Will gold fish eat themselves to death? Or are they just pigs?

[enrgizerbunny]

Well my situation is that I have 6 comet goldfish right now that are all babies 1-2 inches that I bought as feeders, I'm looking to provide optimal amounts of food to ensure they grow quickly.

I've been feeding pellets about 3 times a day, a small pinch with peas often to prevent constipation.

They are always eating all the food, so I don't have much extra, but I want to know if they will eat themselves into sickness if I let them?

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[Coursair]

Overfeeding Comets isn't as dangerous as Fancies. But they'll poop even more which can pollute the water faster.

I know there are some very experienced. GF keepers on here.

I fed ours Zucchini and Romaine as well as shelled Peas.

Keep testing water and keep it clean. You are planning to feed them to another fish ? Careful as GF are NOT an optimal diet for most fish.


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[enrgizerbunny]

Overfeeding Comets isn't as dangerous as Fancies. But they'll poop even more which can pollute the water faster.

I know there are some very experienced. GF keepers on here.

I fed ours Zucchini and Romaine as well as shelled Peas.

Keep testing water and keep it clean. You are planning to feed them to another fish ? Careful as GF are NOT an optimal diet for most fish.


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Oh, they're not being fed to anything, they're being kept, but were sold as feeders. I think 2 of them are comets and the other 4 are common goldies, this batch is doing much better than the original 3 I purchased. They're outside in the 70 gallon aquaponics system.

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[enrgizerbunny]

Wrong button



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[jlk]

I honestly do not know of any fish, including goldfish, that will eat themselves to death in a 'natural' environment. Nature provides her 'checks and balances' so to speak. Goldfish are, by nature, grazers. They are physically designed to quickly and efficiently process food. Their stomachs do not store food to be gradually digested. However, in a natural environment (wild), their diet is up to 80% algae and vegetative matter.

So, getting back to the topic here, if you dumped a bag of protein-loaded, indigestible carb and filler laden, preservative packed, dried fish food in with your tank-kept fish, yes, it's very likely they will eat themselves to death. And it would be a very unpleasant demise as well. However, you could also throw a trash can full of live duckweed in and they would be content to snack on it 24/7 and never suffer any ill effects.

For our tank kept goldies, it's best to balance things for optimum health and growth. Feed small meals frequently. Offer veggies and greens just as often, if not more often. Grow a bit of algae if possible. Feed some real proteins, too. And if you wish to be precise in feeding specific amounts, weigh your fish monthly and calculate 2-4% of their body weight in food to be divided up into meals over the course of a day. The percent is based on the fish (ie, juvenile, adult, conditioning, breeding, etc). Hope this helps a bit-feel free to ask any questions!

 

[enrgizerbunny]

They're outside and get some direct sunlight, so maybe there will be some algae growth, but none so far. Or, if there is- they ate it. I've offered blanched romaine and they didn't touch it, but they eat every pea I drop in there. I haven't offered zucchini or anything like that yet because I need to restock my freezer. I haven't gotten to a point to cultivate duck weed, but eventually I may have to do that as it is prolific and a good food source.

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