Goldfish Feeding

[Christina717]

Hi everyone! So I have a goldfish named Midas, hes an Oranda goldfish(black/blue) but anyways, I love watching him swim hes a little guy, maybe 1.5inch(that includes his tail). How much should I be feeding him pellet wise? I give him 2pellets a day. Is that enough for him? He always seems still hungry but I heard that they beg ALOT, and he does. Sometimes he will see a moving airbubble and chase it and eat it,then spit it out because its not food. I dont want him to starve but I dont want him to become big TOO fast.


Tank: 29gallons
Fish: 1 Oranda goldfish, 1 mystery snail
-Temp stays at 70F-72F-
-Tank is cycled-
-Feeding: 1pellet around 10am, 1pellet at 10pm. Planning on feeding peas every Sunday as a snack.-

 

[Aces11]

I'm no expert, but he should be eating more than that. Goldfish have no stomachs, so they should be fed small amounts a few times a day. But this is just what I've read.

 

[bruinsbro1997]

Hi there,

I would only feed them sparingly once or twice a day. Never give in when fish want food, it could lead to overfeeding and problems in the future, my grandma and I only feed out goldfish sparingly every day or other day. They have quite the bio-load.

Also, make sure they're sinking pellets. Fancy goldfish can swallow in air if the pellets aren't sinking to the bottom and when they gulp in air it messes up their intestines or some internal organ due to their odd shape. Just make sure!

 

[Christina717]

thnx for the input, I never had a goldfish live for more than a week or 2(Due to not cycling) they all got ick and died...and the fact that I had 6 goldfish in a 10gallon. So I lucky I found this site because its been about a week and my fish is still goin strong and looks healthy.

 

[glassbird]

Well, I feed my goldfish multiple small meals thru the day, but I have a larger tank (75 gallons) and a really good filter. I give them enough so that they all get their mouths so full that they can't stuff another piece in, and then a few hours later I feed them again. I always feed them in the same spot, so any (very few) missed pellets sink to the ground right there and the fish come back looking for leftovers later. This is an area that I am carefull to gravel clean on a regular basis.

Also important is WHAT you are feeding. I feed sinking Hikari Lionhead to my ryukins, with very few swim bladder issues, so far. They also like frozen foods like the goldfish formula put out by San Francisco Bay Brand. Brine shrimp (frozen) seems to be a big hit, too. For a single fish, you will probably need to cut a frozen cube into smaller pieces.

Some people here seem to like a food made by New Life Spectrum, but I have not tried it myself.

 

[Fishguy2727]

They do have stomachs, but they are adapted to eating constantly, like most community fish. In nature they are almost constantly feeding so their stomachs only need to be able to handle very small amounts of food at a time. Goldfish are very hungry fish, and at that size should still be growing very well. I feed mine 2-5 times per day. They should eat all the food in 2-5 minutes.

 

[Christina717]

I will start feeding him a little more, I only have floating pellets but will look into the sinking kind. He always goes to the top for food so will he not notice the food at the bottom?
Looking into maybe TetraFin Sinking Mini Sticks ? they sink slowly. I will also look into the frozen shrimp as a nice snack

 

[librarygirl]

I'm just going by what I've read as I've never had goldfish but they can be prone to swim bladder issues if they eat foods that are still floating as they tend to swallow air at the same time. Perhaps soak the pellets in some tank water until they sink and then put them into the tank. Also goldies seem to like a lot of veggies and they are good for them -- cucumber, zucchini, spinach etc.

 

[jlk]

Definitely not feeding him enough food! Goldfish need to eat 2-5% of their bodyweight daily and they omnivores so they appreciate variety. My favorite food is the Hikari brand (they have speciality food for differents types of goldfish incl orandas). I do use their floating pellets for my guys and have never had an issue with swim bladder or digestive issues. Also give them veggies daily (cooked, plain, shelled peas are their fav!) in addition to occasional fruits & cooked shrimp. They get small meals (what they can consume in under 10mins then remove any excess) 3-4x daily.

 

[Fishguy2727]

Soaking is the best way to remove water soluble vitamins, which are vital.

Variety is not a nutrient, they don't need it. They need complete and balanced nutrition. New Life Spectrum exclusively will do this better than other foods and better than a variety of lower quality foods.

Do not feed them Tetra, it is not a very good food at all IME. NLS is the only option IMO.

 

[jlk]

Soaking is the best way to remove water soluble vitamins, which are vital.

Variety is not a nutrient, they don't need it. They need complete and balanced nutrition. New Life Spectrum exclusively will do this better than other foods and better than a variety of lower quality foods.

Do not feed them Tetra, it is not a very good food at all IME. NLS is the only option IMO.

I disagree but thats ok. If you subsisted solely on Ensure for the rest of your life, would you be happy and thriving? Yes, in a sense, its 'complete' nutrition just as many commercial fish foods are, but i certainly wouldnt call it enjoyable or adequate nutrition. My guys enjoy what i feed them (in addition to commercial food) and are happy and thriving. Many people feed their fish a variety of natural, 'homemade' foods rather than subjecting them to the preservatives, additives, and chemicals that are in commercial foods. Happy eating!

 

[guppy grandma]

This post answered my worries too, been getting conflicting advise on how much to feed my goldies, anything from once per week to three times per day. Thanks Guys, much clearer

 

[Sssea]

I feed my guys 6-7 pellets each every weekday morning, fast one day and peas one day. They reeeeeeeeeally love peas. Sometimes for fun I hand feed them romaine lettuce just because it's adorable to have them nibbling all around your hands.

 

[Fishguy2727]

They naturally eat many times per day, feed them frequently (as in twice daily).

Their nutrition is more important than our perception of their enjoyment of 'variety'. Animals have high drives for nutrients that are hard for them to come across naturally. This is why people have such a high drive for fatty and sugary foods, naturally they are scarce so we need to eat as much as we can when we can. Just because the fish 'like' it doesn't mean it is good for them.

'Additives' are more accurately described as 'vital trace elements and micronutrients vital for fish to thrive long term that are lacking in whole food items'.

If you choose a high quality food you will minimize those evil preservatives that keep the food from spoiling. The only one in NLS is ethoxyquin, which is only in the meals as requried by law.

No chemicals, just high quality nutrition including easy to digest proteins and all the needed vitamins, trace elements, etc., and all that in every bite...how evil...

 

[Christina717]

I guess everybody has their own feeding habbits, Might have to get my own, I love my fish, maybe more than my cat haha but I never had fish before so Im trying to figure out what is best for the fish because I dont want him to have problems later down the line because of feeding habbits.

 

[jsoong]

Good advice so far ... There are certainly different schools of thoughts on this & one is not necessarily better than others. Suggestion - get high quality sinking pellets (NLS or Hikari are good) and feed 1-2 times a day for mature fish, but 4-6x a day for small frys. <"Small fry" is relative in goldfish .... anyone less than 1 or 2" is a fry!>

As to amount - depends on how big your pellets are! Generally feed ~ 1 mouthful per feed (or ~ size of their eye) ... for a 1" fish, ~ 5-6 baby pellets or 2-3 medium. <I wouldn't use the giant 1/2" pellets ... that's for 12" comets ...> Increase feeding amount as fish grows .... as long as no leftover pellets after 3-4 minutes, you are good.

Supplement with veggies & live food as you want ... anywhere from weekly to daily .... Veggeis can be any blanched leafy greens (spinach, romaine, etc), slices of cucumbers, zucchni, chopped peas (shelled & blanched), smll amount of fruits, etc. And for the occasional ultimate treat - chopped shrimp.