Goldfish are one of the most popular pets among aquarium experts. And no wonder – they are beautiful, unpretentious, and friendly. Besides, there are several Goldfish varieties, each of which is characterized by its unique color and shape.
Of course, the foundation of good health, wellness, and longevity of your Goldfish is a correct, balanced diet, made especially for Goldfish and fully taking into account these pets’ needs.
It can be challenging to make the right choice among the wide variety of food for aquarium fish on offer at pet stores. The primary attention should be paid to the manufacturer’s reputation, the purpose and composition of the feed line, and the shelf life.
I know some people have asked if their goldfish can eat betta fish food if they have nothing else around.
The short answer is that it won’t kill them, and it is a good source of protein, but it is not a complete meal for an omnivorous goldfish, considering bettas are carnivores.
What Food Does a Goldfish Eat?
A quality balanced food for Goldfish serves as a reliable basis for their useful life, proper growth, and development. Even though many aquarium inhabitants are unpretentious in nutrition and can safely dine on such unusual dishes as cereals, you should not experiment with food because it is dangerous not only for health but also for pets’ lives.
The best choice for Goldfish, for example, is qualitative cereal food. As a rule, it contains several beneficial ingredients – sources of nutrients, minerals, and vitamins that fish need for full development. In feeding, the flakes slowly sink into the water column – and the fish quickly catch them. An alternative to this feeding method is diets in the form of floating sticks and granules (or smaller crumbs).
Chip mix foods are also trendy. They are also nutritious and, thanks to their production at low temperatures, have a high nutritional value.
However, according to many researchers, the best choice for Goldfish is diets in the form of soft and light pellets with high vitamin content, good absorption, and content of spirulina algae and carotenoids to enhance the natural color.
Convenient to use are also series that combine several feed types in one package: flakes, chips, granules, and daphnia. Since fish food is very diverse, it is unnecessary to feed a pet with only one food type. It can be harmful to its health.
Can Goldfish eat what Betta eats?
Well, Goldfish like eating food descended to the bottom or at least the middle of the aquarium. If you gave your fish Betta food and it refused to eat it, maybe consider waiting till it sinks as your Goldfish will probably wait for it.
So, research conducted by ThePets says that you can give your Goldfish the Betta food as a source of protein, but you should not let the Goldfish eat too much of it.
Why is Betta Food different?
Goldfish are omnivores, which means they need vegetation and protein both in their diet. On the contrary, Bettas are carnivorous in nature. Ready-made foods created for Betta fish have high amounts of protein. As far as Goldfish have slower digestive tracts, the process of ingesting a high-protein food made for such a fish can drive to intestinal gas, kidney failure and swim bladder infection if you give such food to your Goldfish regularly. Goldfish food contains slow-digesting plant matter and amino acids created, especially for Goldfish’s primitive digestion.
So, Can I Give My Goldfish Betta food?
Well, specialists do not recommend giving Goldfish Betta food, though you absolutely will not kill your pet with it. But definitely abstain from feeding your Goldfish this way very often. If we talk about the frequency of giving Betta food in the mix with regular food – it should not be done more than once a week.
As was said before, Betta fish needs rather meat-based protein compared to Goldfish. That is why fish owners who have many different kinds of fish wonder if they can give then all the same feed. Betta granules include different nutritional composition than food for your Goldfish. When deciding what to do, remember that Betta food has too much protein to be given to Goldfish frequently. Use it to replace regular food not often than once a week when there is no other food left.
The Conclusion
Goldfish can eat some betta fish food, but not in a significant portion and not very often because of the protein levels that are too high and may hurt the Goldfish.
Sometimes it is also a question if you can give the Goldfish feed to the Betta. The answer is the same – a regular Goldfish meal does not even nearly have a sufficient amount of protein to maintain a healthy Betta fish. Consequently, each fish can eat the other’s food in infrequent circumstances, but it is not recommended. The Betta fish and Goldfish as well should be given food that is specific to their needs.
FAQ and Tips
How to feed your Goldfish on vacation?
The advantage of complete food for aquarium fish is not only their benefit but also convenience. For example, ready-to-use rations allow the aquarium owner not to worry about their pets during vacation or travel.
For such cases, there are special series of feed marked ‘holiday’ or ‘weekend’, which are produced in the form of large layers (blocks).
The compressed blocks of food can be attached to the aquarium’s glass or placed on the bottom of the water tank. After that, the compressed food is slowly broken down by the water, so that the fish can eat in a comfortable mode.
This way of feeding does not pollute the water, unlike when the owner gives the fish much more live or ready-made food before the trip, thus trying to create a reserve “for the future.” This is a big mistake common to inexperienced aquarists. Firstly, in one meal, the fish will eat much more food than their body needs, and overeating can cause severe illness and even death. Secondly, leftover food will sink to the bottom and deteriorate, contaminating the aquarium’s water and threatening its inhabitants’ well-being. Fortunately, the unique lines of the feeds mentioned above make it easy to solve this problem.
What else can you give to your Goldfish?
If you decided to give your pet something special or have no usual food left, you could give it some food from your kitchen. But be cautious about this to improve your Goldfish’s ration.
As we said, Goldfish are omnivores, but they are comfortable with vegetables, so you can easily use them. Try peas (but do not forget to remove shells). Blanched broccoli or oranges (cut into small pieces), zucchini, or cucumber are also acceptable.
By the way, you can, from time to time, give your Goldfish brine shrimp or freeze-dried bloodworms. Just do not forget that the central part of the ration should be fiber. Though, if you want to feed your Goldfish with this kind of food, consider doing it and then changing the water in the water tank. Leftovers can cause problems; water will stink, etc.
Main Goldfish Feeding Tips
- If it is dry food, the fish should eat the entire portion in 5-10 minutes; If it is plant food – in 10-20 minutes. Displace remains of the food immediately from the aquarium to avoid contaminating the water.
- Before pouring dry food into the aquarium, soak it for a few seconds, and feed in the form of granules for 10-20 seconds. This is necessary for it to swell a little, since fish swallow water along with food, and the food increases in volume, overloading the stomach.
- Goldfish are prone to overeating – feed them no more than twice a day: morning and evening, giving different food types. The optimal feeding amount is a pinch between two fingers. Feed at certain times to keep the fish from getting hungry. And remember, underfeeding is better than overfeeding.
Since the issue of feeding the Goldfish is exceptionally critical, mistakes here are not encouraged. Choose qualitative foods that are right for your pets and always follow the feeding guidelines.
