Tropical fish food vs. goldfish food?

[thegrandpoohbah]

What's the difference between the two? I want to get a fantail or veiltail to put in my 35G hex along with 16 zebra danios. Do I need to feed two types of food or will they all get along ok on one or the other?

Also, I'm looking at the Pro Gro and Attack pellets that I just got from Uncle Rick (thanks Jay and Melody). Would they be suitable for goldfish?

[Katalyst]

What's the difference between the two? I want to get a fantail or veiltail to put in my 35G hex along with 16 zebra danios. Do I need to feed two types of food or will they all get along ok on one or the other?

Also, I'm looking at the Pro Gro and Attack pellets that I just got from Uncle Rick (thanks Jay and Melody). Would they be suitable for goldfish?

After speaking to UncleRick about goldfish food he suggested I try Attack Pellets, its what he feeds his goldies. I feed my goldies Pro Gold which is carried by, The Fish Sempai, MOPS and Goldfish Connection. I will get around to trying Uncle Ricks as well I'm sure. Danios are omnivores and can most anything, the do prefer some frozen foods and veggies as do goldies so they are a good match eating and temperature wise. I'd make sure the danios have a place to hide, some goldies will eat anything that fits into their mouths. You might want to do a test run with one or two before adding all of them.

Can't wait to see what you get. :)

[fishykisses]

i've been using Uncle Ricks pro gro (i believe) they are small pellets that sink well which i really like, the Hikari goldfish food i bought won't sink even soaked.
My goldies aren't big enough for the attack pellets that i got.

[Katalyst]

Floating pellets will sink if left in warm water for about 5 minutes. Because most goldfish have deep egg shaped bodies and prone to swim bladder disorder it is best to purchase sinking pellets. If the food is too big for your goldies you soaking it will break it up a bit. Hikari lionhead or oranda gold mini pellets are sinking pellets but not all of Hikari's food is. I'm starting to lean more towards gel foods and will be trying Uncle Rick's as well as Mazuri. I've tried everything and then some for my goldfish and will continue to try new things but Pro Gold is a tried and true favorite in this house. :)

[Melody]

Goldfish have no stomach and a simple, long digestive system. The commercial products designed for them will (ultimately) take that into consideration, but a lot of them don't.

From what I've studied inadvertently in regards to fish nutrition, Goldfish do not need a high protein diet and thrive much better on a diet high in vegetation. They should also be fed small meals, more frequently and a varied diet. It has come to light somewhat recently that even the air gulping thing isn't the cause of the digestive problems they're famous for.

Most of what I read is based on scientific studies for fish farms & the like, but I remembered an article on Wet Web Media that covered it more for hobbyists so I dug it up:

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshmalnut.htm

If I ever get my bookmarks off the old PC, I'll post some of the more dry, scientific stuff.

If I was going to go with a Cichlid food, I would go for one designed for the vegie-loving Cichlids.

[traco1]

Thanks for the link there, Melody. Not dry reading for me. I'm finding I'm looking more at what is the best to feed my fish and not just a staple flake food as I go along the fishy path. That's what I like about this forum is all this nutrition info and tried and true recipes and knowledge (well that and the great people here too!) .

[Melody]

Floating pellets will sink if left in warm water for about 5 minutes. Because most goldfish have deep egg shaped bodies and prone to swim bladder disorder it is best to purchase sinking pellets. If the food is too big for your goldies you soaking it will break it up a bit. Hikari lionhead or oranda gold mini pellets are sinking pellets but not all of Hikari's food is. I'm starting to lean more towards gel foods and will be trying Uncle Rick's as well as Mazuri. I've tried everything and then some for my goldfish and will continue to try new things but Pro Gold is a tried and true favorite in this house. :)

Have you ever tried soaking in a vitamin solution? Food is reputed to lose some of its vitamin content if it is presoaked, so it would be a way to counter that. That said, vitamins are more stable in food than they used to be, but even now the high-end foods like Dainichi will caution people to not presoak the food. I certainly agree that it would be easier for the fish to digest, so vitamin soaks might be the best of both worlds. A thought anyways.:smile:

[Melody]

Thanks for the link there, Melody. Not dry reading for me. I'm finding I'm looking more at what is the best to feed my fish and not just a staple flake food as I go along the fishy path. That's what I like about this forum is all this nutrition info and tried and true recipes and knowledge (well that and the great people here too!) .



Some of the most valuable information is learned from the experience of those who specialize in certain fish. When you hang out at a forum long enough, it usually becomes clear who has done their homework, and who also has experience to back what they've learned. That's why its so great to have people who focus on Goldfish, Cory's, etc. The books just don't give us that kind of specialized information as a rule. Its that variety of member whom I value most in a forum.

I had Goldfish a long time ago, but most of what I know is what I've read. They may hold phd's, but Kat has held a Goldfish...lol...and that is always worth respecting.

[CACAdmin]

I feel the same way. I tried reading up on fishkeeping and livebearers before I got back into the hobby a few years ago but most of what I have learned is from people who willingly share their knowledge and experience.

[KnaveTO]

Specialization is the key to progress in this hobby. I admit I love all my fish... but my plecos are may babies

[Katalyst]

Have you ever tried soaking in a vitamin solution? Food is reputed to lose some of its vitamin content if it is presoaked, so it would be a way to counter that. That said, vitamins are more stable in food than they used to be, but even now the high-end foods like Dainichi will caution people to not presoak the food. I certainly agree that it would be easier for the fish to digest, so vitamin soaks might be the best of both worlds. A thought anyways.:smile:

I have in the past, but have slacked as of late. Their diet is pretty varied so I don't worry to much about them loosing nutrients. I probally should, they are only given pellets 3 times a week. The rest is mainly pure spirulina, gel food made from mazuri plus veggies, garlic, paprika, oranges, lemons, spinach, frozen brine shrimp, blood worms, daphina, marine algae and probally a bunch of other stuff I'm not remembering. I feed 3 times a day during the summer when their metabolism is more active and twice a day in the winter. I'll be adding to the list as Uncle Rick's package is on its way to me and I'm always trying out new foods for them. Unfortunately the Dainichi makes a few of my guys floaty or I'd be using it. So my snails are enjoying dainichi in their snail jello. :P

Thanks for the reminder, my goldies will love you for it.

[traco1]

Wow, you weren't kidding when you said your fish eat better than you do! Same goes in my household with the pets, they get way more variety than myself. But then, I'm happy to eat cake and cookies (and we know that's not good for you, right?) lol

[Katalyst]

Wow, you weren't kidding when you said your fish eat better than you do! Same goes in my household with the pets, they get way more variety than myself. But then, I'm happy to eat cake and cookies (and we know that's not good for you, right?) lol

Being home I have too much time on my hands is all. And I like to cook so I just experiment with different things for my fish and my husband lol. In that order too, much to his dismay. :laugh:

[fishykisses]

I had a teeny bit of credit at my LFS so i bought the Hikari Lionhead sinking formula - WOWWYYY did they go crazy over that stuff!
I'm gonna have to really restrain myself from overfeeding them cause they enjoy it so much!

[Melody]

I have in the past, but have slacked as of late. Their diet is pretty varied so I don't worry to much about them loosing nutrients. I probally should, they are only given pellets 3 times a week. The rest is mainly pure spirulina, gel food made from mazuri plus veggies, garlic, paprika, oranges, lemons, spinach, frozen brine shrimp, blood worms, daphina, marine algae and probally a bunch of other stuff I'm not remembering. I feed 3 times a day during the summer when their metabolism is more active and twice a day in the winter. I'll be adding to the list as Uncle Rick's package is on its way to me and I'm always trying out new foods for them. Unfortunately the Dainichi makes a few of my guys floaty or I'd be using it. So my snails are enjoying dainichi in their snail jello. :P

Thanks for the reminder, my goldies will love you for it.

Bloodworms can be very constipating even in regular fishies, incidentally, so I'd probably avoid those. Sure sounds like they're spoiled rotten!

[Katalyst]

Bloodworms can be very constipating even in regular fishies, incidentally, so I'd probably avoid those. Sure sounds like they're spoiled rotten!

Thanks! I had no idea! It figures, they love them. I'll keep it as a once a month treat like I do the oranges until its gone then. Their diet is getting an overhaul anyways, mine should be too but nevermind about that. I'm so tempted to give them plain seaweed nori roll, I have a chinese supermarket around the corner but paranoid at the same time. I'm going to try out the two little fishies seaweed, I wish they had a sampler pack of all 3 seaweeds. They just had my latest concoction of veggie based gel food and no one looked very happy about it, but no one is upside down either lol.

[Melody]

Yup, Bettas often float and many times its traced to bloodworms. They do love them a lot so its a shame, but whaddayado? Some say its the iron content, some say its the shape.

I found that my fish prefer to eat the seaweed after it has softened in the water a bit, in which case you might as well presoak it since they're doing it anyway. The snails go at it right from the first second.