Goldfish feeding?

Question

I have two goldfish, just wondering what alternatives to fish flakes could I give them that won't kill them or burst their intestines?

Oh those suggestions sound cool, but I should have added:

They haven't been fed for nearly four days and I need some suggestions of food that would likely to be in my kitchen.

Answer 1

Feeding your goldfish a proper diet is critical to the long term health of your goldfish. Many mass produced goldfish foods go on the assumption that goldfish are vegetarians. This is not true. Although goldfish love plant material and algae they do require the mix of animal protein and plant protein to really thrive.

For a staple diet most goldfish keepers go with a pelleted or flake food. If you are feeding a floating pellet food then the pellets must be presoaked and the air squeezed out of them

Other goldfish treats:

Peas - Peas are a great supplement to your goldfish's diet. They help keep their digestion moving along. I like to treat my goldfish to peas once or twice a week. Frozen peas are the best. Nuke them in the microwave for a few seconds to defrost them and squeeze the shell off the pea before feeding them to your fish. For smaller goldfish you may want to remove the shell and chop the pea into smaller pieces.

Cooked Shrimp - These are the peel and eat kind of shrimp you can buy at your local grocery store. Remove the tail then finely chopped the shrimp to feed to your fish.

Rice - Cooked rice is a good occasional treat for your goldfish.

Freeze Dried Plankton and Krill. This is another readily accepted treat for goldfish. The high animal protein is a definite plus.

Frozen Bloodworms - Frozen Bloodworms are an excellent addition to a goldfish's diet. They are very good for keeping their digestion in good shape. There are a couple cautions with frozen bloodworms. One - be sure and trust your supplier in that the worms have not defrosted and refrozen. Two - look out for frozen bloodworms with Beta Carotene added as a color enhancer. Beta Carotene does enhance the red color in goldfish but it also turns the white areas in red and white goldfish orange. No health danger; just looks weird.

Earth Worms - Earth worms are an excellent source of animal protein for goldfish. There is a caution with earthworms depending on the source. Earthworms fed to goldfish need to be raised in an organic fashion with no chemical toxins that may harm your goldfish. Also, earth worms need to be chopped up before feeding them to your goldfish. Not a task for the squeamish. Freezing the earth worms prior to chopping helps cut down on the "eeeyyyeeww" factor of the task.

Broccoli - Broccoli is a good source of vitamin A and calcium. Broccoli is best for goldfish after nuking it a few seconds in the microwave then cutting up the blooms on the florettes.

:-D

Answer 2

Goldfish need to have some of their diet to be made up of plant matter, otherwise they're prone to constipation. No time like the present to start!

Some choices you may already have on hand are peas (remove the outer skin first), squash, cucumber, shredded carrots, beans, lima beans (also remove the skin), romaine lettuce, collard greens, broccoli, yams, red peppers, and oranges. It's best if you freeze or cook the foods briefly to soften them, so they're easier for your goldfish to eat. Foods with red or orange color will also act as a color enhancer for your goldfish.

Bits of cooked fish and shellfish are also okay for added protein, but it's best to stay away from terrestrial-based food sources (beef, chicken, pork) as these contain differents proteins and fats than aquatic sources.

This link covers more on goldfish nutrition, and has a recipe for a gel food you can make yourself - there are links to other foon/feeding/nutrition sources within: http://thegab.org/Articles/GoldfishNutrition2.html

Answer 3

You could use sinking/floating pellets and brine shrimp of any form live or freeze dried isn't a bad idea. Thawed peas with the skin taken off are great they help with swim bladder issues and are really good for the fish. I use sinking pellets and feed my goldfish peas, as a treat.

Answer 4

One of the best foods are sinking pellets with a couple of thawed, shelled peas in place of the pellets a couple of times a week. It prevents the fish from gulping air at the surface during feeding time and prevents constipation. All this adds up to a goldfish unlikely to develop swim bladder problems :)

Answer 5

If they are big enough try boiled peas without the husk!

Answer 6

boiled peas!