what if there is too much protein in a goldfishs' diet?

Question

what are the effects and can it be harmfull to my black moor goldfish?

Answer 1

Fish use the proteins in their diets for energy. However, the deitary needs of goldfish change as they age.

Percentage of dry weight:

60 to 80 percent protein for rapidly growing baby fish (under one inch)
40 to 60 percent protein for young fish and females that are developing eggs
30 to 40 percent protein for older fish on essentially maintenance diets

Goldfish do well on high protein diets. Too little protein will lead to slow or stunted growth, difficulty in conditioning for breeding, and probably a host of other problems. Too much protein will lead to a lot of ammonia and partially digested protein wastes, and possible kidney problems over the long term. Long, stringy feces have also been cited as a symptom of too much protein. I could easily believe that too little roughage might be as much of a factor. Basically, goldfish are pretty flexible as far as diet is concerned. As far as commercial, bought food, a Black Moore is a fancier varety and for that reason should be fed sinking pellets. I have had difficultly getting my goldfish (to include a Black Moore) to eat the sinking pellets... So maybe a mixture of flake, fresh veggies, and the pellets would be good. As long as you don't feed it meat everyday, all the time, its probably okay. You can do a Yahoo! search on "goldfish nutrition" and find ways to make your on food. The research and making of the food is actually pretty interesting and fun.

Goldfish Nutrition Site
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/4468/nutritn1.html

Make your own food
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/4468/recipes.html

Interesting Site on Overall Goldfish Care
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/4468/index.html

Answer 2

Too much protein can cause vegetarian type fish (goldfish are one) a lot of problems. It causes a blockage in their intestines and could ultimately kill them (with cichlids it is called "Malawi Bloat") or bring on problems with their swim bladder causing them to either sink or float to the top all the time.

Answer 3

if you feed standard goldfish food, there shouldnt't be that much of a problem as long as you supplement the diet with quality vegetable-based foods.