Goldfish are natural grazers and require regular, small feedings throughout the day to remain healthy. Unutilized food rots away and pollutes their environment, raising levels of ammonia and nitrites while decreasing oxygen availability in their environment.
Look for foods with low ash content that contain healthy fats and vitamins. Wheat germ is an excellent example. Many shikoku foods also offer color enhancers and immune boosting ingredients to ensure optimal performance.
Contents
Protein
Goldfish are physostomous fish, meaning they possess an internal duct between their esophagus and swim bladder that allows excess air to pass down from surface food consumption into their swim bladder and cause overinflation of their swim bladders. A sinking diet may help lessen this issue.
As such, it is imperative that your goldfish receives enough protein in their diet in order for them to get all of the essential nutrients. Protein is vital in tissue development and energy supply – in nature goldfish typically obtain most of their protein through aquatic sources such as other fish species, insects, zooplankton or plant material.
This feed offers a high protein level from both animal and plant sources, along with plenty of natural color enhancers like Krill oil and Spirulina for natural coloring effects and immune boosters like Vitamin C for immune support. In addition, its low moisture content ensures it won’t spoil quickly so can be fed year round.
Fats
Goldfish fish use fats to store energy and build organ membranes, hormones and cells. An ideal ratio for fat content in their feed should range between 4–10%; higher fat percentage feed is ideal when trying to increase weight before colder weather arrives.
Goldfish fisheries feed live food to their fish to encourage healthy aquatic ecosystems and prevent death of other marine life. As soon as live foods have been introduced into a tank, Goldfish begin searching the bottom for debris such as dead fish, insects and their larvae, worms, plant roots/leaves/crustaceans and trailing algae to feed on. It’s essential that any uneaten food be removed immediately to maintain optimal water chemistry conditions for these precious aquatic pets.
Gel foods are an ideal way to limit how much air Goldfish swallow while they feed, helping prevent unnecessary ingestion that could otherwise lead to Dropsy (a potentially lethal condition). They’re also easier to measure and keep any uneaten food from spoiling in your tank and fouling up its water with high ammonia, nitrites, or unsightly molds (Saprolegnia). Hikari Color Enhancing feed contains highly bio-available protein sources as well as an extensive vitamin and mineral profile including powerful synthetic color enhancer astaxanthin; additionally this formula also contains beneficial living microbes (Hikari-Germ) for enhanced nutrition absorption assimilation as well as health boosting benefits.
Vitamins
Goldfish require a varied diet similar to that of any fish species; their digestive tracts were designed for grazing like horses’ so their health can easily be compromised by poor feeding or intestinal gas production. A combination of flake- and granule foods as well as frozen brine shrimp or daphnia will maximize their wellbeing and health.
One food that many goldfish keepers have seen great success using is the Saki-Hikari line of foods. These floaters contain an assortment of fish, shrimp, wheatgerm, spirulina and alfalfa to provide a well-balanced combination of proteins and vegetables; further enhanced with astaxanthin as a color enhancer as well as garlic extract and brewer’s yeast for immune support.
Total Koi feeds offer another alternative in their Sho Impact sinking pellet range for cold water environments, which provides an exceptional protein profile and healthy fats along with a higher concentration of vitamin C and immune-supportive ingredients such as Opimuim.
Minerals
Cold extruding fish food allows this brand to preserve the full potency of essential ingredients like vitamins and digestive enzymes that would normally become denatured due to heat exposure, providing an additional means to increase goldfish immunity while increasing color intensity.
Zinc, calcium and magnesium are key minerals that support healthy scales, eyesight, digestion and growth. Furthermore, there is also a great amount of Vitamin C present for immune support and blood-salt regulation.
Coldwater goldfish require special food designed for their specific environment; this float pellet food offers high protein levels and balanced fat profiles to maximize health, as well as ProCare that supports resistance against disease and stress. Plus, its potent synthetic color enhancer works to intensify their hue.