Though goldfish may technically survive on tropical fish flakes, making this their main diet is not recommended. Goldfish are omnivorous predators in nature and require more protein-rich diets in the wild; tropical fish flakes also contain too many carbs compared to what their bodies need.
Contents
Pellets
Although they share similar traits, goldfish and tropical fish are two separate species. Therefore, it’s essential that their diet differs accordingly. For instance, tropical fish flakes tend to focus heavily on protein while providing inadequate amounts of fiber needed by goldfish. Furthermore, such food often contain too much fat content – something your goldfish won’t appreciate at all!
Instead, provide your goldfish with a combination of high-quality tropical fish flakes and live or frozen foods such as bloodworms, daphnia and brine shrimp for optimal growth and energy. The added protein will encourage fast development.
Pellets tend to be larger and easier for your goldfish to consume than flakes, and can contain vitamins and minerals that would otherwise dissolve away in water when fed directly as flakes do. Such nutrients include spirulina, astaxanthin and vitamin C while many pellet foods also include folic acid and vitamin E that support immune systems in fish.
Flakes
Goldfish are omnivores that feed on insects, crustaceans, plants and seeds in their natural habitat. Invertebrates like daphnia and brine shrimps may also be consumed. Because goldfish are bottom feeders they do best with food that sinks to the bottom such as pellets soaked in water before drying – the latter method being preferred over dry pellets or flakes which must first absorb all available moisture before being dispersed throughout their tank environment.
Your goldfish should only receive tropical fish flakes on an occasional basis as this could deprive it of essential vitamins. In order to ensure optimal nutrition for their health, supplement their diet with live foods like brine shrimps, water fleas (daphnia) or plankton.
Hikari Blood Red Parrot+ flake provides your goldfish with additional color boost. Packed with chili pepper, phaffia yeast, krill, astaxanthin and lutein as natural color enhancers – as well as providing healthy skin, bright eyes and vibrant fins – it promotes vibrant colours with ease.
Live Food
Goldfish are omnivorous fish that require plenty of protein in their diet. To meet this nutritional need, many aquarists supplement their fishes’s flake and pellet diet with live food like daphnia, tubifex worms and brine shrimp cultured at home or available frozen from local aquatic retailers.
These foods contain higher protein concentrations than pelleted or flake food. Therefore, it’s wise to feed these treats sparingly so as to not overfeed your goldfish.
One way to provide extra fiber and roughage for fish is to introduce vegetables into their diet, such as canned green peas, zucchini slices and blanched broccoli or leafy green vegetables – soft enough so they can easily chew and digest. If you want to enhance coloration of your fancy goldfish try including Hikari Blood Red Parrot+ floating pellet in their diet; originally designed for koi but it works just as effectively for goldfish!
Supplements
Goldfish possess more pigment than other tropical fish and require a diet rich in vitamins, minerals, carotene, and beta-carotene to thrive in captivity. There are specially made foods designed to provide this nutrition; however, these should only be fed occasionally to avoid an imbalanced environment for their wellbeing.
Tropical fish flakes typically consist of both animal and plant proteins, with additional vitamins and minerals included to promote overall growth, general health, and to help enhance natural coloration of the fish.
To give your goldfish the best chance at vibrant colors, feed it Xtreme Aquatics Spirulina Flake. Packed full of high levels of spirulina and other nutritious ingredients to increase its nutritional value, this food provides optimal conditions for color enhancement.
