Pet Forum / Aquaria / Goldfish / April 2004

When I called an online fish dealer yesterday asking about fancy
goldfish, I was offered the following two tidbits of info: 1) if one is
using pelleted food, reconstitute the pellets in a little (aquarium)
water before feeding; apparently this helps avoid some fin-related
problem associated with dry food expanding in their stomachs, and 2)
occasionally feed them small amounts of vegetable matter, such as a
frozen pea with the skin peeled off or a little bit of lettuce. I tried
reconstituting the pellets I have and the only real problem I can see is
that they get a little mushy and it's a little harder to gauge how much
their eating. Then again, the idea of feeding goldfish "as much as
they'll eat in a minute or two" seems to me to come from people who've
never kept goldfish before. None of the four I've had so far goes into a
constant feeding frenzy when food is added. They let some pellets drop,
grab at a couple, and then take their time cleaning up the rest.

I give my pond goldfish (comets & shubunkins)
a slice of orange about once a week.  Remove
rind a day or two later.  Also whole wheat
bread a couple of times a week.  All in addition
to usual pellets (soaked in pond water first) and
occasionally flakes.

So far so good.  All seem healthy.

Gail

Believe it or not i make "fish kabobs" I nuke zucchini and Lettuce for about
three min (or until veggies are limp) then I place them on a plastic stick
with a suction cup on the bottom  I have the cup turned upside down then I
bury the cup under the gravel this way everything stays in place. I add a
slice or orange to it. the fish go crazy for it and my cichlids love it as
well.