How to feed goldfish for a long life: tips for owners.
Goldfish are among the most popular inhabitants of home aquariums. They are easy to care for, vibrant, active, and can enhance any tank. However, to ensure their health and longevity, it is crucial to create the right conditions, provide quality care, and most importantly, a balanced diet. Zootovary explains how and what to feed goldfish.
How and How Often to Feed Goldfish
Goldfish are known for their gluttonous nature—they always seem hungry and may even jump out of the water or swim around the feeder in search of food.
The optimal feeding schedule is 2-3 times a day, preferably at the same time each day. A few pinches of food will be quite sufficient. Overfeeding can lead to negative health outcomes.
If your aquarium pets overeat, their bellies may appear excessively swollen. Their excrement may hang in long strands. The fish may even swim unevenly, lying on their sides or nearly upside down.
If you suspect overfeeding, reduce the amount of food and arrange so-called fasting days for the fish once or twice a week.
What to Feed Goldfish
Goldfish are omnivorous, but their diet should primarily consist of plant-based foods. Their digestive tract is so long that digesting protein-rich foods can be challenging. Therefore, it is not recommended to feed goldfish worms, bloodworms, or similar items. Such feeding can lead to inflammatory processes in their digestive tract or bacterial infections, which are difficult to treat.
The diet of goldfish should consist of 70% plant-based food and 30% protein.
Types of Food for Goldfish
- Ready-made dry food. There are universal diets available for various aquarium inhabitants as well as specialized ones tailored to specific types of fish. The latter are the optimal choice, as they are designed by experts considering the needs of particular fish species, including their taste preferences.
- Plant-based food. Regarding plant-based food, goldfish particularly enjoy duckweed. So much so that these algae may need to be grown in a separate aquarium to satisfy the fish's insatiable appetite. Duckweed can be substituted with leaves of lettuce or spinach from the table. However, these plants often go uneaten and need to be removed from the aquarium to prevent rotting.
- Live food. Many believe that live food is the best option for feeding goldfish; however, this is not entirely accurate. It should only make up a small portion of their diet. Still, these pets primarily require plant-based food. Additionally, live food necessitates special care and storage conditions, which may not always suit owners.