Why do my mini-goldfish grab their food, chew it once then spit it out again??

Question

Is their food too hard? My fish are tiny goldfish, and I am feeding them micro-pellets. But even with fish flakes they also tend to grab, chew, and spit the food out again. Sometimes they grab them, sometimes they just leave the food to float about. I don't overfeed. I've just noticed they always do this.

Answer 1

All fish do this, its nothing to worry about! Its natural. They take what they need and slowly digest the little part they've taken and the parts they have spat out would have gone into a sort of pulp so they can eat it straight away instead of digesting it in their stomach. No, the food isn't too hard. All tank fish (fish you keep in a bowl or tank) do this and so do most fish in the wild. They don't eat as fast as up humans do. I hope that helps. There's nothing to worry about. My fish do that as well. Its just natural.

Answer 2

It could mean a couple of things...

They simply don't like it.
It's too big or too hard for them to swallow.
Also, fish "taste" their food this way and will spit it out...it's quite normal.

Fish will do this with the gravel on the bottom of the tank sometimes...they'll test or taste it and then spit it out.

Sometimes they're simply "sucking" off the outside of the pellet of food or the gravel and discarding the rest.

I would change the pellets for something else like Tetra Flakes to be sure they are getting enough nutrition.

Answer 3

As in your other posts, your fish seem to have some sort of illness. Its possible they have stunting problems where their organs have grown too big for the inside of their body, then it would be difficult for them to get the food through. Internal parasites can also cause fish to spit out food. These are goldfish so you should see very active fish who eat with gusto. The only goldfish who take their time eating are those with vision problems and those who are sick.

Answer 4

That is normal fish behaviour. They don't have teeth but have a ridged inside of their mouths normally. By taking it in and spitting it out they are rubbing it against their gummy ridges and bits break off. As they suction the food back into their mouths they swallow the bits that have become soft and loosened. As for leaving it well they may not be hungry at that moment or waiting for their 'food' to do something interesting. It's a bit like throwing a stick for a dog...if the stick sits on the ground with no one to throw it then the dog thinks...hmmmm...stick. If you pick it up and throw it for them they think...yahoo.....play time...get the stick get the stick.....(pant pant!!)

You might think I am bonkers saying they are bored but take a look at this link for how trainable fish are!!

Personally I feed my fish on flakes as it disolves easier...but if you are in doubt talk to the people you got the fish food from or a specialist shop like Pets at Home.

Answer 5

Does it do every time for any type of food ?
1 something wrong with your food
2 maybe it causes pains
3 may be its mouth is painful

contact the expects

Answer 6

The food you are using is different in the way it reacts to mouth movement. The granules move back out of the mouth but the flakes react differently. It is a bit like someone giving you a lolly-pop and then snatching it back by pulling the stick! Very disappointing for Mr Fish.

Answer 7

maybe they have had enough but want to play with their food still. i have bettas that are a bit more picky that do that on their last pellet. they will eat it and spit it out a couple times and then usually leave it alone. one betta web sight suggests soaking pellets to soften them before feeding.

if you think the problem is the pellets themselves one betta website suggest soaking pellets for about 10 minutes before feeding to soften them up and make them easier to digest.

Answer 8

They don't like what they're eating.
The food is too hard.
The food pellet is too large.
Try chopping up an earthworm and feeding your pet fish. You won't see them spitting it out I bet you cos they'll love it.
It'll be more practical to switch to a real good brand of petfood.

Answer 9

i dont think its really got much with the size.. im not saying its not..but mayb ur fish dont like the taste of the food ur feeding them... try some other brands of food

Answer 10

Perhaps the flakes are too big for their tiny mouths and they are spitting out what they cant swallow