Goldfish feed on aquatic plants, aquatic tadpoles and larvae as well as insects for sustenance in their natural environment. In addition, they need fats (lipids) for energy metabolism as well as to provide essential fatty acids that contribute to vitality.
Know what and when your goldfish eat to ensure that their nutritional needs are being met without polluting the environment with fish waste.
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Feeding Schedule
As temperatures decrease, it is prudent to decrease goldfish feedings. Their metabolism slows significantly when submerged in colder waters and they may find it more challenging digest food efficiently, particularly if fed fish flakes or pellets. As such, it is advised to only feed once every other day and for optimal conditions low protein diets like Legacy Cold Weather Food or Hikari Cold Weather Sinking Food should be utilized.
Goldfish are descendants of carp, an adaptable freshwater species typically found in murky ponds and lakes. Goldfish are omnivorous fish species that consume natural plant material as well as algae, zooplankton larvae, insect larvae and even small amphibians like tadpoles and small frogs for sustenance.
Goldfish should also receive fresh vegetables such as kale, romaine lettuce and spinach in addition to store-bought fish flakes and pellets as part of their diet. You can offer these as floating veggie sticks or chop into pieces to place at the bottom of their ponds.
Feeding Method
An easy rule of thumb for feeding goldfish is to limit their food consumption to what can be consumed within five minutes, to prevent overfeeding and excess food sinking into your pond where it could pollute water quality by raising ammonia and nitrate levels.
Koi and goldfish have primitive stomachs, so feeding small portions regularly throughout the day will allow them to digest food more easily while preventing waste accumulation in their bodies.
As soon as temperatures warm up, it’s essential that koi and goldfish be switched from protein-rich fish food such as Tetra Pond Koi Vibrance to an easier to metabolize wheat germ-based diet that will allow them to prepare for spawning and egg laying. Wild koi and goldfish would normally feed on aquatic insects such as aquatic insects, flies, algae, plant matter such as water lily leaves and lettuce stems, snails and amphibians as food sources.
Feeding Frequency
Goldfish (and koi) are bottom feeders that primarily seek food buried within a pond’s substrate or submerged debris, as well as snacking on aquatic plants or insects that inhabit its surface.
If your pond provides ample natural food sources, there’s no need to feed goldfish on an ongoing basis. Overfeeding can contribute to poor water quality and cause issues like fin rot and dropsy. Furthermore, excess fish waste could strain your filtration system and raise levels of ammonia, nitrites and nitrates in the environment.
As a general guideline, goldfish should only be fed 2-3 times each day in your pond’s goldfish pond. However, their frequency of eatings depends heavily on the temperature of its water; when conditions are warmer and metabolism is increased more readily for example in warmer conditions they need feedings more frequently but as soon as temperatures drop metabolism decreases and they require feeding less often.
Feeding Time
Goldfish in their natural environment feed on aquatic insects, aquatic plants and larvae of amphibians; they also scavenge from both surfaces and bottoms of ponds for food sources.
Overfeeding can cause an accumulation of fish waste that strains biological filtration, polluting the water. To avoid this scenario, only provide your fish with as much food as they can consume in five minutes at one time.
When switching food products, it’s best to gradually introduce them over 7-10 days so your fish can adjust without experiencing sudden shocks from switching foods. This allows for gradual introduction and will ensure smooth transition.
Though not absolutely necessary, adding treats such as raspberries, wheat germ, shelled peas, watermelons and Cheerios (in moderation) to your fish’s diet may provide instantaneous energy and should make up no more than 10% of its diet; additionally raspberries, wheat germ and cheerios provide essential vitamins, minerals and fiber content.
