Goldfish are fish with an aquatic environment in their environment and must be fed regularly in order to thrive and achieve optimal development. Pellets can often be found at your local pet store.
Some hobbyists prefer sinking pellets due to floating dry food as floating pieces may cause goldfish to inhale air bubbles that cause swim bladder issues.
Contents
1. They don’t sit at the bottom of the tank
Food left at the bottom of a tank will eventually rot and become harmful for your fish, producing high levels of ammonia and nitrites that could harm them and can eventually harm even goldfish species.
Your goldfish could also be hanging out at the bottom of its tank due to an infestation with parasites, like flukes, which feed off them by eating away at their bodies and sucking their blood supply.
If this occurs, your goldfish may become disoriented and begin sitting at the bottom of their tank, having difficulty digesting food or passing waste correctly. They may even stop eating.
2. They don’t rot
Goldfish feed on various foods found in their natural environments such as insects, small fish, microcrustaceans and zooplankton; plant matter makes up an additional source of protein intake.
Pet store goldfish are fed a range of dry fish foods such as flake or pellets designed to float to the top of their aquarium tank, although some varieties can even sink to the bottom.
Pellets should also be soaked before feeding to soften and release any air that has become trapped within them, helping your fish digest them easily and get maximum nutrition out of them.
Freeze-dried food is another popular goldfish diet option. Sold as foil-sealed cubes or frozen slabs that can be broken up, freeze-dried food includes items such as spirulina brine shrimp, blood worms, tubifex worms, daphnia krill and plankton, all providing essential protein-rich nutrition to your aquatic friend.
3. They are easier to digest
Sinking pellets are easier for goldfish to digest than flake food because they’re broken down before entering their stomach, making it especially helpful for fry who don’t require as much energy during early development stages.
These sinking pellets contain nutrients such as menhaden fish meal, wheat and squid meal as well as beneficial supplements like spirulina to aid color development, garlic for improved taste and appearance, yeast to provide vitamins.
Fish pellets can also help lower ammonia levels in your tank, making them an excellent way to keep it clear and healthy. API flakes have been designed to sink slowly so they won’t remain at the surface and force fish to inhale air that could have potentially damaging consequences on their health.
Pet stores also carry freeze-dried live foods for your goldfish like brine shrimp, daphnia, tubifex worms and krill that are safe to consume without risk of infection. These will provide all of their daily nutrition without risking illness to their pets.
4. They are more expensive
Sinking pellets tend to be two to three times more costly than their floating counterparts due to higher production costs and an extrusion process requiring additional dry ingredients, thus diminishing some vitamins and minerals for an FCR (feeding cost per pound) that is lower.
However, these tanks remain an attractive choice for fancy goldfish and koi species. Many of these fish cannot see well enough to get their floatie feed from the top of the tank; therefore they’ll gobble up whatever food comes floating by in the water.
An effective sinking pellet should contain high quality ingredients sourced from local oceans. Some of the better sinking pellets come packed with nutrients and color-boosting spirulina; floating hoppers may also come in handy for fish that are difficult to feed; they might grab it before it reaches the bottom!
