbage?

Cabbage occasionally appears in lists of homemade goldfish foods, and goldfish may nibble softened vegetable material. However, there is little reason to make cabbage a preferred supplement when better-established options such as peas, spinach and soft lettuce are readily available.

If you are looking for a vegetable supplement, I would choose one of those better-established foods rather than making cabbage a regular part of the diet.

Can pond goldfish eat bread?

Bread is not an appropriate staple food for pond goldfish.

A tiny accidental piece is not a reason to panic, but bread is not formulated to provide the nutritional balance required by goldfish and can quickly become another source of uneaten organic waste in the pond.

If you have run out of fish food, there are better short-term alternatives such as peas, spinach or softened lettuce. Or simply resume normal feeding when appropriate food is available again rather than turning bread into a routine substitute.

Can goldfish eat shrimp and other animal foods?

Yes, goldfish are omnivores and animal material is a normal component of their diet.

Suitable supplementary foods can include small aquatic invertebrates such as daphnia, bloodworm and brine shrimp. These are widely available as frozen or live aquarium foods and are much more convenient than attempting to collect unknown organisms from potentially contaminated water.

Protein-rich foods should provide variety rather than displacing a balanced goldfish food as the everyday diet.

The old idea that goldfish cannot digest animal food simply because it contains fat is incorrect. What matters is feeding an appropriate overall diet rather than treating the fish as either strict herbivores or carnivores.

What about earthworms?

Goldfish naturally consume various small invertebrates and may readily take pieces of earthworm.

For most pond keepers, however, there is little advantage in making garden worms a major food source. Their origin may be uncertain and gardens can contain fertilisers, pesticides or other contaminants.

Purpose-produced frozen or live aquarium foods are easier to store, portion and use consistently if you want to add animal-based dietary variety.

Should you breed mosquito larvae as goldfish food?

Goldfish certainly eat insect larvae, including mosquito larvae that naturally occur in aquatic environments.

However, deliberately leaving buckets or containers of standing water outdoors to encourage mosquitoes to breed is not a good modern husbandry practice. Mosquitoes can transmit diseases to people and animals, and public-health guidance recommends eliminating or covering standing-water containers rather than deliberately creating breeding sites.

If you want to provide live or frozen invertebrate food, commercially produced daphnia, bloodworm or brine shrimp are much more sensible choices.

Can you make homemade goldfish food?

It is possible to prepare homemade or gel foods that goldfish will eat, and these can provide useful enrichment or an occasional supplementary meal.

The difficulty is not persuading a goldfish to eat the mixture. Goldfish are enthusiastic feeders. The difficult part is knowing whether a homemade recipe contains the correct balance of protein, energy, essential fatty acids, vitamins and minerals when fed over the long term.

A simple homemade mixture should therefore be treated as a supplement unless it has been deliberately formulated as a complete fish diet.

There is normally no need to add crushed children's vitamin tablets or other human supplements to a good commercial goldfish food. Complete feeds are already formulated with vitamins and minerals intended for the fish.

What about garlic in goldfish food?

Garlic is sometimes included in commercial fish foods and homemade recipes, often because fish find foods containing it attractive.

That does not justify treating garlic as a medicine. Claims that adding garlic to homemade goldfish food will reliably lower the fish's cholesterol or blood pressure, boost its immune system or prevent disease go far beyond what should be promised in a practical pond-feeding guide.

If a fish is unwell, investigate water quality and the actual health problem rather than trying to treat it by adding garlic to its food.

Foods I would not use as routine pond-goldfish food

Goldfish will investigate and attempt to eat many things, but willingness to eat something is not proof that it is a good diet.

• Bread as a regular food. It is nutritionally incomplete for goldfish and unnecessary when proper fish food is available.
• Seasoned human leftovers. Sauces, salt, spices, oils and processed ingredients have no useful place in a normal pond-goldfish diet.
• Spoiled or mouldy food. Never try to save money by feeding food that has deteriorated.
• Large quantities of one vegetable. Supplemental vegetables should provide variety, not replace a balanced staple diet.
• Large amounts of high-protein treats. Bloodworm, brine shrimp and similar foods can supplement the diet without becoming the entire diet.
• Unidentified wild live foods. Collecting food from contaminated ponds, drains or other unknown water sources adds avoidable risk.
• Human vitamin tablets and supplements. A complete goldfish food already provides nutrients in a formulation intended for fish.
• Anything left uneaten. Even a perfectly suitable food becomes a water-quality problem if too much of it is allowed to decay in the pond.

How feeding affects pond water quality

Food does not disappear when the fish swallow it.

Part of its nutrients eventually return to the water as fish waste, while anything left uneaten begins to decompose directly. Increasing the amount of food therefore increases the load placed on the mechanical and biological filtration system.

If feeding increases, monitor ammonia and nitrite and make sure the filter continues to cope with the fish load.

The most expensive fish food is often the food that was never needed in the first place and ends up being removed from the filter as waste.

See our guides to pond filtration and pond water quality for more information.

How to save money on pond goldfish food safely

The original version of this article was written around the idea of replacing commercial fish food with inexpensive alternatives. A better way to save money is to reduce waste without sacrificing nutritional quality.

1. Use a complete staple food. A balanced food reduces the need to improvise a diet from many separate ingredients.
2. Do not overfeed. Feeding more than the fish need wastes both money and filtration capacity.
3. Choose the correct pellet size. Food that fish can eat easily is less likely to be ignored and left to decay.
4. Store dry food properly. Keep it cool and dry in a sealed container and avoid buying so much that it deteriorates before it can be used.
5. Use suitable supplements for variety. Peas, spinach and other appropriate foods can add enrichment without replacing the balanced staple.
6. Let the pond provide natural enrichment. A mature pond with plants and healthy biological diversity allows goldfish to graze and forage naturally between meals.

Common pond goldfish feeding mistakes

• Assuming a hungry-looking goldfish must be hungry. Goldfish are enthusiastic feeders and commonly continue searching for food even after being fed.
• Using treats as the main diet. Variety is useful, but the staple should remain nutritionally balanced.
• Feeding the same amount all year. Pond-fish metabolism changes substantially with water temperature.
• Leaving vegetables in the pond indefinitely. Remove uneaten pieces before they decay.
• Responding to every health problem with peas or garlic. Check water quality and investigate the actual cause of abnormal behaviour or appearance.
• Trying to save money with low-quality or spoiled ingredients. Economy should come from avoiding waste, not compromising the basic diet.

Pond goldfish feeding FAQs

What do goldfish eat in a pond?

Goldfish are omnivores. In a pond they may eat insect larvae, small crustaceans, plankton, algae, plant material, detritus and even fish eggs or very small fry. Pet pond goldfish should normally also receive a balanced goldfish or pond-fish food.

What can I feed goldfish if I run out of fish food?

For a short-term substitute, small amounts of thawed shelled peas, spinach or softened lettuce are reasonable choices. Daphnia, bloodworm or brine shrimp can also be used if you already have suitable frozen or live food. Return to a complete goldfish food when it is available.

Do pond goldfish need to be fed?

A mature pond provides some natural food, but stocked ornamental ponds are normally supplemented with a complete prepared food. How much natural food is available depends on the pond, season and stocking level.

What is the best food for pond goldfish?

A good-quality complete food formulated for goldfish or ornamental pond fish is the best everyday staple. Vegetables and suitable live or frozen foods can provide additional variety.

Can goldfish eat peas?

Yes. Thawed, shelled peas can be offered as a supplementary vegetable food. They should not, however, be treated as a guaranteed cure for every digestive or buoyancy problem.

Can goldfish eat cabbage?

Goldfish may nibble softened vegetable material, but cabbage is not necessary as a routine supplement. Better-established options for goldfish include peas, spinach and soft lettuce.

Can you feed bread to goldfish in a pond?

Bread is not a good routine goldfish food. It is nutritionally incomplete and uneaten bread adds unnecessary organic waste to the pond. Use proper fish food or a more suitable temporary alternative instead.

How often should pond goldfish be fed?

Once daily is suitable for many adult pond goldfish during normal feeding conditions, using only as much food as they can consume within a few minutes. Feeding should be adjusted for temperature, season, fish size and the particular food being used.

What do pond goldfish eat naturally?

Natural foods include plankton, aquatic invertebrates and insect larvae, plant material, algae, detritus and occasionally fish eggs or fry. A mature pond therefore provides useful natural foraging in addition to prepared food.

Can homemade food replace commercial goldfish food?

Homemade foods can provide variety or a short-term alternative, but creating a nutritionally complete long-term diet is much more difficult than simply mixing ingredients that goldfish will eat. A complete formulated goldfish food is therefore the safer staple.