just something i was thinking about...

[HorseyJesse]

can tropical fish live off of goldfish food and can goldfish live off of tropical fish food? just something i was questioning

please excuse the stupid newbie *points to self*

 

[RogerMcAllen]

They might be able to. I fed my pond goldfish tropical food for a year without knowing there was a difference and they were fine. This does have the possibility for problems as the composition is different, and the different fish have problems digesting the food designed for the other.

 

[fishfriends05]

Try reading the ingredients on some of the fish food bottles the next time your at your LFS. Even between different manufactures you'll notice that almsot all of the flakes foods are pretty much the same except for a couple really small differences. The main ingredient in most fish foods is fish meal. Try it the next time your in there. You'll be surprised.

 

[Allivymar]

Actually, its not recommended to feed goldies most tropical fish foods. Goldies require more vegetation in their diet; they have very long digestive tracts (I've read they are another type of fish which doesn't have a true stomach) and while they are opportunistic eaters, they eat mostly algae and plants in the wild. Many tropical foods contain too much protein, which in the long run presents problems for goldfish.

Theres some info about goldfish digestion towards the middle of this article from Aquarium Fish Magazine: http://www.petsforum.com/cis-fishnet/afm/G29149.htm

 

[HorseyJesse]

hm...yea i figured they were mostly the same...i will definitely compare ingredients next time i go to the store.

 

[Guest]

This question gets tricky. I belive indoors, regular room temps, goldies can eat either.

Out in a pond is a different story. Spring and fall, when temps are low, you need low protien and high fiber foods for them. Cold temps and they cannot digest the protien, which can sicken or even kill them. Summertime, time to grow, swim and breed, higher protien foods!

I stop feeding altogether when the temp. drops below 50 F.

 

[tabitha]

^ i got a question--what happens when the pond freezes over? do you just get them out before hand and put them in an indoor tank or what? i've just always wondered that...

 

[PlatyLady]

what happens when the pond freezes over? do you just get them out before hand and put them in an indoor tank or what?

My parents have a goldfish pond on their property and they live out by Niagara Falls -- definitely freezes over in winter! They have an aerator, some kind of floating 'hibernator' thing, and occasionally my dad drops in some food through a hole in the ice, although I don't think it's really necessary. They've kept the fish in there every year for over 10 years, and every spring, we see the fishies again - along with tons of new babies!

Only one year it didn't go so well... It was an abnormally crazy weather winter. Warm spells galore, resulting in the pond flash-freezing whenever the temperature dropped. We found goldfish frozen at the surface of the water a couple times that winter. They normally hang out at the bottom where it doesn't freeze - about 8 feet below ground.