Authored by Sandy Rothra in Pets
Published on 11-13-2009

Goldfish, like all living organisms, need specific nutrients to remain healthy. Many ready-made processed foods combine the necessary vitamins, protein, and carbohydrates. Some are more complete than others. To be sure of ingredients and to save money, you may decide to make your own goldfish food. For a complete food, use the following recipe.

Ingredients for goldfish food:

• 1/4 cup fresh or frozen peas
• 1/5 cup fresh, frozen, or canned salmon
• 1 hard-boiled egg
• 1 oz. brine shrimp
• 1 oz spirulina powder
• 1 tablespoon wheat germ powder
• 1/2 tablespoon fish oil or cod liver oil
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

For dry goldfish food, combine the ingredients in the blender. To dehydrate, add about 1/2 teaspoon corn starch to make a paste. Spread the paste in strips on foil or waxed paper. Leave space for air circulation. Dry or dehydrate, then break up into small particles for feeding.

For frozen goldfish food, combine the ingredients in the blender. Dissolve about 1/2 teaspoon unflavored gelatin in a small amount of boiling water. Then add to the blended ingredients. Pour into ice cube trays and refrigerate or freeze. Just remove a cube to feed the fish. Never keep these cubes more than a week unless frozen. To keep frozen, just dump the cubes in a freezer bag. Remove them one-at-a-time as needed.

For snacks and occasional feeding, there are many items that your goldfish can eat. Lettuce, peas, cucumber, and zucchini can be clipped to the side of the tank for them to nibble. Do not drop them loose into the tank as these items will rot and pollute the water. You can also feed them mealworms, brine shrimp and wax shrimp. There are several products advertised as good ingredients for your goldfish food. If you plan to use any of them you must read the labels and know what you are paying for.

Soybean products are now being used for protein sources in fish food. However, these are not good sources for complete amino acids. Fish meal can be one of two basic types. Some fish meal is produced from the waste of fisheries. These manufacturers produce human food and fish oil supplements. Fish meal from these sources may no longer contain whole nutrition. However, whole fishmeal is produced when particular fish are harvested for the purpose of producing fish meal. These are usually small boney fish not suited for human consumption. The fish are cooked or dried whole and contain all the necessary amino acids. Whole fishmeal is also a good source of the minerals your fish need.

Although your fish may seem to prefer special food items, such as blood worms or lettuce, that does not mean that you should give it to them very often. A child may prefer candy, but we know that it contributes nothing to his nutrition. A favorite food or brand may not be the best choice for his health. Your goldfish needs fats for energy, proteins and specific amino acids each day. When you prepare goldfish food yourself, you know what is in it.