Can't feed koi and gold fish for 4 days (vacation, kind, best)

[samom]

I'm going out of town and can't feed my fish for 4 days. Will I come home and find them starved to death?

[Keeper]

check out this link.. it tells you about vacation feeding

Vacation Fish Care and Feeding

[Davart]

Originally Posted by samom

I'm going out of town and can't feed my fish for 4 days. Will I come home and find them starved to death?

No, they will be fine, I go away for a week or two at a time and leave mine to forage and they do just fine. Only every lost one and I think that was old age.

[MB2]

It all depends, if they are in a pond or a tank ?
And, if they are in a pond, just how long is the pond established?
The reason why I am asking all of those questions is the fact, that there are different choices, and different circumstances.....All, which are simple, and very easy to remedy, I might add.
If the fish are in the tank, they have feeding tablets which are slow release up to 14 days. (Read the instructions, because the dosage all depends on how many fish you have!)
If the fish happen to be in an established pond, meaning with some algea growths, larvae etc, you can leave without feeling bad, because they will forage for food.
If no natural food source is present, some slow release feeding tablets are also available for pond use.
(Some tablets are different, since the ph level might be different in pond vs. tank, influencing the disolving of the tablets!)
Best to go or call or go to your fish place/ aquatic store in town, and get some "hands on" info.
That way your fish will be happy campers while you are gone, and you have peace of mind
Good luck!

[samom]

Thank you all for your responses.
The fish live in a little pond with some water plants and many tiny snails. We had had serious algea problem but got rid of them using Algea Fix about two weeks ago. I guess algea will grow back once we leave and stop using Algea Fix. I'm relieved to hear you saying my fish can do fine by themselves 'cause we're leaving tomorrow and really won't have time to stop by Pet Mart. Oh, by the way the pond has been established since March. We put some ice cream salt in it in hope of clearing up those little snails but it didn't work. Maybe the fish would take them (snails) in when they're really starved.

[golfgal]

If you have the right mixture of plants and fish you shouldn't need to feed them at all. We have a large pond in our yard and in talking to the people at our pond supply store they said the best thing to do with your pond is leave it alone. We have never given our fish any food--they get enough from the algae/plants, etc. in the pond They winter over in the pond in MN and do just fine. We haven't lost one yet. Overfeeding might be causing your algae problem.

[samom]

Originally Posted by golfgal

in talking to the people at our pond supply store they said the best thing to do with your pond is leave it alone.

Nobody ever told us that; I'll ask pond shop and pet store people next time. But we have a very small man-made pond. I wonder if the size of it makes a difference. Anyway, I appreciate it golfgal.

[normaziv01]

Originally Posted by samom

I'm going out of town and can't feed my fish for 4 days. Will I come home and find them starved to death?

What kind of plants do I need for food for the gold fish in my pond.We leave them out all yr. round.( Ohio) with a pump for air when it frezzes over. I heard that if you have the right plants,you don't need to feed them.Is this true?

[normaziv01]

Originally Posted by normaziv01

What kind of plants do I need for food for the gold fish in my pond.We leave them out all yr. round.( Ohio) with a pump for air when it frezzes over. I heard that if you have the right plants,you don't need to feed them.Is this true?

Please tell me what ARE the right kind of plants to put in my pond for goldfish.

[Kappy]

Originally Posted by normaziv01

Please tell me what ARE the right kind of plants to put in my pond for goldfish.

Anacharis ( great for oxygenation ), Water Hyacynth, Water Lilies ( needs an area where the water does not move that much).