Goldfish need vegetables in their diet.

Without the leafy greens they crave, goldfish can develop nutritional deficiencies down the road. If you continued to give your goldfish just protein snacks, they’d become sick and lethargic, even flipping upside down.

Fancy goldfish especially are known for their swimming problems.

These fish have bulky bodies and tightly packed organs. Because of the distorted arrangement of their swim bladder and digestive tract, fancy goldfish aren’t strangers to constipation. If you have a floating-sensitive fish, your goldfish would appreciate more fiber, pre-soaked dry pellets, and a varied diet.

What better way to give your fish the nutrients they need than by feeding goldfish peas?

Why Feed Green Peas to Goldfish?

Two reasons.

1. Unlike this vegetable, green peas sink when placed under water. Sinking goldfish food is especially important for sensitive fish because they won’t have to search for food at the water surface… and suck in air bubbles while they’re at it.
2. Green peas are especially rich in fiber. According to this article, one cup of peas contains 7 grams of dietary fiber. That’s more than broccoli (2.4 grams), lettuce (1 gram), and spinach (0.7 of a gram) combined.

Fiber helps goldfish prevent constipation (and other known symptoms of swim bladder problems).

You might feed your goldfish a stable diet of dry and freeze-dried food, but without fiber from fresh vegetables, your goldfish might develop a blockage in the digestive tract. This blockage can cause your goldfish to lose equilibrium, have difficulty swimming, and even swim upside down!

Prevent Constipation By Feeding Goldfish Peas

Many goldfish hobbyists believe that green peas help push trapped air and food blockages from the digestive tract.

Photo by Liz West

The fact remains that without enough fiber, your goldfish will not be able to release waste after a feeding. This waste buildup can cause serious harm.

Goldfish are ravenous eaters and often poop out buckets. Without enough fiber to help bowel movements along, waste that your goldfish are constantly developing will get stuck and put pressure on the swim bladder (source). This pressure will prevent the swim bladder from inflating and deflating as it should. This causes goldfish to swim erratically.

Fancy goldfish with egg-shaped bodies are especially sensitive to swim bladder problems because of how their internal organs are positioned in the body. Often these organs are compressed to make up for their round body shape. The slightest blockage can put pressure on the swim bladder and prevent fancy goldfish from swimming properly.

At the same time, too much fiber will prevent your goldfish from absorbing important nutrients into the body (source), so it’s best to find a balance.

Fresh peas are very high in fiber, so they’re particularly effective for treating constipation (over other vegetables).

Feeding goldfish peas occasionally can prevent constipation, but don’t overdo it. We’ll talk about how many peas to feed (and when) later in this article.

While fresh peas can solve some floating problems, feeding goldfish peas won’t heal genetic swim bladder disease or permanently damaged swim bladders. Peas also won’t cure bacterial infections that may cause swim bladder problems. Feeding goldfish peas will only treat floating problems related to constipation.

Feeding Peas to Goldfish: A Step-By-Step Guide

Constipation can easily be prevented with a quality nutritional diet.

In this section we’ll take a look at how many peas to feed and how to prepare fresh peas before feeding time, including a step-by-step guide on feeding goldfish peas.

How Many Peas and How Often to Feed?

You know what they say…

A green pea a day week keeps the doctor away.

Green peas work great as a preventative against constipation, treatment for constipation, or nutritious snack. But you don’t want to go overboard. Too many peas will prevent your goldfish from absorbing some important nutrients they need to stay healthy.

If you’re…

• Treating constipation: Feed your goldfish a sole diet of peas daily for 3 days. If your fish are still constipated, you can continue feeding goldfish peas for 2 more days. If peas don’t solve the problem after 5 days, it’s likely that your goldfish aren’t constipated (and are suffering from poor water quality, a bacterial infection, internal parasites, or permanent swim bladder damage). When feeding goldfish peas, only feed 2-3 peas per goldfish. Young goldfish can receive half this amount. After treatment, resume your goldfish’s regular diet (and go easy on the feeding from now on).
• Preventing constipation: Feed goldfish fresh peas once per week to keep fiber levels up. Also include fresh vegetables twice per week for a well-rounded diet. Vegetables should be fed to supplement your goldfish’s stable diet of dry food. Fancy goldfish sensitive to swim bladder problems may also benefit from one day of fasting every week. Feed 2-3 peas per adult goldfish. Half this amount for younger goldfish.

As with any food you give your goldfish, too much of a good nutrient can be harmful. Striking a balance is key for long-lasting goldfish that thrive.

But don’t worry. If you follow the recommendations in this guide, you shouldn’t run into problems.

Let’s walk through the steps.

Step 1: Buy Fresh Peas from the Store

There are several varieties of peas you can feed to your goldfish. Each kind has its own nutritional value.

Photo by Andrew_Writer

• Garden peas – Garden peas are the most common variety found in stores. They may need to be chopped up for younger goldfish to consume.
• Snow peas – Snow peas are also called sugar peas and are very sweet. They’re pretty small, so it’s a lot easier to break them into bite-sized chunks.
• Snap peas – Snap peas are also sweet, though they’re about the size of garden peas. Snap peas may need to be chopped before feeding.
• Frozen peas – Frozen peas are a great alternative to fresh vegetables. You’ll need to thaw them out or run them under hot water though.
• Split peas – Split peas are bought dried, peeled, and split into two halves. While split peas need to be soaked in hot water (step 2), you can skip step 3 and step 4 in this guide.
• Canned peas – Canned vegetables are very high in sodium. Unless you buy all natural canned peas without added preservatives, I wouldn’t recommend them.

Goldfish aren’t fussy. They could care less what kind of peas you give them. You don’t even have to buy them organic.

Don’t buy seasoned peas for your goldfish though. Spices will make your goldfish sick and could cause serious harm.

My personal favorite is frozen peas. They’re easy to keep, easy to prepare, and can stay in your freezer for several years.

Step 2: Soften Green Peas for Consumption

Before feeding goldfish peas, remove peas from the pod if you bought them attached.

Now let’s prepare the meal.

You can soften peas one of three ways.

• Rinse your peas off with warm water. This method works great for frozen peas. Simply rinse frozen peas off with warm water for 15 – 30 seconds. This will soften them just enough for your goldfish. You can then let the peas defrost on a plate or napkin (if you need more time) before commencing to step 3.
• Place fresh peas into the microwave. This is the fastest method to soften fresh peas. Take a microwave-safe bowl and fill it partly with water. Plop in the peas and microwave them on high for 30 – 60 seconds. Take the bowl out and place the peas on a plate to cool off. Wait a couple minutes, then move to step 3.
• Boil fresh peas on the stove top. This method may take longer but is the most effective. Fill a pot partly with water and let the water come to a boil. Drop fresh peas into the pot and reduce heat. Boil the peas for 1 minute before pouring them into a strainer to cool off. Alternatively, you can replace the hot water with cold water instead of using a strainer. Let the peas cool for a couple minutes before moving to step 3.

The trick here is not to soften the peas so much that they’re mushy but just enough so that your goldfish can digest them easily.

If softened just right, the peas should not cloud the water during feeding time.

Step 3: Remove the Skin before Feeding Goldfish Peas

The thin skin around green peas can make your goldfish choke. That is, if it doesn’t get stuck on the roof of the mouth first.

Remove the skin by either…

• Tearing off the skin: With your fingers, tear a small hole into the skin. This hole can then be used to peel off the remaining skin from the pea. Do this for every pea you plan to feed your goldfish. Discard the skin.
• Squeezing the skin: Pinch a corner of the skin and the weight of the pea should help it slide out smoothly. Be careful though; if the insides are too soft, your peas might turn to mush. Complete this process for each pea, then throw away the skin.

I personally like poking a small hole into the skin and then carefully unwrapping the skin from the vegetable. The pea will keep its shape this way. Then you can cut each pea into equal sections (step 4).

Step 4: Cut Fresh Peas into Two Halves

When you remove the skin from green peas, usually each pea will already be divided into two parts with (what would be) the stem of the seed curved along the center. Cut along this line so that each pea is separated into two halves.

You can now feed your goldfish immediately or make the food even easier to eat in step 5.

Sure, you can squish together both halves of the pea to condense it and make it smaller for feeding. But I find the process of feeding goldfish peas to be a lot cleaner if you instead take the time to cut each pea into bite-sized chunks.

Some fish enthusiasts like feeding goldfish peas the second the peas are removed from the skin. However, your goldfish might have a better time enjoying the meal if you cut them up first. Your goldfish will be able to eat fresh peas quickly and the food won’t hang from their mouths while they munch.

Step 5: Slice Each Pea into Smaller Chunks

Do this especially for young goldfish that can’t fit a whole half of a pea in their mouths.

Cut every chunk (that you created in step 4) in half. Each pea should now be separated into 4 small chunks – a nice size to be easily digested.

I find that goldfish are able to eat these smaller chunks more easily than a whole pea. You can even further slice up each pea for smaller fish, though it may not be necessary.

Now you’re ready to feed the newly prepared meal to your goldfish!

Open the aquarium cover and sprinkle in a few chunks at a time. You should only feed 2 – 3 peas per adult goldfish (1 – 2 peas for younger fish).

An hour after feeding goldfish peas, check the substrate for uneaten food and remove them from the gravel (either with a siphon during a water change or a net).

Put leftover peas you didn’t feed into the freezer. You can defrost them and feed them to your goldfish next time.

Your Goldfish Aren’t Eating Peas?

Peas quickly sink to the substrate. If your goldfish have buoyancy problems, they likely won’t be able to get to the peas for feeding.

You can solve this problem by gently holding your goldfish and hand feeding.

Or, you can pick up a few clean toothpicks and push the opposite end of the pick through a whole pea or half a pea. Then hold the toothpick near your goldfish’s mouth for easy access. Make sure you don’t feed your goldfish with the sharp end – you don’t want to accidentally hurt your fish!

Live, frozen, or freeze-dried daphnia can be fed to your goldfish instead to treat constipation if you have daphnia on hand.

Remember: fiber-rich foods are only solutions for goldfish suffering from constipation. Damaged swim bladders are permanent (there isn’t a cure). Floating problems caused by bacteria, internal parasites, or poor water quality require their own special treatments (and can’t be treated by feeding goldfish peas).

Are You Feeding Goldfish Peas?

What types of peas do you feed? How do you prepare your peas for feeding? What other steps do you take before feeding goldfish peas? Have peas worked for you in the past?

What tricks do you use to cure constipation?

Share your experiences. Post tips or feedback in the comments below!

The post Feeding Goldfish Peas: A Detailed Walk-Through (with Images) appeared first on Complete Goldfish Care.

Note: This guide is massive! To aid reading, I condensed each section and included links to related articles for more in-depth information. I also plan to turn this goldfish food guide into a PDF that you can print out and use as a reference. Happy feeding!

Overfeeding is a common problem in aquariums.

If you’re not sure how much goldfish food (or even what) to feed new goldfish, you’re not alone. Horrendous products like this have very low nutritional value, are packed with filler content, and instantly cloud the water during feeding time.

[Goldfish] are hearty feeders and accomplished beggars, and they will gladly encourage you to overfeed them. – David E. Boruchowitz, author of Aquarium Care of Goldfish

Sadly, a majority of fish owners buy their first goldfish without learning the essentials of proper goldfish care beforehand. They’ll buy a goldfish from the pet store, put him into a small glass bowl, and feed the fish so much goldfish food that the filtration system (if they’re using one at all) can’t keep up with the ammonia buildup.

Next thing you know, the poor fish is laying on its side – or swimming upside down!

Too much food can get embedded beneath the gravel and decay, emitting harmful toxins into the water. Too little food can lead to nutritional deficiencies and prevent your goldfish from growing as they should.

In the end, you have very stressed out fish.

If you’ve already lost a goldfish from the above scenario, this guide will help get you back on the right track.

Ready to get those fingers dirty? It starts with understanding how goldfish eat.

It’s Munch Time

Did you know that goldfish actually have teeth in their throat?

No, really. They do.

While goldfish have several small teeth in their jaws for gripping and tearing food, a majority of teeth are in the throat. These teeth make it easier for your goldfish to grind up food and essentially eat that long worm whole (though I still recommend chopping up live worms before feeding young goldfish).

And because goldfish have a protractile jaw (a jaw that can move outward while feeding), they’re pros at finding and nibbling on leftover food buried between the substrate.

Neat, huh?

What’s more, goldfish don’t actually have a “true” stomach. In fact, they don’t have a stomach at all!

This causes all sorts of digestion problems if you feed your fish the wrong goldfish food, feed too much food at once, or even feed food that isn’t prepared in a certain way. Fancy goldfish especially have trouble because of the shape of their bodies (and the position of internal organs).

Luckily you don’t have to worry about that. By the time you’re done with this guide, you’ll be a goldfish food expert.

What’s on the Goldfish Menu Today?

There are so many different brands of goldfish food on the market, ranging from cans of dry food to packages of freeze-dried blood worms.

But be careful! Some brands use tons of cheap fillers in their goldfish food – fillers that don’t actually add real nutritional value. In the end, your goldfish is getting less nutrition with every bite!

Stay away.

While most commercial brands do strive to provide a balanced diet your goldfish need to stay healthy, the level of nutrients actually in goldfish food will vary. By simply looking at the ingredients on the back of the can, you can get a feel of how one brand compares with the next. And later, your goldfish will thank you with vibrant colors and years of entertainment.

To start with, there are several different types of food you can buy. Dry food (including flakes, pellets, sticks, and wafers) are the most used and marketed goldfish food available.

Dry Goldfish Food

Simply browse through the fish aisle at your local pet store, and you’ll see dozens of commercial goldfish food cans on display, most of which are dry food. Some are specially formulated to sink in the water, while others naturally float at the top of the aquarium.

Flakes are known to float at the water surface, while pellets often sink to the gravel below (though not always – you can buy pellets that float as well).

So which should you buy – floating flakes or sinking pellets?

Goldfish graze at both the top and bottom of the aquarium. Though, they do spend most of their time energetically sifting through the substrate for any tasty tidbits they might have missed. Unless your goldfish are sick or sensitive to buoyancy problems, both floating and sinking food will do just fine.

Sick goldfish will usually only touch food that sinks to the bottom.

It’s always good to have sinking pellets on hand to make sure all of your fishy friends get a bite. Since floating dry food can cause goldfish to suck in packets of air, some fish hobbyists only offer their goldfish sinking pellets to avoid problems – like buoyancy and swim bladder issues (which fancy goldfish are especially prone to).

Floating dry food has its advantages though. Flakes and floating pellets are easier to manage. Since they can be quickly removed after the feeding period, they won’t accidentally get caught under rocks and pollute the water.

Ultimately the brand of goldfish food you choose is up to you. If you have trouble making up your mind, you can always feed your goldfish both floating flakes and sinking pellets (variety is always a good way to go).

Live Goldfish Food

Depending on what is offered and how the live food is fed, nutrition can change. Many fish enthusiasts recommend feeding a very nutritious diet to live food before feeding (a process called gutloading) so your goldfish can benefit from the extra nutrition. Best of all, your goldfish will love every bite!

Live goldfish food is an awesome source of protein. In fact, it’s often used to get goldfish ready for breeding. The extra protein is good for young goldfish that are still growing and fancy varieties with developing head growths (like oranda and lionhead goldfish).

You can even cultivate your own live food.

Brine shrimp is a popular choice. You can hatch brine shrimp eggs quickly (within 24 hours under the right conditions) – and it can be quite fun to watch! Of course, unless your feeding goldfish fry, you’ll need to raise the brine shrimp to adulthood before feeding (or they’ll be much too small).

Some fish hobbyists also like feeding goldfish earthworms found after spring showers, though these will need to be thoroughly cleaned (make sure you collect your earthworms from areas where herbicides aren’t used).

Feeding your own live food can be risky though.

If you’re not careful, live goldfish food can contain diseases that will make goldfish sick. Brine shrimp and earthworms usually don’t carry disease, but other foods can.

Thankfully, you can eliminate risk altogether. Most live food is available at the pet store in small amounts (and these are usually 100% safe for goldfish to eat). Live foods available include brine shrimp, daphnia, tubifex worms, glass worms, and aquarium snails. In fact, aquarium snails are a goldfish delicacy!

Frozen and Freeze-dried Food

With frozen or freeze-dried food, your goldfish basically receive all of the nutrients of live food without the risk of infection. And just like live food, your goldfish will go crazy for a bite!

While often available in chunks, freeze-dried goldfish food can be broken up for younger goldfish. Full-grown goldfish are just as happy eating them whole.

Brine shrimp and blood worms are two of the most popular freeze-dried food on the market.

Pet stores also carry tubifex worms, krill, plankton, Mysis shrimp, and daphnia. Krill is especially effective in boosting high carotene levels – necessary for red pigment growth. Carotene also promotes beautiful contrasting colors in goldfish.

If you’re queasy about cultivating your own live food, freeze-dried food is a healthy alternative that your goldfish will love. Since this type of food doesn’t often resemble the organism being fed, you can rest easy knowing your goldfish is still getting a healthy diet.

Occasional Goldfish Treats

Goldfish treats fed once a week or a couple times per month can build excitement during feeding time.

Goldfish are primarily herbivores. Yes, they are omnivores and eat meat as well. But they should also be fed a good diet that includes lots of greens.

Their digestive systems are more sensitive than other species of fish (they don’t have stomachs, after all), so plants make it easier for them to digest their meals. If you feed your goldfish too much meat (and too few vegetables), you’ll run into problems later.

Soft veggies, like frozen peas (with the skin removed), frozen zucchini, boiled broccoli, and diced boiled potatoes can be fed in addition to freeze-dried meals (egg yolk is another favorite, though messy – expect a water change after!).

Veggies are often recommended for older goldfish to help with digestion. Goldfish struggling with swim bladder problems or swimming upside down will also appreciate a few more greens in their diet.

“Planting” lettuce leaves in the gravel will give your goldfish something to munch on if you don’t use live plants often. They’ll also enjoy fresh seaweed from the pet store, and you can use a veggy clip to keep any vegetables you feed underneath the water and in plain view for your goldfish.

But while homemade vegetables are tasty treats, it’s important that you never feed your goldfish anything with spices. Keep vegetables natural and soft by boiling the food or thawing goldfish food out if frozen.

Variety Is Key

Your goldfish will quickly grow bored of eating only one type of goldfish food day after day. Would you like to eat oatmeal every day of the week?

Feeding one type of food can cause other issues as well.

No matter which brand of goldfish food you buy, not one of them will have all of the vitamins and minerals your goldfish need to thrive. Yes, some brands are more nutritious than others, but no brand will fulfill all of your goldfish’s needs at once.

And if your goldfish are lacking in a particular food group, you run the risk of some serious problems down the road. Your goldfish won’t be able to grow properly and could face life-threatening illnesses (nutritional deficiencies are never good).

It’s essential that your goldfish have a varied diet. By offering variety, you can ensure your goldfish always receive the right amount of nutrients to continue growing strong. To keep things exciting, both for you and your goldfish, include all three food types in your goldfish’s diet: dry food, live or freeze-dried food, and your selection of veggies.

Offer one or two dry goldfish food brands as a stable diet daily, then mix in freeze-dried or live food several times per week. Once or twice per week, give your goldfish some lettuce, seaweed – even chopped bananas. But don’t just stick with one brand of food.

Mix it up a bit. Your goldfish will reward you by staying active, happy, and healthy.

Goldfish Food: How Much Is Enough?

While you might have your own preferences on how much to feed, the general consensus is to feed no more than your goldfish can consume in 5 to 6 minutes (per day, not per feeding).

Pay careful attention to signs that your goldfish has had enough. A slight bulge in the belly and decreased vigor when looking for food are all indicators to stop feeding. Depending on how much your goldfish eat in the time allotted, sometimes a feeding period can last less than five minutes.

But before we get into how much goldfish food to feed, you’ll need to first figure out how frequently you’re going to feed your goldfish (to calculate how much time will go into each feeding session).

Because a goldfish’s digestive system can’t handle so much food at once, strive to feed your goldfish multiple times per day but with less food during each feeding session. So, if your goldfish’s dining schedule includes four or five separate feeding sessions, you’ll only want to feed as much as your fish can consume in one minute or less (probably less).

Personally, I like to feed my goldfish two to three times per day, each feeding session about 1 to 2 minutes long.

Remember that goldfish are cold blooded and require less food than warm-blooded creatures (like you and me). Goldfish don’t need to absorb calories to maintain body heat like we do. So if you’re ever unsure of when to stop feeding your goldfish, you should stop.

Try feeding less when you think you should feed more. Gradually you’ll get the hang of how much food your goldfish really need to thrive.

One of the most harmful things you can do is feed your goldfish too much food.

Going Away for a While? No Worries!

If you’re all set to pack your bags and head out to your next vacation spot, you may worry how your goldfish will cope without food for the duration of your trip. Or, if you should ask a friend or relative to look after your fish while you’re gone.

After all, no one wants to come home to find dead goldfish floating around the tank. But you might be surprised: Goldfish can actually go a long time without goldfish food, as long as water quality is maintained and your fish are in good health.

In his book Aquarium Care of Goldfish, David Boruchowitz states, “A fish without food for a week is just hungry, not starved.”

If you’re going on a short vacation for a week, you probably won’t need to worry.

But if your vacation will take longer than a couple weeks and you’re worried about your goldfish’s welfare, ask a friend or relative to look after your fish every couple of days. You can even write out a feeding plan, or give your goldfish’s temporary caregiver labeled plastic bags with each meal separated.

To Recap…

Your goldfish need a varied, balanced diet if they’re to receive all of the nutrients they need to thrive. While one brand of goldfish food will supply your goldfish with most of the nutrients needed, you should still include other foods (freeze-dried, live, or homemade vegetables) to the diet. Feeding your goldfish one or two brands of dried food most of the time, with freeze-dried or live food and boiled vegetables worked in once or twice a week, is often best.

If you monitor how much your goldfish eat on a daily basis and maintain a healthy aquarium environment, you won’t need to worry about nasty goldfish diseases or malnourished pets.

So what’s on the goldfish menu today?

Share your goldfish care tips in the comments below!

The post Goldfish Food and Feeding: The Ultimate Guide appeared first on Complete Goldfish Care.