Goldfishes are not just popular pet fishes around, they are one of the most common freshwater aquarium creatures in the world today.
One of the most interesting things about keeping a goldfish in your tank is feeding it, and keeping it healthy. To see them wiggle with joy, with curious eyes as you approach the tank with their food gives immense joy to most aquarists.
Goldfishes, like us, need food to survive and stay healthy, maintain metabolism, and happy inside their tanks. When it comes to feeding goldfish, a lot of people limit their scope of diet to domesticated products.
Goldfishes are wild creatures. They not only thrive in the freedom of nature, but they are also omnivores, feasting on a number of things:
- Algae
- Plants
- Plant roots
- Rotting plant matter
- Worms
- Insects
- Smaller fishes
Vegetables make up a huge portion of goldfish’s diet. Vegetables are equipped with several benefits that your goldfish needs:
- It is anti-bacterial. Vegetables, when eaten by your goldfish go into the gut and destroys any bacteria that have found its way there. This makes it a necessity in their diet.
- Veggies are anti-inflammatory. Vegetables are very good diets your goldfish can take to reduce inflammation.
- Veggies also support the immune system, making your goldfish healthy to withstand diseases.
- It also helps with their growth.
- Vegetables also help their organs function better.
The relevance and role of vegetables in the goldfishes’ diet cannot be overemphasized. Keeping them in a domesticated environment while feeding them only carnivore food leaves them nutritionally deficient. Hence, by spicing their diet with veggies, your goldfish is guaranteed of a long and healthy life.
Now that you’ve come to full knowledge about the benefits of veggies for goldfish, what ideal vegetables should you be feeding them?
So What Vegetables Are Good For Goldfish?
- Cucumber
- Tomatoes
- Spinach
- Lettuce
- Cilantro
- Kale
- Avocado
- Parsley
- Broccoli
- Asparagus
- Squash
- Chard
- Zucchini
- Frozen or fresh peas
- Carrots
- Lima beans and peas
- Broccoli
- Cabbage
- Cauliflower
- Sweet potatoes
These are some of the ideal veggies your goldfish will eat to live healthily. But how are exactly are you going to feed them these things?
Ensure that they’re high in fiber
First and foremost, you need to ensure that the vegetables you’re purchasing for your goldfish are high in nutrient and fiber—as it would help to improve your fish’s metabolism and digestion, and in many ways, reduce constipation.
One way to be sure of that is to search for veggies that heavy and firm, and fresh-looking. Vegetables containing wilted spots, sours or wilted spots should not be bought.
Soak the vegetables into a bowl containing cold water
After buying the vegetables, put them inside a large bowl and fill it up with cold water. You’re expected to leave the vegetable (especially the leafy ones or the veggies with a large surface) inside the bowl for 3 minutes and thoroughly swish it around so it would lose any debris.
Rinse them.
Just to ensure that the veggie is completely safe from dirt, debris, or pesticides, place them inside a clean sink and turn on the cold water.
If what you’re rinsing is small in size, arrange them in a colander and rinse that under running water. You can use your fingers and or a vegetable brush to scrub it clean.
Completely dry the veggies
Tap water is usually chlorinated and filled with metals which is harmful to your goldfish. To ensure you do not contaminate your tank water, properly clean the veggies with a paper towel. You can dump the paper towel in the bin after use.
If you’re concerned about using tap water to soak and rinse the veggies, you can make use of distilled water instead to clean them.
Peel the veggies.
Goldfishes are suckers for soft food. Hence, it is recommended to peel the veggies. You can choose to feed the goldfish after removing the peel if the veggies are soft and eatable.
For carrots, cucumbers, pumpkin, sweet potatoes and zucchini, you can grab a knife and peel away the outer layer.
Steam them on a stovetop
Pour 3 glasses of water into a pot and heat on it on a stovetop until it boils. At this point, roughly chop the hard non-leafy veggies and place them into a steamer basket which you will place inside the boiling pot.
Cover the pot and steam the veggies for 5 minutes or until they’re soft when you poke them. Turn off the stove afterward.
When steaming the veggies, ensure that the steam basket is not coming in contact with the boiling water. If the water is too much, remove some.
If steaming the vegetables feels like a bore, you can opt to microwave it instead. For this method, you can cut your veggies into 2-inch sizes and place them inside a plastic container. Pour small water into the container and microwave under a one-minute window.
Chop the veggies into bits
Goldfishes have small mouths, so it is important that you cut the veggies into small sizes they can eat and swallow.
Set the microwaved or steamed veggies on a chopping board and use a knife to cut them into sizes not higher than 2mm.
Feed the goldfish
Now you’re all set to feed your goldfish. Scatter some of the chopped veggies into the tank and watch your goldfish nibble at them gleefully.
If you’re feeding no more than 4 goldfishes in the tank, limit the number of veggies to a few pieces. If you’re feeding a tank full of goldfishes, add a couple of spoonful of veggies.
Note: While goldfishes love to eat veggies, you should limit their intake to once every day. Be careful not to overfeed your goldfish as it would not only cause indigestion but bloating issues as well. You don’t want that.
Conclusion
Goldfishes are not just omnivores, which means it is necessary to spice up their diet with veggies. The aforementioned veggies contain vital nutrients that they need to stay healthy and active.
You can offer them limited pieces of fruits such as bananas, peeled grapes and melons periodically.