Ok upon further review I need to dig a little deeper. And I fully recognize none of this really matters. It�s not like I have a pond problem - I�m just one who gets stuck on puzzles and like to try to figure things out. So I�m on board with the upper pond being rich in vegetation and possibly other sources of food. The part that doesn�t compute to me is that when I feed multiple days in a row / to the point that the fish look fat and full the upper pond fish stop feeding completely. They won�t even surface at all for pellets. In fact I typically won�t feed the upper pond fish two days in a row. The lower pond fish however will feed aggressively day after day. Their consumption decreases because they can�t fit any more food in their stomachs but they show up on the surface immediately despite the fact that they are still half full from the day before. Is this just learned behavior since there is more competition? It�s the only plausible explanation I have at the moment.