(Meta description: Common goldfish feed on everything. As long as there is food in front of them, they simply eat. To avoid overfeeding your fish, check the rules and types of feed first.)
Looking after common goldfish may seem easy, but also tricky. For starters, we need to decide the environment they can be in. You can let them stay in the natural pond outdoor or an aquarium. Besides that, you also need to consider what your goldfish can eat.
So, what are the types of feed that can be given to common goldfish? Common goldfish feed on not just anything. Plus, there are some factors to consider.
The Common Goldfish Behavior
When it comes to these fish, they can be such opportunistic creatures. As long as there is food in front of them, common goldfish feed on and on. If you are not careful, you may overly feed them that they can die from digestive problems and even death by suffocation.
The clue: only feed them twice or three times a day. This can also reduce the contamination in the aquarium or pond. Small-sized pellets are easily consumed by them and will not leave so much debris in the water. The debris, plus their waste after feeding, will pollute the water and make them sick with goldfish diseases.
Avoid: feeding goldfish too much when the temperature is as low as under 8°C. Common goldfish feed less, due to their inability to digest more during this temperature.
The Right Diet for Your Common Goldfish
• Protein (40%)
• Carbohydrates (44%)
• Fats (10%)
• Ash (minerals, etc. – 6%)
The good combination for your common goldfish feed may consist of:
• Flakes
As the most common options, flakes are easy to find. The problems? Flakes may disintegrate and pollute the water really quickly. If they float and your common goldfish eat them on the water’s surface, some air can get swallowed by accident too. This may cause your fish to have digestive problems.
• Pellets
Pellets are also other common options regarding common goldfish feed. Available in almost all pet stores, pellets may help to remove uneaten foods, just to keep the water clean. However, some pellets may drown easily, which make it harder to clean up.
The size of pellets may vary. Make sure you give the right ones to the right-sized fish, so they can swallow them easily.
• Vegetables
Vegetables are known to reduce constipation. The good news is, you can feed your common goldfish with veggies, like peas, kale, lettuce, spinach, and cucumber. For peas, remove the shells, rinse the peas, and heat them in a microwave. Once the peas soften, chop them in small chunks. Give your fish two or three peas at a time.
• Live foods
Some examples of live foods include brine shrimps, aquarium snails, tubifex worms, and daphnia. The good thing is, live foods offer natural protein to your common goldfish. However, live foods may also cause contamination in your tank. Your fish may risk infections and diseases.
You can also get some frozen live foods as alternatives, although these may give the same risks.
Common goldfish feed comes in different types. Following the rule for their balanced nutrients, make sure you do not feed them too much nor too little. That way, you will get live and healthy common goldfish.
Sources:
https://kb.rspca.org.au/knowledge-base/what-should-i-feed-my-pet-goldfish/
https://thegoldfishtank.com/goldfish-food/what-do-goldfish-eat/
https://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/goldfish/CommonGoldfish.php#Habitat