Ponds and goldfish

Elaine174

I have a small pond which has a number of native oxiginating pond plants and 2 remaining goldfish. Although it's iced over one of the fish is swimming around under the ice. The edges aren't frozen so the gas as can escape. My question is does anyone have an opinion on how long the fish can survive on the plants alone?
Thanks

pansyface

They don’t need much when the weather is cold. If you can rest a pan of boiling water on the ice until it melts a hole in it that will help with oxygen. Food, they don’t need.

Singing Gardener

I don't feed the fish in my pond at all over the winter and not very often in the summer - and then I only really feed them because it encourages them to be visible. In an established pond there will be plenty for them to eat.

Pete.8

If they're goldfish, once the water temp drops below about 10c they don't need additional food. I used to stop feeding completely from around Nov until Feb/March.
Their metabolism is so slow when the water is near freezing there's a risk of the food rotting inside them, which doesn't have a good outcome.
There will still be something in your pond they can nibble on if they get peckish

Elaine174

Thanks guys that's a big help.

hogweed

I stop feeding them in October and start again around March if the weather is good. If not, I wait until we get some warmer days. 

Pete.8

Another 'rule' I learned somewhere is that once you stop feeding them, don't start feeding again until spring when the water is 10c+ even if we get a spell of warm weather

gardenmike7979

Agreed no feeding needing during winter months, their metabolism slows down.