As a fish keeper, before adding goldfish to your tank, you must wonder about their dietary requirements. So, what do goldfish eat? What are the best homemade foods for your goldfish? Let us discuss this below:
Goldfish are omnivore species that require meat and green veggies for proper growth and development. Homemade live foods like mosquito larvae, daphnia, and boiled vegetables help your goldfish stay active. Avoid overfeeding to prevent severe health issues in your goldfish.
Let us dive into the article to know more about your goldfish dietary requirements. In addition to this, we will also learn to prepare homemade food for your goldfish.
Contents
Goldfish dietary needs?
As goldfish are omnivores species, their diet should hold both meat and green veggies for proper growth and development of your fish.
| Goldfish Diet | Serving Quantity | No. of times |
| Mosquito Larvae | 12-15 | 2-3 times a week |
| Veggie Pellets | One pinch at time | 2-3 times a day |
| Bloodworms | One pinch at time | 1-2 times a week |
| Tubifex worm | One pinch at time | 1 time a week |
| Brine Shrimp | One pinch at time | 1-2 times a week |
| Leafy Greens ( Kale, Spinach, Lettuce) | A piece of leaf | 3-4 times a week |
How often should you feed your goldfish?
It would be best to feed your goldfish 2-3 times a day in adequate quantity for their proper growth and development.
According to the rule of thumb, you should provide them with a quantity they can consume in under 2 minutes. Excessive amounts can lead to severe health issues in your goldfish, like loss of appetite in your fish.
So, it will be advisable to feed the correct quantity to your goldfish to avoid any health issues with your fish.
Best homemade food for your goldfish?
You can prepare live foods as well as frozen food for your goldfish. The live foods you can prepare for your goldfish are as follows:
Live Foods:
- Mosquito larvae
- Daphina
- Brine Shrimp
- Vinegar eels
- Microworms
Mosquito Larvae:
Mosquito larvae hold all the necessary nutrients your goldfish require for proper growth and survival.
In addition to this, you can grow mosquito larvae in your backyard as it is effortless and cost-saving.
Mosquito larvae are cost-friendly compared to the other fish foods available in the market. You can serve 12-15 larvae to your fish 2-3 times a week.
Also read: Can Goldfish Eat Mosquito Larvae?
Daphnia:
Daphnia holds a good amount of carbohydrates, protein, and fat required for the growth and development of your goldfish.
All you need to prepare daphnia in your home is:
- A separate tank
- 6-8 hours of indirect sunlight per day
- Provide a cooler climate.
There should be a movement in the water to culture daphnia. In addition to this, daphnia feeds on yeast, algae, and bacteria.
Daphnia also holds a good amount of fat, carbohydrates, and protein required for the growth and development of your goldfish.
Brine Shrimp:
Brine shrimp holds a good amount of protein required for your fish’s growth.
In addition to this, your goldfish must have a good amount of protein.
Experts suggest that your goldfish diet must hold 30% protein.
You can provide one pinch of brine shrimp 2-3 times a week to your goldfish.
Goldfish too enjoy consuming brine shrimp as they find it very delicious.
All you need to culture brine shrimp in your home are:
- Brine Shrimp egg
- Small hatchery
Micro worms:
Microworms are also a good option for your goldfish as it holds the necessary nutrients required for your fish’s growth.
All you need to grow micro worms are
- A small container
- Oatmeal bread
- Live adult micro worms
You have to put a slice of bread in the container to allow some moisture and place the micro worm to the top.
You will discover a lot of micro worms in the container in just 2-3 weeks.
Vinegar eels:
Vinegar eels can also be a part of your goldfish diet as it holds all the necessary nutrients required for the proper growth of your fish.
Vinegar eels hold around 50% protein that helps develop your goldfish.
Vinegar eels can be very beneficial for your goldfish fry. However, it will be advisable not to overfeed vinegar eels to your adult goldfish as it also holds a decent amount of fat as excessive can lead to digestive issues in your fish.
These were the live foods you can feed your goldfish for their well-being.
As goldfish are omnivores species, their diet should contain meat and green veggies.
Only feeding red meat can lead to digestive issues in your goldfish as your fish does not have a stomach to digest.
Goldfish digest food as it moves through the intestines and absorbs the nutrients as the food passes through them.
So, other than live foods, here is the list of green veggies you can feed your goldfish for their well-being.
Boiled vegetables:
You can serve boiled veggies to your goldfish as they require it for proper development. Here are the vegetables you can serve to your fish.
Cooked peas:
You can serve cooked peas to your goldfish as it is rich in fiber that helps in the constipation issues of your goldfish. In addition to this, cooked peas can also help cure swim bladder disease in your goldfish.
However, it will be advisable not to overcook the peas as they can turn mushy, making it difficult for your goldfish to eat.
Cucumber:
You can also provide cucumber to your goldfish as it holds all the necessary nutrients required for the proper growth of your goldfish.
Cucumbers are a rich source of vitamin c essential for the reproduction and development of your goldfish. It will be advisable to blanch your cucumber before serving it to your fish.
You can feed cucumber 3-4 times a week in a moderate quantity to your goldfish.
Also read: Can Goldfish Eat Cucumber?
Lettuce:
You can also serve lettuce to your goldfish as it is rich in antioxidants required for your goldfish to stay healthy. Butterhead lettuce and romaine lettuce are the two best options for your goldfish. It is advisable to blanch the lettuce before serving it to your goldfish.
Therefore, you can provide a piece of leaf 3-4 times a week to your goldfish.
Also read: Can Goldfish Eat Lettuce?
These were the green veggies you can serve to your goldfish.
Other beneficial foods for your goldfish?
The other beneficial foods you can provide to your goldfish are as follows:
Bananas:
You can serve bananas to your goldfish as it holds a good decent amount of protein required for your fish’s development. It would be advisable to chop the bananas into small pieces, making it easier for your fish to consume.
Also read: Can Goldfish Eat Bananas?
Apples:
Apples are a rich source of vitamin c that helps develop your goldfish. It will be advisable to cut the apples into small pieces to make them easier for your fish to consume. In addition to this, you can serve apples as a treat 2-3 times a week to your fish.
Also read: Can Goldfish Eat Apples?
Rice:
You can serve cooked rice once a week to your goldfish. However, it will be advisable to avoid feeding rice to your goldfish as rice holds a good amount of starch that can lead to digestive issues in your goldfish.
Also read: Can Goldfish Eat Rice?
Garlic:
You can feed garlic to your goldfish as it holds antibiotics that help prevent diseases in your goldfish.
Earthworms:
You can feed earthworms to your goldfish as it holds a good amount of protein and calcium required to repair the body tissues. It will be advisable to feed earthworms 1-2 times a week for their well-being.
Also read: Can Goldfish Eat Earthworms?
Conclusion:
- You should provide meat and green veggies to your goldfish for their proper growth and development.
- It would be best to feed your goldfish 2-3 times a day in a moderate quantity.
- Excessive feeding can lead to severe health issues in your goldfish.
- You can prepare live foods like mosquito larvae, daphnia, and micro worms for your goldfish as they hold all the necessary nutrients that help your goldfish stay healthy.
- You should also provide green veggies like cooked peas, blanched cucumber, and blanched lettuce in a moderate quantity to your goldfish as it helps your fish stay active.
Reference: ResearchGate, ResearchGate