Goldfish food comes in the form of both flakes and pellets, each offering different nutritional values to the fish. Pellets tend to contain higher quality ingredients than their flake counterparts and therefore tend to provide greater health benefits to the aquatic creatures that inhabit our waters.
Gel foods offer superior results as they sink to the aquarium bottom rather than floating at its surface and contain more protein than flakes or pellets.
Contents
1. Protein rich foods
Goldfish are natural grazers that require plenty of protein in order to thrive and develop, however overfeeding could cause harmful ammonia and nitrite levels in your aquarium or pond to rise and waste matter to contribute to algae growth. Therefore, for optimal health it is advised that small amounts of food be distributed several times each day in small doses for maximum health benefits.
Gel type fish food is a popular option for large goldfish, offering a mix of proteins and vegetables such as carrots, pumpkin, peas and leafy green vegetables. Some gel foods also contain gelatin; it is important to select pure gelatin without additives or colorings for optimal results.
An excellent solution is feeding your goldfish freeze dried food that contains various fish, vegetables and fruits, such as probiotics, omega fatty acids and other vital nutrients such as astaxanthin or spirulina to enhance its orange hue.
2. Vegetables
Goldfish fish love veggies with crunch, such as carrots, green peas and kale – these provide added fiber while being entertaining for their eater. Just remember to boil or microwave the vegetable to soften it first before offering to them!
Freeze-dried foods have become an increasingly popular trend in goldfish food, available from most pet stores. While freeze-dried treats may make an excellent treat for your goldfish, too much dry food could cause its stomach to expand, potentially leading to digestive or buoyancy issues for you and your goldfish. It is important not to overfeed as too much could swell and block its way into its digestive tract and lead to problems for digestion or buoyancy issues in your goldfish.
Some owners offer large goldfish a mixture of live and freeze-dried food. While this is fine, too much live food may lead to an excess of nitrogenous waste in the water that hinders growth of your fish.
3. Fruits
Goldfish are voracious eaters that feed on all sorts of food sources, from protein rich proteins and vegetables, to fruits and fruits in your tank, providing your goldfish with all they need for an active and healthy life.
Your goldfish will benefit most from being fed a diet consisting of both floating flakes or pellets and fresh/frozen/dehydrated vegetables and fruits; this combination will provide them with an abundance of essential vitamins and nutrients more akin to what their wild counterparts would consume than simply feeding on solely pellets or flakes.
Add squash, courgette, carrot and peas steamed vegetables such as squash to your mix for extra nutrition and use gelatin to hold everything together.
Avoid overfeeding as this may cause indigestion. Only give your goldfish as much food as they can consume within minutes and watch for signs that they have had enough such as slight bulging in their bellies and lack of interest when searching for food. Uneaten food will rot in the aquarium, polluting it with ammonia, nitrites and algae resulting in fouling water quality and eventually fouling up aquarium filters with ammonia, nitrites and algae blooms.
4. Garlic
Garlic is an incredible source of allicin, an antibacterial compound with incredible healing powers that can help your goldfish fight internal parasites that might threaten them. Just remember to dole out garlic sparingly as too much may actually harm them!
When providing garlic to your fish, use raw cloves that have been finely minced or crushed so it will be easier for them to consume. Combine it with their regular food or give some as an occasional treat.
Keep in mind that these foods are richer than the standard flake or pellet diet for your fish, so only offer what they can consume in less than two minutes and promptly dispose of any uneaten food. Furthermore, avoid feeding any veggies containing mammalian fats (e.g. beef heart or offal) since these cannot be digested easily by goldfish and may contaminate their surroundings.
