I get this question a lot:
“How often should you feed your goldfish?”
And:
How much should you be giving them each serving?
Most importantly…
…What exactly do you feed anyway?
Here’s the brutal truth about feeding your goldfish:
There is WAY too much confusion surrounding what kind of food is best and how much of it should be given each day.
Some say, “just feed the fish when it looks hungry.”
If only it were that easy…
Now:
If you’re serious about making sure your goldfish is healthy, you need to be very careful with exactly what and how much you are putting in the tank.
Otherwise you can end up causing your fish lasting damage (or even death).
Well today I’m going to show you the formula that will push you further along towards have a healthy fish and a stable aquarium for years to come.
Keep reading to learn how…
The Fail-Proof Feeding Formula (for Savvy Fish Owners)
There are 3 steps to this technique.
Step 1: Craft a digestive-friendly diet
Step 2: Know how much to give them
Step 3: Stick to the routine
Here’s why this method works (and why it will make your life so much easier):
It takes out all the guesswork and uncertainty out of mealtimes.
All of a sudden YOU have the power of knowing exactly what to do and how to do it.
You won’t be just hoping you’re feeding your fish properly… you’ll know you’re feeding your fish properly!
How Often Do You Feed Goldfish?
I get this question a lot from owners:
“How often should I feed my goldfish?”
It isn’t a black and white answer.
Feeding frequency depends on a number of factors:
- How old your goldfish are
- If you are trying to condition for spawning
- If you are trying to get your fish to grow faster
- The temperature of the water
- The number of fish and/or size of your pond or aquarium (stocking volume)
In general, I recommend feeding your fish only once per day, ideally at the same time every day.
However:
These other factors play an important role in how often to feed goldfish.
Age of the Fish
Young fish need several frequent meals per day, as a goldfish grows the fastest in the first year of its life. Several small meals throughout the day promote more growth than one big one.
Spawning
If you are trying to get your fish to spawn, it is usually necessary to put them into “breeding condition” by feeding them several larger meals per day (this is accompanied by a more intense water change schedule). The greater amounts of food help the fish to produce more eggs and milt.
Growth
Are you trying to promote lots of growth in your fish? Maybe you want to see them get huge? In that case, more frequent feedings in smaller amounts are the way to go.
Temperature
During the wintertime outdoors when the temperature drops below 50 degrees F, many times goldfish only need to be fed once per month. Hibernating goldfish hardly digest food as their metabolism slows down, and the food can end up just rotting in their gut and leading to sickness.
Water Volume (Stocking)
How often to feed goldfish is also influenced by the water available to dilute toxins produced by excess nutrients. In a more crowded environment or one where there is not as much water volume to dilute the fish waste, sometimes a twice a week feeding is a good idea to prevent the water getting fouled.
How Much to Feed a Goldfish at a Time
Obviously it isn’t enough to know when you should feed your fish, but how much should you feed a goldfish.
Again, this is not a black and white answer either as it largely depends on the factors mentioned above.
That said:
In general and for normal circumstances, I recommend feeding no more than your fish can eat in a 30 second window of time.
This is assuming you are feeding them some kind of processed food such as flakes, pellets or gel food.
The reason?
Foods sold by the manufacturers are quite rich. They contain all the nutrients a goldfish needs in a single daily ration.
More than that on a regular basis, and you can start to run into issues.
One common problem is swim bladder disorder, that affects many if not most fancy goldfish. Lots of rich food is hard for them to process and can lead to constipation or food impaction in the GI tract.
Another issue (more common with lower quality foods) that can arise from feeding a large amount is fatty liver.
Now:
Again, if you are feeding more temporarily and are doing lots of water changes – this rule is flexible.
This lower amount of processed food will keep your tank way cleaner.
Of course…
The rest of the time, your goldfish will feel hungry once those 30 seconds are up.
That’s why it’s important to provide foraging for them throughout the day (more on that later).
The Natural Diet of a Goldfish in the Wild
As you may know, the carp is the “granddaddy” of what we call goldfish.
They may look REALLY DIFFERENT on the outside because of so much selective breeding that’s been done to them…
…But they’re still carp.
Understanding what they would eat if they still lived in the wild will help us know what we should feed them.
This begs the question:
What do carp eat?
In the wild, carp aren’t very good hunters, but their diet includes a mix of plants and insects or worms.
They’re omnivores.
Now:
Do your goldfish live in a pond like the carp?
Then you don’t have to worry about a lot of the issues we’re going to talk about today. That’s because the fish have lots to forage on already – just like the carp.
On the other hand:
If you have your goldfish inside, YOU are in charge of providing all of their nutrients.
Just get these two things: a staple diet food and foraging supplements.
What do Goldfish Eat? Choosing a Good Quality Food for Your Fish
Be sure to pick them out a high-quality staple food to eat.
This will supply that protein and fat the fish needs to live, as well as other important vitamins and minerals.
Let’s get this out in the open right now:
Flakes are very popular.
But I don’t recommend them AT ALL.
Why?
They start falling apart and leaching ingredients into the tank as soon as they hit the water.
And it’s hard to tell exactly how much you’re using.
If those aren’t enough reasons to avoid them, there’s also the fact that most of them use cheap, junky filler ingredients to cut down their costs!
So what should you get instead?
1. Invest in a good quality staple diet food.
A good one will have better ingredients and a higher percentage of protein and fat. Plus, it is made to have all of the nutrients a goldfish will ever need for the rest of its life.
If you have slim-bodied goldfish, like Commons or Comets, they aren’t as prone to problems like constipation.
You still want to avoid low-quality foods (foods that aren’t high in soy, corn and starches) because they can foul your water and lead to health problems over time, but their diet doesn’t need to be quite as strict as a fancy goldfish.
This brand is formulated to be optimally digestible (even professional breeders use it). You can also buy it in bulk here if you have a pond or a lot of fish.
Now:
Fancy goldfish have modified bodies and are SUPER prone to swim bladder problems if their diet isn’t just right.
It should not contain any fillers, wheat or wheat gluten (goldfish aren’t grain-eaters and don’t digest wheat, which can cause swim bladder problems!) or chicken (protein should come from marine sources).
Most of the common brands are literally junk food for your fish and don’t meet all of these requirements, not even many of the ones marketed as “high end” goldfish food brands.
For sinking pellets, the brand called Azayaka is the best I’ve ever come across. It uses high quality ingredients without any of the things mentioned above. It actually has fish collagen in it to promote healthy scales and fins.
AND it’s perfect for on-the-go feeding. My fish seem to really enjoy the taste as well.
Here’s how to choose which one is right for your fish:
- If your fish is over a year old, you will want to use the basic adult formula. It has a lower protein percentage to prevent internal issues common in older fish fed too much richfood. I find my fish do great on a small feeding of this food once per day, it doesn’t cloud the water also which is a plus.
- For young fish from 3-12 months old, the growth formula is recommended. Younger fish should eat this higher protein food in very small amounts several times a day to help build muscle mass (a goldfish does most of its growing in the first year.)
- Finally, the Azayaka fry formula is good if you have baby fish on your hands. Baby fish also should be fed small amounts frequently with lots of water changes.
Pellets offer the advantage of being easy to feed and store. You don’t have to fuss with making up a new batch every week or two.
You can also use pellets in an automatic feeder so you can just “set it and forget it” once every week or so. Great for us busy fish keepers.
That said:
There is another kind of goldfish food called gel food, which is fed to the fish in a wet form. Because it is moist, it helps minimize the risk of constipation that could be more of an issue with dry foods if they get impacted in teh digestive tract.
I also really like Repashy Super Gold gel food for my goldfish because it is one of the very few brands of gel food that does suite the unique digestive and nutritional needs of goldfish with a higher quality ingredient list.
You can get it here.
The jars come with a powder that you add water to and cook up.
Its higher protein formula is best for younger goldfish. But if you do want to feed Repashy Super Gold to an adult fish, just be sure to feed it sparingly.
It will be well worth the extra money!
Read more about why I like using gel food for my goldfish.
Gel food can also actually be made right in your own kitchen, if you have the ingredients.
Remember:
The food will only be as good as what you put in it. Goldfish have some pretty complex nutrition needs, so you will have to do some homework and figure out everything you will need to get and how much of it to use.
Also, hate to burst your bubble…
… but you probably WON’T save money doing it this way.
Like a good quality pellet would, it will need to have high protein and fat with little fiber.
So, which is better – pellets, or gel food?
It depends on what works best for your unique fish and you, as the fish keeper. You might even try using both (like I do) and see which you prefer.
2. Fibrous veggies
These will ensure that your goldfish gets the fiber it would get if it lived in the wild and counterbalance the rich pellets.
There are a lot of options here.
My personal recommendation is to get some leafy greens from your refrigerator for your goldfish to nibble on.
You’ll want to get enough of them (and maybe some different kinds) so they don’t all get eaten up right off the bat.
Your goldfish DOES need to eat a daily salad!
And – bada bing, bada boom – you’re set.
3. Avoid the Pitfalls of Overfeeding
I think you’ll agree with me when I say:
Eating a cheeseburger is GREAT every so often.
But eating one every meal of your life – breakfast, lunch and dinner?
Not so much.
You know the reason… it’s too rich!
Goldfish foods, even good quality foods, are rich like burgers. They’re fatty and high in protein. Too much rich food = sick fish.
While goldfish DO need some rich food to live, how much they eat of it has to be very controlled or they end up sick and overweight.
Listen:
By nature, goldfish are foragers (like the carp).
They have only one goal in life: EAT – and eat as much as possible!
This is because their survival instincts tell them to prepare fat reserves when food is available for the cold winter when food is scarce. It works well for carp who have those lean times… but not for goldfish who don’t.
By now you know that goldfish are simply “repackaged” carp.
Here’s the bad news:
All of these changes have made goldfish (especially the fancy kind) very sensitive in respect to diet. That’s because their bodies have gotten much shorter… but their organs have not.
Their swim bladders and livers are especially prone to getting damaged by eating too much FATTY FOODS.
Fat builds up in and around their organs and can lead to problems with fluid balance… even to the point of getting the disease dropsy!
That is… if you overfeed.
This brings us to the next point:
Just how much of those pellets should you be giving your fish so they don’t get overfed?
You may have heard this before:
“Feed fish as much as much as they can consume in a 2-3 minute period several times daily.”
Or this…
“Feed no more than your fish will consume in 5 minutes twice a day.”
#facepalm
Those instructions will take your goldfish to bad health faster than a greased pig on roller skates in the average aquarium.
See, unless you follow all of the best practices for goldfish care, you can’t feed your fish that way.
Because foods is the biggest contributor to water quality problems.
A time frame of about 30 seconds is all most goldfish keepers should be aiming to feed in. Any more than that… and you are actually risking your tank.
Want to know the scary part?
Those directions actually came from labels on goldfish pellets from well-known pet stores! The average fish keeper reads them and thinks to themselves, “Perfect. My fish aren’t overfed because I stay within those limits.”
But not long after, they don’t know why their fish are ill – maybe even dying.
Now:
It doesn’t take long to eat the amount of food a goldfish needs.
Even though they don’t need more nutrients, the rest of the day they will feel hungry.
So they beg.
Seems glutinous, but actually they’re BORED without being able to forge. (Instincts, remember?) Because they’re not eating anything at that exact moment, they think they’re starving when they aren’t.
Good news:
This is where the veggies come into play.
Leafy veggies like spinach or lettuce help balance out that rich food. And having 24/7 access to those healthy leafy greens will make sure your goldie always has something to munch on.
But you should know…
Plants aren’t nearly as tasty as pellets – they’re a lot more tough and stringy – so your fish will be reluctant to eat them.
So here’s a little goldfish parenting 101:
If they aren’t eating their salad, don’t give them any pellets.
(Eventually they’ll cave in!)
QUICK TIP:
Try freezing your veggies to soften them up before serving if your goldfish don’t seem interested. That always does the trick for mine 🙂
Oh, and don’t forget – you’ll probably want to use a veggie clip. It will help keep the leaves from getting stuck on the filter – plus, you’ll always know when it’s time to refill.
The magnetic kind last the longest and work well on both glass & acrylic tanks.
4. Get in the Habit of Following a Feeding Schedule
If you don’t use an automatic fish food feeder, (which can be a nice time-saver) you’ll probably want to pick a set time every day to feed so you won’t forget to drop in the daily ration of pellets, gel food or live food and make sure there is enough leafy greens in the tank.
You can tell if they are if you see little bites out of the leaves and the amount is getting smaller…
… Or by the color of their stool (it will be dark green).
How often do you feed goldfish?
Adult goldfish should only be fed 1 time per day with high protein food. Smaller fish need more frequent feedings of little portions to grow big and strong.
They can still eat veggies around the clock, as much as they want, so you aren’t depriving them.
Feeding time is also a great time to check on your fish’s general health.
Here’s the deal:
People often overfeed because their fish acts like it is still hungry even after eating its pellets. It will do everything it can to look cute and irresistible to get you to buckle.
DON’T do it!
You aren’t being mean when you cap the jar and cross your arms. You’re doing what’s best for them.
(Remember… if it was up to your goldfish, it would eat itself to death.)
Another reason fish owners give in is they want their fish to get big and strong FAST. If that’s you, give your fish a bigger tank, not bigger portions.
Overfeeding won’t speed up growth.
Look:
Some goldfish owners try to make their pets look fatter by stuffing them with pellets. But “plumping up” them up will only make them overweight.
A blimped-out, sick fish is far less adorable than a trim, healthy one – wouldn’t you agree?
Proper care (and good genetics) will make a fish look stout and healthy.
Now:
If you have multiple fish, making sure that everyone gets their fair share can be a little tricky.
That’s why you could try hand feeding your goldfish.
It makes it WAY EASIER to control who gets what during the feeding frenzy.
You’ll probably find that the time it takes to train your fish will depend on how cleaver it is. Newer fish will be more easily frightened of you, but don’t give up.
For the fish that just doesn’t get it (or has poor vision, like a Telescope), you can try putting them in a floating basket while giving them food. There will be less room to search around and other fish won’t interfere.
Just remember:
If one fish happens to get more than the others some dinner, resist the urge to give the others more.
Here’s a helpful video on how to do it:
Now it’s Your Turn
I hope this article has helped to shed some insight on answering the question, “how often should you feed goldfish” – as well as the reasons behind how often they need to eat.
Now it’s time to put those techniques into practice.
If you don’t remember anything else, remember that OVERFEEDING – not starving your goldfish to death – is the cause of most problems.
Did you learn something new?
If so, I’d love to hear your feedback below.
Oh, before you go:
Finally, for the complete guide to goldfish care including everything you need to know about feeding, check out our book, The Truth About Goldfish.
Hey, great article so thank you, I was wondering if I need to wash veggies or cook the gels in old tank water in order to safely feed them to my fish? Or is it safe to wash the food/cook it with tap water?
Washing & steaming is what I usually do. You can use tap water for the steam.
Hi, I just have one problem with how much pellets to give my fish. I can’t check if they eat them in 30 seconds, because they usually take one and then leave the pellets for a while and come back for another one in 5 minutes, or so. They’re really slow eaters, one black moor and I don’t know what types are the other two, but definitely not telescopes. Thanks, Christina
If they leave the pellets and eat for a while that counts towards the 30 seconds 🙂
Hi Clementine! Love the website! I have three smaller comets who aren’t large enough to eat pellets or tougher substances, I would like them to have greens, I just don’t know how to give it to them…you mentioned softening the spinach but could you please specify how long? And should thaw it for a minute after freezing? Thanks so much!
I soften it until its nice and wilted. You can add it frozen it will thaw very quickly in the tank water. You can also try grinding up the pellets in a pepper grinder if you want 🙂
Hi thank you so much for this article, I’ve just found out that I’ve been feeding my goldfish actual garbage and I can’t wait to fix up his diet, but I just have a couple of questions:
I have a single comet that’s about 8 cm (3 inches) long, and I’m not too sure how old he is, but assuming that he’s less than a year old seeing how small he is, you’ve said that I should feed him very small amounts several times a day. Does that mean I feed him what he can eat in 30 seconds 3 times a day? Or should I feed him less each time, say, what he can finish in 15 seconds 3 times a day?
I’m also a little confused about how to feed him veggies. Do I just clip a couple spinach/lettuce leaves near the bottom of the tank and let him do his thing? If so, how do I know when to replace it? He’s a small fish so I’m afraid the plants might go off before he has a chance to finish them. Also I don’t have a veggie clip yet so is it okay to clip the veggies to the top of the tank for now and just have them dangle in the water?
I’m sorry if I’m asking a lot of dumb questions, I’ve been doing a lot of things wrong and there’s a lot of conflicting information online and I just want my fish to live his best life 🙂
Many thanks,
Freya
Glad you liked the article, Freya! I think I answered your question via messenger, please check 🙂
Sorry, but can you please answer her question here… It would be helpful for people with same doubts.
Yes, could you please answer those questions where we can all see. I am in the exact same situation except my fish is 2.
I feed the 30 second rule for the staple food. I.e. pellets or gel food. 1-2x per day. The veggies are unlimited. Feed as much as they eat in 24 hours then replace daily. Sometimes I just throw them in xD
Thankyou for this Information. I’m the older generation and had goldfish, but never knew how much it took to look after a fish
You’re welcome!
Thank you, Pure Goldfish!
You are very welcome 🙂
Hi there. So I recently got 7 baby Oranda Goldfish from my uncle. He gave me a rundown on how to care for them but after reading this article I seriously doubt in the way he is taking care of his fish.
Even after reading this article I\\\\\\\’m still not sure where to begin in taking care of them. They are 1 – 2 months old, still very young. I only have flakes for them, but I\\\\\\\’m going to buy new food. Since there are 7 of them I still don\\\\\\\’t know how to feed them properly, or how often I should clean the tank, or how I can entertain them, or even which plants I can put in the tank.
I know I\\\\\\\’ve asked a lot of stupid questions, but your help would be appreciated. I just want to ensure they are as healthy as they can be.
Thank you so much for the helpful article.
You can find most of the answers to your questions on this site 🙂 Please use the menu to browse around topics.
Great feeding tips! My only problem is when I feed my fish one of them pushes all the other fish away and eats all the food. Can you help me? Thank you!
You might have to train the others to eat from your fingers by using a floating basket for a while during feeding for them 🙂
Thanks!
I’m really confused. You say not to feed goldfish foods with wheat or wheat gluten, yet several of the top five foods you recommend, such as Omega One pellets & flakes contain both! This is very contradictory, to say the least! What gives??
Hey Sandra, sorry for the confusion! The foods are listed in order of the best. Repashy is best because it has no wheat or fillers. Not everyone wants to feed gel food though, so I have on the list the flakes and pellets that have the least amount of fillers and wheat in the ingredients. Sadly I have yet to find any pellets or flakes that don’t contain wheat. Hope this helps.
Enjoyed your website which contains great information and suggestions. I would love to know your thoughts about feeding peas to Goldfish (in place of greens) to avoid constipation. My fantail ignores leafy greens, but absolutely loves peas. I do skin the pea and cut into very small bites. My fish is about 2″ and I give it one pea every four days because read that should not feed peas too frequently. Also, does the size of a Goldfish normally include the tail length?
Peas 1 times per week is fine. So is fasting 1 day a week. And yes.
Thanks a lot Meredith you are the best. It helped me to differentiate the best and cheap foods in the market.
From your article I understand that they can be fed once in a month during winter, but how about small ones do they lack nutrition, will it affect their growth As in winter goldfish needs less food. Temp 10-12 deg cel
Possibly. Goldfish do most growing during their first year of life. But some believe hibernation puts a pause button on things, maybe including growth, so I’m not certain.
Thanks, You have proven that you are an expert in this field with this wonderful article. You really told about the cheapest and quality food diet of Goldfish.
Great article! Thanks for the helpful insight.
Glad it helped you, Jeffery!
Hi so I’m just wondering if its okay to leave a 24/7 access to spinach leaves all the time since doesn’t the fish realize that that’s a lot of greens for him. Basically, does the fish realize when to stop eating the spinach leaves or no. My 2 yr old fantail goldfish just gets bored if I don’t give him the leafy greens and once i give it to him he eats the 2-3 leaves in like 15 seconds. I don’t want to hurt his stomach with an overload of greens so please help. He only now gets like the flakes once a day and then the greens. Thanks!
Yes it is ok!
Hello, Meredith! ? I am finding your website very helpful. Here is a link to one of my Fantail Goldfish videos. I made it just a few days ago. I have my little beauties in a 55 gallon bare bottom tank, & got them as babies about 9 months ago.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpHygucwd8A
I think they are 2 females but am not sure. Can you please tell me if I am correct? Thanks.
Hi Nancy, thanks for sharing your video. It can be tricky to tell the gender of the fish when they are not in breeding season, but if you can use this guide you might be able to spot signs of male or female goldfish. Hope this helps!
Great information, thank you!!
My goldfish is 10 years old and I never knew to feed him greens. I have fed him peas and watermelon (which he loves) randomly, when he has not been feeling well.
But now I know. So If I understand correctly, I just drop a full spinach leaf in. So No need to cut it up into bite size pieces, right?
Thank you for all of this. Fishy and I are so grateful.
Hello! Thank you for the wonderful article! Really helped me out! I was also wondering if you could change the diet of a 5 year old goldfish and 1 and a half year old beta fish? My goldfish and beta have been eating flakes ever since they were born, however I am trying to help them to transition into eating both pellets and greens. Do you need to have the goldfish and beta adapt and transition into pellets and greens slowly, or are you able to change their diet right away, with no negative health affects for both of the fish? If so, will both 1 and a half year old beta and 5 year old goldfish be able to transition to this eating style? Any tips?
It can take a while for them to adapt. 🙂
Hey Meredith I just got 2 baby goldfish just wondering what is the best brand food for them? Should I use the flakes or pellets for them?
Hey Billy, you might want to check out this post on the best food! I’d say #1 or #2 is your best option, but all of them are good!