How Often to Feed Goldfish?
Goldfish need a lot less food than you might expect. The biggest problem most people have with their goldfish is health issues associated with overfeeding.
In fact, you can go on vacation for up to two weeks without feeding your goldfish, and they will be just fine (although an automatic fish feeder may help you feel better).
Goldfish don’t have a stomach, so feeding them too much in one sitting can cause a lot of digestive problems. Generally, you only want to feed your goldfish for 30-60 seconds at a time, two to three times per day. That’s it.
Since they don’t have a stomach, goldfish never feel full. They’re scavengers, so their instinct is to spend all day looking for food. They may act like they’re starving to death, but since goldfish are cold-blooded, they don’t need to consume extra calories to burn off keeping their bodies warm.
Keeping live plants or leafy greens in a vegetable clip can give your goldfish something healthy to munch on all day, which can help your fish be healthier, happier, and less bored.
How Many Pellets to Feed Goldfish?
Unfortunately, there is no simple answer to this question. How many pellets you need depends on things like how frequently you feed your fish, whether they are fully grown or still growing, and what the temperature of your tank is.
With pellets, you’ll want to soak them in a cup of water from the tank before feeding them to your fish, since dry pellets can upset your fish’s digestive system.
The first time, you will need to guess how many pellets you need. Add them to the tank for the recommended 30-60 seconds per feeding and see how many pellets they eat in that time. If they eat all the pellets in less than 60 seconds, then you know to add more pellets during the next feeding. If there are pellets left over after 60 seconds, then you know to feed less during the next feeding.
It may take a while to figure out the optimal number of pellets to feed your goldfish during each feeding, but if you keep careful track of how many pellets you feed during each meal and how quickly your goldfish consume the pellets, you can get a good idea of exactly how many pellets you need for each feeding.
How Many Flakes to Feed Goldfish?
Each goldfish will require a different number of flakes based on things like whether or not they’re still growing, the temperature of the tank, and how often you feed them. You will need to keep careful track of how many flakes you feed until you get a sense of how many flakes they need per meal.
You should only feed your goldfish as much as they can eat in 60 seconds or less and only two to three times per day. If your goldfish eats all the flakes within 60 seconds the first time you feed them, then you know you need to add more flakes at the next feeding.
If you find yourself scooping a lot of flakes out of the tank after 60 seconds, then you know you need to feed fewer flakes next time.
What is the Best Time to Feed Goldfish?
Since goldfish don’t have stomachs, you’ll want to feed them pretty consistently, 2-3 times per day, at a time when you’ll remember to do it at the same time every day. Maybe you feed them last thing at night, first thing in the morning, and in the middle of the day.
Whatever schedule you choose, make sure you can stick to it, so your goldfish know when to expect their next meal. Since they don’t have stomachs and are used to scavenging all the time, they are constantly hungry.
What to Feed a Goldfish When Out of Fish Food?
Goldfish can eat peas without the shell or skin, boiled vegetables, leafy greens, bloodworms, and brine shrimp.
In fact, putting leafy greens in the tank in a veggie clip will give your goldfish something to munch on when they think they’re starving to death between feedings.
Why is My Goldfish Not Eating?
There are several reasons your goldfish might not be eating.
The first thing to look at is your goldfish’s environment. Has it been a while since you’ve cleaned out the tank? Is there any rotting food in the aquarium? Did you fill the tank with untreated tap water? Maybe the water filter is dirty, or there’s a dead fish floating in the tank.
Any change in your goldfish’s environment could cause him to stop eating, so the first thing you should do is at least check, if not clean, your tank from top to bottom, including the filter. It would be worth getting some pH strips to check the acidity level of the water, too.
If your goldfish’s environment seems to be in good shape, check the expiration date and storage information on your goldfish’s food. Goldish food can go bad after its expiration date, obviously, but it can go bad sooner than that if it’s stored improperly. For example, if it needs to be kept in a cool, dry place, then placing it near an open window in a humid environment could rot the food before the expiration date.
So your tank is clean and the fish food is acceptable. What now?
Fish do get sick. If your goldfish hasn’t eaten for a while and is also displaying other signs of illness such as unnatural growths, white spots, raised scales, or bloating, call the vets in your area for advice. Many vets may not be familiar with goldfish, so you may need to call several places to get the right advice.
Goldfish are very sensitive about transitioning from one environment to another. If you recently moved your goldfish to or from a temporary bowl, maybe to clean the tank, then it’s natural that your goldfish will react to the stress by not eating. Give it a day or two to acclimate to the new environment before worrying too much.
Conclusion
While goldfish are often portrayed as a children’s pet, their dietary needs are more complicated than you might expect. Reading the ingredients of any fish food you plan to buy and deciding if or how you want to supplement your goldfish’s diet can be a lot of work, but goldfish can make wonderful pets when you put in just a little bit of effort into finding the best food for them.
The main takeaways are:
Be careful not to overfeed your goldfish. They probably need less food than the manufacturers recommend to stay healthy and reduce the amount of waste they produce. Feed your goldfish two to three times a day for up to 60 seconds per feeding, which is less than what goldfish food manufacturers typically recommend.
Leafy greens in a vegetable clip or hand-fed peas with the skins removed can be a great way to add nutrition to your goldfish’s diet without overfeeding them.
Bloodworms and brine shrimp, whether live, frozen, or freeze-dried can make a great supplement to your goldfish’s diet.
Consistency is key. Since goldfish are always hungry as a result of not having a stomach, they will appreciate evenly-spaced meals and knowing when they will be fed every day.
Check the ingredients of goldfish food is designed to eat fish, shrimp, insects, and greens, not corn, wheat, or oats.
Keep your tank and filter clean to keep your goldfish happy and healthy. Look for products without a lot of complaints about the product making their tank cloudy.
While it can take a bit of detective work to find the top rated goldfish food for growth and color, hopefully, we’ve given you the tools you need to make your decision about which food will best suit the needs of you and your goldfish.