"Spider" wrote in message
...
On 26/09/2012 11:31, john ryan wrote:
Since the price of pond food has shot up, we got to wondering what else
would be good to feed the goldfish in the pond with.

It turns out that they really like cooked rice. We are now wondering if
there is anyway to keep the rice and other food floating for them, rather
than have it sink and get lost in the soft mud?




It is very difficult to stop foods sinking if that is their nature. I
have found that even some 'floating' food tends to sink eventually.
You could try putting in less rice at a time ... or consider nature's
remedy for the same problem.

Fish are generally divided up into three feeding groups:
Surface feeders - who snap up food from the surface;
Drift feeders - who feed as the food slowly sinks through the water;
Bottom feeders - who scavange in the mud and detritus on the bottom of the
pond.

Perhaps the addition of a few bottom-feeding fish (yes, I know how it
sounds!) will help clean up anything your goldfish miss.

It is possible to tell the feeding habit of fish by looking at the shape
of their mouth. Surface feeders have a somewhat 'smiley' up-ward facing
mouth shape. Drift feeders' mouths are forward-facing , and bottom
feeders have a slightly glum downward-facing mouth. Each type will
endeavour to reach a little out of their comfort zone, but they are
limited by their design for good reason. Evolution has sensibly arranged
it so each type of fish can find food for survival.
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay
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Thanks, interesting about the rice crispies; i'm now wondering what other
cereals are good floaters. Also i'm thinking about putting food in a little
net attached to a cork?