Goldfish food is mainly made of carbohydrates and protein. Unfortunately, goldfish have unique dietary requirements that cannot be obtained from any other food. You should feed your fish with foods that provide them with adequate nutrients.
Flakes
These are commonly used food for goldfish. The truth is that goldfish like flakes a lot. The good thing about flakes is that they easily float on water and this makes it easy for the fish to catch them before they sink into the water. You can easily get flakes at any particular pet shop.
Pellets
This is another common goldfish food. It is an easy and quick meal and readily available in a pet shop near you. Pellets are formulated for goldfish to ensure they meet their dietary requirements. You have to ensure that your fish are big enough to eat pellets. Avoid feeding small fish with pellets.
Frozen Foods
Frozen food is the right alternative for conventional food. It is quite similar to live foods, but only frozen or dried. These foods contain a lot of protein. Thus, you should avoid feeding your fish more than 4 times a week with these foods. You should note that these foods are more expensive as compared to live foods. The good thing about frozen foods is that they do not contain diseases in them. Some of the freeze-dried foods include tubifex worms, plankton, Cyclops, daphnia, bloodworms, brine shrimp, and Mysis shrimp.
Live Foods
You can also feed your goldfish with live foods such as snails, tubifex worms, glass worms, and more. These foods are good alternatives to pellets and flakes. They are excellent sources of protein.If you have large goldfish, you can feed it with these foods or small size fish. However, these foods can also contain diseases. Thus, you should ensure you feed your fish only food that does not contain diseases.
Plant Matter
You are free to feed your goldfish with live plants. As noted above, goldfish are mainly herbivores in nature. Therefore, they can eat vegetables and flowers in their diets rather than pellets or flakes. In addition to protein foods such as live foods and pellets, you can also feed the fish with plant matter. The foods contain essential nutrients. Remember that goldfish does not have a stomach. Thus, giving them plant matter helps the goldfish digest their food easily and efficiently. Some of the plant foods you should give to your goldfish include frozen peas, frozen zucchini, boiled broccoli, and more.