So I fed them today, I figured they'd be a little hungry after fasting for two days. I put like 8 pellets (Pro Gold) in and they could give a Kirby vacuum a run for it's money because they inhaled it. I don't want to over feed them, so how much is enough?

Mike, since you already did it, it's moot, but DON'T feed the fish on first arrival. Most people recommend waiting 1-2 days at least, because during shipment, everything will have slowed down because of the decreased temps etc., including digestive functions. You want to give them time in the right temp to bring everything back up to speed before feeding. I would not feed them anymore today. Let them de-stress until tomorrow.

Sorry, I didn't know I guess I just assumed that that's what the point of acclimating them to the new temperature was before I removed them from the bag.

So, the question still stands. How much food is enough and how much is too much? Steve said a hungry goldfish is a health goldfish, so where do you draw the line? And how many times a day do you feed them? I work 12 hour shifts some days and won't be able to do small meals TID (3 times per day).

Check out this link http://www.kokosgold..._1#entry1186251

.75 - 1% of body weight is generally recommended for growth. In pellets it's about 50 pellets total a day for my two fish who are 6 and 7 inches. If you're feeding gel food you'll want to feed more than 1% bc it is not as nutrient dense as pellets. Veggies can be fed on top of the 1% of primary food.

I personally feed 6-7 x a day small meals a day. I am currently using an autofeeder to do 4 small pellet meals (about 3-4 pellets per fish) during the day when I am at work, then I do 2-3 small feedings of gel food at night and then a piece or veggie on a clip as well. I have gotten good growth recently with this schedule. I use a digital scale to weigh the fish and the food

That said, I think 3 meals a day is just fine And you can provide them with veggies on a clip during the day when you are gone so that they have something to munch on. The funny thing I found was that I was so concerned about overfeeding that when I actually weighed my fish and figured out what 1% in food would be, I realized I had been underfeeding them for months (not that they were starving, but it just wasn't a great diet to promote growth, if that is what you are looking for).

You, Alex and everyone are so AWESOME thank you.

Check out this link http://www.kokosgold..._1#entry1186251.75 - 1% of body weight is generally recommended for growth. In pellets it's about 50 pellets total a day for my two fish who are 6 and 7 inches. If you're feeding gel food you'll want to feed more than 1% bc it is not as nutrient dense as pellets. Veggies can be fed on top of the 1% of primary food.I personally feed 6-7 x a day small meals a day. I am currently using an autofeeder to do 4 small pellet meals (about 3-4 pellets per fish) during the day when I am at work, then I do 2-3 small feedings of gel food at night and then a piece or veggie on a clip as well. I have gotten good growth recently with this schedule. I use a digital scale to weigh the fish and the food :)That said, I think 3 meals a day is just fine And you can provide them with veggies on a clip during the day when you are gone so that they have something to munch on. The funny thing I found was that I was so concerned about overfeeding that when I actually weighed my fish and figured out what 1% in food would be, I realized I had been underfeeding them for months (not that they were starving, but it just wasn't a great diet to promote growth, if that is what you are looking for).

Which auto feeder do you use?

Tithra & Sakura both have the Fishmate F14, and the more I read about them, the more I think they are really good for several reasons: 1) you can only load food for 14 days. This means that your food does have a chance of sitting in the drum of some feeder for months and being at risk for getting wet and moldy. 2) Unlike the other feeders where you adjust the amount of food by adjust how wide a door opens, this one you actually put the exact amount you want to feed each day into the slot. 3) The food is slowly released over the course of a couple of hours, so there is no rush to pig out.

I think this system can work really well for systems where there are few fish who are of equal size to each other, such as what you have. It's worth a try.

How are they doing?

They are doing well. Ricki the blue got startled earlier this afternoon when I turned the aquarium light on - he bolted so fast (lol) that he scraped a scale off. I guess she likes getting woke up as much as I do. She isn't bleeding or anything. I'll keep an eye on her.

Sounds good. Keep in mind that these are pond fish up until this point, so they will take some getting used to the sudden lights etc. Losing scales is something that happens rather frequently with goldies. As long as your tank is in excellent condition, it's not something to worry about. It will grow back...eventually

Sweet, thank you sir