Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

what are some food options available for 2.5 inch to 3ish inch goldfish?

We have the balls (spheres) which are around 4- 5 mm diameter. The goldies just wait until they have softened then they eat them.
Tony

I've been starting my tilapia on ground Purina Kitten Chow (high protein until they get larger) and the goldfish go nuts for it as well. I've also been putting some steamed swiss chard in the tank and the goldies love that as well. Found a tub of water loaded with mosquito larvae and strained out a quarter cup (50 ml) of larvae which I dumped into the aquarium: wild party ensued , but I can't do that every day....

I've got Shubunkins, Fantails and a Silver Perch.

I bought flake for the Goldies and basic 2-3mm balls for the Perch.

Guess what? The Goldies prefer the balls. They hammer these, seem to have learn't some behaviour from the Perch, and then suck down the flake as second choice.

I'll keep feedin' em flake, assuming that there may be something in it that they need that the balls may not have?

Oh, and the Perch doesn't mind the Flake either

We only feed native pellets here. All the fish do well on them, even guppies just pound them up to the relevant mouth size, powder for the littlies

Are there any issues with using dried cat/dog food?

I think it's the amount of the preservatives that are in most dried pet foods that is the issue

ethyoxyquin? Is that the one?

I guess I'd read the label of anything you are going to feed the fish, and see if you want to eat that too, either via fish fillets or the veggies.

I grossed out my 5-year old. I made up some food for my tilapia fry. She's always cruising for snacks, and wanted to know what I was doing in the kitchen. I offered her a taste which she declined with a rather disgusted look on her face. I swiped a sample with my fingertip, stuck out my tongue, wiped the sample across my tongue and smacked my lips with great delight. "Ewwww, Mommy!!!"

(Ingredients: Egg yolk, brewer's yeast, flour, sugar, water.)

Goldfish also eat duckweed rapidly. No duckweed will last long enough in my Goldfish pond long enough to reproduce.

Without added feed, my 5 goldies grew from 2" long to 4" long in 12 months, in a pond they share with some native Iris in Western Australia.

Tony

What's wrong with my Goldies?

They nibble at the Duckweed (I think it may ever have come from your pond Tony) then spit it out! I made a nice duckweed growing area for nothing - (well at least it keeps it in from spreading out). So flakes all they're getting at the moment ... flakeytarians?

MajorTypo

Give them time. They take a while to get used to new food. I bet in a week or two they will eat it fairly eagerly.

I suppose their eagerness may be nutritional: I know that sometimes I have a craving for something, other times nada. Perhaps they simply don't need those particular nutes now.

I would bet on the first rather than the second.

Cat/dog food is often too oily for use in fish tanks/ponds.

As to goldfish foods.
Duckweed is a COMPLETE gold fish food.
Earthworms are a COMPLETE goldfish food.

For other foods you need to blend.

For example an easy to make frozen gelatine food might include
50% fish/prawns
50% peas/zucini/squash
All blended up, mixed with gelatine and frozen in flat bags or in icecube trays.

Or you could make a grain/egg based dry food.

Getting back onto the DUCKWEED that you have on hand.
I posted this a while back, basically a method of using duckweed to make dry wafers.
viewtopic.php?f=26&t=2289&hilit=duckweed
and ya you may find it helpful. If goldfish arent eating the duckweed, blend and dry some and they will get a taste for it.

Hmm....yes, I noticed that yesterday. Time to cut back. I wonder about alfalfa leaf (some of the loose stuff that falls off when we feed the horses): it must be high in protein and should be a lot more digestible than pellets (that contain stems). Probably great for tilapia and goldfish and carp/goldfish family types.

I need a "talking through my hat" icon: it's all hypothesis and little empirical evidence.

These pellets the barra and the native will be ok too
viewtopic.php?f=26&t=2389
Just make sure you dont over feed AND the goldfish also get either algae or vegetable bits.
Just with goldys ya gotta make sure they dont get blockages
Same flake or pellet and nothing else for 6 months will give you a goldfish thats maybe 50% of its potential.

If however you give them treats as well, they grow better and have nicer colours.
I like to get lots of prawn shells and blend them up (the red colour is in the shells = really pretty fish)
Then blend up white bait or cheap fish fillet.
Squeeze a a heap of defrosted frozen green peas out of skins and chuck skins away and guts into mix.
Some squash or zuccini.... and if your not using the kitchen blender, you can do some fresh duckweed too.
A nice scoop of spirulina powder
Some vitamin C
A raw chook egg
Pinch of paprika
And then add agar agar to bind it and freeze.

Breakfast of champions lol

Remember the golden rule.
Make a small batch first, test and THEN make a big batch!

I'm new at the concept of making fish food. After it is frozen, how do you feed it to the fish? Is it jelled solid like Jell-O?

HB