Diet of the Goldfish

Diet of the Goldfish

The Carassius auratus, or goldfish by its common name, is a very popular coldwater fish; after all, it is easy to care for. However, a good diet is necessary for the animal's healthy development so that it can be enjoyed in all its splendor as a pet.

In this AnimalWised article we are going to go over all the aspects of caring for a goldfish and give you some advice to ensure your goldfish looks good, is healthy and overall well looked-after.

Learn all about the diet of the goldfish: what type of food is most suitable, how often you should feed it, how much, and some information about the fry.

What type of food is most suitable for a goldfish?

The common goldfish is an omnivorous fish, so you can include almost anything in its diet whether it be animal tissue or plant material. When adopting a goldfish, it is essential to find out what its previous diet was like, in order to know what it is used to eating.

Something minor to take into account is that it may occasionally reject certain food if it has not tried it before. You should be patient and continue to offer the same food until it has accepted it.

Many people feed goldfish with flakes, a common product found at the supermarket. The problem is that when they become adults, flakes can cause swim bladder. Why? As fish age, they become more delicate over time, just like people do. This is when you may observe some fish swimming in a weird way or hiding away due to physical discomfort. A natural diet can prevent these problems from occurring.

Fruit and vegetables recommended for goldfish:

  • cauliflower
  • chickpeas
  • green peas
  • spinach
  • basil
  • beans
  • banana
  • apple
  • beansprouts
  • chard
  • cucumber
  • broccoli
  • beetroot
  • lettuce
  • carrot

Don't give it too much fruit, it is better to feed it vegetables as they contain less sugar.

Carnivorous diet for the goldfish:

  • artemia
  • hake
  • mackerel
  • red larvae
  • fruit flies
  • mussels
  • tuna
  • crab
  • cuttlefish
  • squid

It is important to make clear that all these products should be natural, without any oils or additives. You can boil them to make them more digestible, but that's it; don't add any salt or oil. Use fruit or vegetables included in your diet, as well as small portions of fish or seafood before being cooked. This is an easy way to provide the varied diet that your goldfish requires.

Preparing this food is very simple. All you have to do is chop the food up and crumble it into small, edible portions. Ideally, a "porridge" of thick consistency should be achieved, without being too diluted with water and avoiding excessively large pieces.

Frequency and quantity

The ideal feeding frequency for a goldfish is around twice a day; this way, the fish feels full for most of the day. Interestingly, this also helps digestion. Younger fish benefit from being fed more regularly - around three times a day will be suitable.

Calculating the quantity of food that you should give to your goldfish is easy. Take a good pinch of the porridge mixture you have prepared and offer it to your fish, with a watch at hand. Wait at least 3 to 5 minutes and look out for any food that is left in the tank. Little by little, and with practice, you will see what is the correct quantity to feed your goldfish. Don't offer them more than needed as the tank will start to get dirty.

Goldfish Fry

Fry can be fed with flakes until they are one year old, when you should start to feed them with higher quality products to ensure a healthy development and a long life.

It is always preferable to use natural food rather than commercial food. Even so, unlike adult fish, goldfish fry require a higher protein intake, so it is important to note that 2/3 of the porridge mixture should be meat.

If you want to read similar articles to Diet of the Goldfish, we recommend you visit our Healthy diets category.