Why You Shouldn’t Be Feeding Goldfish Flakes
Unfortunately, the majority of goldfish flakes out there do not contain quality ingredients. If you flip the bottle around and take a quick look at the ingredient list, you’ll notice that the first few ingredients probably start out with fish meal, soy flour, and wheat gluten – or some close variation. These are not the kinds of ingredients that will help your goldfish lead a healthy, long life showing their most vibrant colors.
Most of the goldfish flakes out there are also very high in protein with a minimal amount of fiber – this should be the other way around! Fancy goldfish should be kept on a maintenance diet that contains larger amounts of fiber so that you can avoid having to deal with a constipated goldie. This is very important when you’re keeping the ones with very exaggerated egg-shaped bodies because their intestines are also likely to be distorted.
Constipation Is No Laughing Matter When It Comes to Feeding Goldfish
When your goldfish is fed a very high protein diet, he is not able digest it properly and thus move it out of his system. Once he becomes constipated, it leaves him at a much higher risk for developing buoyancy problems — commonly referred to as “swim bladder disease” by those who don’t realize that there are many factors that can make your goldfish turn upside down and they aren’t all related to the swim bladder!
By feeding your goldie a diet high in fiber you are helping to ensure that he can properly digest all of his food — and doing so will prevent him from developing one of the most common problems with Goldfish. A good way to assess whether or not your goldfish constipated is by taking a few minutes to observe his feces daily. You are looking for a solid, brown string that doesn’t have air pockets or strings attached. If you notice that his poop looks very clear and stringy something is either wrong with his diet or he may possibly have internal parasites.
All right, so now that we’ve covered why Goldfish flakes aren’t a balanced diet let’s take a look at what we really should be feeding goldfish!
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