Goldfish must be fed properly in order to live a healthy and happy life. Overfeeding, or incorrect feeding and preparation are common mistakes that goldfish owners often make when feeding their fish. Understanding goldfish eating habits and knowing the right types of food will help you to feed your goldfish properly.
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Part 1 of 3: Learning the Right Types of Food for Goldfish
Step 1. Learn what kind of food to feed goldfish
Goldfish are omnivores, which means goldfish eat both meat and plants. There are many different types of food you can give your goldfish, and you might be confused if you go to a pet store and look at all the available options. So, before buying any food, take some time to learn what the differences are between the types of food.
- Keep in mind that each type of food has its own advantages and disadvantages.
- Goldfish should be fed a variety of foods. Buying a variety of feeds will help keep your fish's diet interesting and ensure that your fish are getting all the nutrients they need to stay healthy.
Step 2. Include dry feed in the fish diet
Dry feed is one of the most common types of fish food. Dry feed is usually sold in cans and in the form of flakes or pellets. The flakes will float on the surface of the water and the pellets will usually sink to the bottom. Goldfish will eat both the surface and the bottom of the tank, so you can use one of these types of dry food.
- In general, dry feed is healthy enough for goldfish, but does not contain all the necessary nutrients. Therefore, it is better not to make dry feed the main component of the fish diet.
- The dry feed in the form of flakes remains floating on the surface, the uneaten residue can be removed easily making it easier for you to keep the aquarium clean.
Step 3. Provide various types of live food for goldfish
Live feed is a good source of protein for fish, and is considered the most important part of a fish diet. Examples of live food include earthworms, bloodworms, daphnia, and brine shrimp.
- If not prepared properly, live feed has the potential to transmit disease to goldfish. To reduce the chance of disease transmission, purchase live feed from your local pet store, rather than looking for it in lakes, ponds, or soil.
- Generally, brine shrimp and earthworms rarely transmit disease.
- It's not too difficult to get earthworms because there are quite a lot of them. Adult worms are estimated to produce 1000 worms in a year.
- Brine shrimp are very small shrimp. This shrimp is very rich in protein, so it should be given as a bonus, not as a regular meal menu.
Step 4. Find out what freeze or freeze-dried food options are for goldfish
Freeze-dried or freeze-dried foods often provide the same nutritional levels as live feeds. Freeze or freeze-dried foods can be good choices if handling live worms makes you a little nauseous. Live feed is most likely available frozen or freeze-dried at your local pet store.
- Another advantage of frozen feed is that it is easy to store.
- If you have frozen crabs, lobsters, or scallops at home, you can also feed them to goldfish. Make sure the food has been cleaned and melted before adding it to the tank.
Step 5. Don't forget to also provide fruit and vegetables as a fish menu
Fruits and vegetables are an important part of a goldfish's diet. Both are good sources of nutrients and low in fat. There are many different types of fruit and vegetables you can give goldfish, including peas, lettuce, broccoli, and apples.
Whichever fruit or vegetable you choose, it's best to soften, slice or dice and peel it first before feeding it to the goldfish. Never add any spices to fruit or vegetables
Part 2 of 3: Feeding the Chef's Goldfish
Step 1. Feed the fish in small quantities several times a day
A rule of thumb you can follow is not to feed him more than he can eat in one to two minutes. Goldfish can literally eat to death. Therefore you have to be very careful not to overfeed the goldfish. Feeding him three times a day should suffice.
Pick up an amount of feed that you can easily pick up with your thumb and forefinger. That amount you should give to the fish
Step 2. Know the correct way to prepare each type of food
With so many different types of fish feed options available, it's important to know the right way to prepare each type of food. This will reduce the chances of goldfish experiencing indigestion after eating.
- Soak the dry feed in the form of flakes first so that the goldfish does not swallow air bubbles when eating it. Swallowing air bubbles can cause swim bladder problems and constipation. To submerge debris, dip it into the aquarium water several times before completely submerging it in the water. Feed this one to two times a week.
- Soak the pellets for 10 to 15 minutes, or until they are about twice their original size. Pour some water from the aquarium into another container and place the pellets in this container. Once the pellets are soft and increase in size, put them in the aquarium. Give pellets two to three times a week.
- Soak freeze-dried feed in a small container of aquarium water to prevent indigestion.
- Melt frozen food until it is completely melted before placing it in the tank. Place frozen food in the refrigerator for defrosting.
- Peel, cut and mash fruits and vegetables. Boiling is a good way to tenderize vegetables. Fruits and vegetables can be given as an occasional bonus.
- Wash live feed thoroughly if you catch it yourself in the environment. Washing earthworms with water will help remove soil and disease-causing organisms that may be found in the soil.
- To give the worms as food, cut the worms into small pieces before placing them in the tank. You can even pierce it with a toothpick and feed it to the fish that way. Give live feed once a week.
Step 3. Observe the fish as you feed it
Watch your goldfish closely as you feed it to make sure it doesn't overeat. If a fish eats too much, its intestines will be full of food, which will trap gas in the swim bladder and cause it to float aimlessly. If you see it floating like this, get rid of any leftover food immediately.
Contact your veterinarian or pet store for information on how to treat an overeating goldfish
Step 4. Make a feeding plan if you are traveling
If you will be leaving the house for more than a few days, make a plan for how you will feed the goldfish. One option is to ask someone to help feed him. If you choose this option, it's a good idea to make a detailed list of your pet goldfish's diet, with instructions on how to feed it while you're away.
- Preparing food ahead of time and storing it in a separate container will make it easier for the person you are asking for help to feed the fish.
- An automatic fish feeder is also available. Visit your local pet store for more information about these tools.
- Please keep in mind that goldfish can actually survive for quite a long time without eating. Even though they will starve, goldfish can go up to three weeks without eating.
Part 3 of 3: Understanding the Anatomy of the Goldfish
Step 1. Find out where the chef's teeth are
Goldfish teeth are not located in the jaw. The teeth of the fish are at the back of the esophagus, allowing the fish to crush food and swallow the food whole. If you listen carefully, you can actually hear the crunching sound that a goldfish's teeth make as it chews its food.
Step 2. Learn about the goldfish digestive system
Goldfish do not have a stomach. Instead, the intestines of the fish take over the function of the stomach. In addition, the absence of a stomach causes goldfish to not be able to eat a lot of food at once. The food he eats will move quickly through his digestive system. The absence of a stomach makes goldfish more prone to digestive problems if not fed properly.
Step 3. Learn about the function of the swim bladder in goldfish
The swim bladder is a gas-filled internal organ that allows fish to stay afloat in the water. If not fed properly, goldfish can have problems with their swim bladder, making it difficult for them to float in the water.
Tips
- New tap water has a different concentration of minerals and other nutrients than filtered aquarium water. Therefore, it is best to immerse fish food in aquarium water.
- Goldfish are bred to have an unusual body shape so these fish are especially prone to buoyancy issues and problems with swim bladders. To avoid this problem, consider feeding sinkable pellets.
- It is best to feed the fish at the same time each day.
- Spirulina is a type of algae that is used as a dietary supplement in goldfish pellets. Pellets containing spirulina can be purchased at pet stores.
