There are lots of different kinds of goldfish food to choose from … but pellets are a great way to go for those very reasons. Personally, I really like them.
But WAIT!
Not all pellets are created equal.
You’ll want to make sure you feed your goldfish the right kind of pellet to prevent issues like flipover problems or the more sinister fatty liver disease.
Our Picks of the Top 3 Pellet Brands
OUR TOP PICK
The hands-down BEST brand of goldfish pellets is Northfin (a favorite of goldfish breeders). The ingredients are top-notch, and this food boasts a quality ingredient profile founded on whole antarctic krill, organic kelp, and Omega 3 rich herring meal. No fillers, no byproducts – just wholesome goodness for your fishy friends! This is also perfect choice for those with goldfish aquaponic systems due to the high quality of ingredients used in the formula.
Why We Love it:
No fillers, hormones or byproducts – just quality ingredients
Rich in Omega 3 from marine sources for more vibrant color
A top choice of goldfish breeders
Kelp, Whole Antarctic Krill Meal, High Omega-3 (DHA) Herring Meal, Whole Sardine Meal, Wheat Flour, Spirulina, Garlic, Astaxanthin (Haematococcus Algae), Calcium Montmorillonite Clay, Vitamin A Acetate, L-Ascorby-2-Polyphospate (Source of Vitamin C), D-Activated Animal-Sterol (D3), DL Alphatocopherol (E), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Thiamine, Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Biotin, Choline Chloride, Cobalt Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Selenium, Zinc.
Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein (Min): 36%, Crude Fat (Min): 5%, Crude Fiber (Max): 5%, Moisture (Max): 9%, Ash (Max): 10%
Now, not all goldfish are as sensitive as some of the more swim-bladder “impaired” ones. For that reason, many other fishkeepers find they really like Omega One Goldfish Pellets. It’s got lots of good marine-based proteins and is available in a bulk size for those with lots of fish (or perhaps a pond).
Why We Love it:
Most economical choice (but best quality for the price)
Low-starch formula allows for better digestibility
Omega 3’s from Salmon rather than low quality meal
Whole Salmon, Whole Herring, Whole Shrimp, Wheat Flour, Wheat Gluten, Fresh Kelp, Lecithin, Astaxanthin, L-Ascorbyl-2-Phosphate (Source Of Vitamin C), Natural And Artificial Colors, Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Folic Acid, Biotin, Inositol, Tocopherol (Preservative), Ethoxyquin (Preservative).
Guaranteed Analysis
Crude protein (min) 33%, crude fat (min) 8%, crude fiber (max) 2%, moisture (max) 8.5%, ash (max) 8%, phosphorus (min) .5%, omega 3 (min) 1%, omega 6
There’s another great brand on the market… and that’s Azayaka sinking pellets. It’s marketed towards Ranchu owners, but the truth is that all goldfish have the same fundamental dietary needs. Azayaka comes in a variety of formulas, the difference being the percentage of protein needed, depending on the age of your fish:
- For adult goldfish, you will want the basic formula.
- For small young fish from 3-12 months old, the growth formula is recommended. This will help them build muscle mass they need as they grow.
- The Azayaka fry formula is ideal for newborn baby goldfish.
Fun fact:
A study was done that proved floating pellets do not cause swim bladder disorder. The problem isn’t the trapped air – the problem is the quality of the ingredients in the food.
Why We Love it:
A great option for sensitive swim bladders
Includes fish collagen for stronger bones and scales
Can help assist in wen development for Oranda, Ranchu and Lionhead goldfish breeds
Guaranteed Analysis
Protein Min.38% , Fat Min.4% , Fiber Max.5% , Ash Max.13%
The “Dirty Little Secrets” in Most Brands of Goldfish Pellets
Did you know that most brands can do more harm than good to your fish’s health?
That’s because they use low-quality ingredients that don’t cost as much for the manufacturers to produce.
It’s shocking, but true…
Just look at the ingredients on the back of the jar, and you’ll probably notice it contains a large amount of wheat (sometimes labeled as wheat meal or wheat germ) or corn.
Here’s the problem with that:
Goldfish aren’t grain eaters and can’t digest these kinds of carbohydrates. This can lead to floating problems (especially for fancy fish) or dirtier aquarium water.
So exactly why are companies putting them in?
One reason:
Using poor quality, inappropriate ingredients (fillers) in goldfish food maximizes their profit margins.
It’s not in the best interest of the fish, who can end up with health problems later on in life due to eating an improper diet 🙁
The solution?
Find a high quality brand with a good nutrition profile and without any cheap fillers so you can have healthier fish and a cleaner aquarium.
Which brings us to the next point…
What is the Best Pellet for Goldfish Available?
Here’s the skivvy:
Fancy labels, creative marketing slogans, even the higher prices…
… None of that matters to your fish.
Goldfish pellets are only as good as what they’re made of.
So what makes a good one?
You’ve probably heard that goldfish should have a higher percentage of protein in their food.
But get this:
The percentage of protein is not nearly as critical as the quality of the protein used.
Protein should not come from land animals, but marine sources.
Chicken is not a natural part of their diet. Low-quality protein can cause fatty liver disease, leading to dropsy, organ failure and even death.
I only use high-quality brands of pellets that meets these qualifications for my delicate fancy goldfish.
How Many Pellets Should I feed My Fish?
I get this question a lot.
A lot of feeding instructions recommend feeding the fish as much as they can eat in 2-3 minutes, maybe even 5.
But following those directions, you can seriously overfeeding your fish.
They only really need about 30 seconds worth of pellets – anymore than that, and they can end up sick or with dirty water.
Sure, it doesn’t seem like a lot of food. They might even still look hungry.
But if it was up to your fish, they would literally eat themselves to death…
What do you do?
My best recommendation is to give them some foraging material to nibble on throughout the day.
That way they don’t feel bored and hungry…
… But don’t end up eating too much rich food.
Good foraging material can include leafy greens like lettuce, spinach, kale, even peeled cucumber (they love this).
The fiber helps to keep their digestive tract moving and clean, preventing constipation.
I use a veggie clip to hold their greens in place.
It might take a few days – even up to a week – for them to figure out what that stuff is and then to adapt a taste for it.
Don’t panic if they seem uninterested. After all, pellets are like a yummy hamburger to them, and salad seems a whole lot less appetizing.
You can encourage them to eat it by not feeding them anything else until they do.
(They will eat it when they get hungry enough).
You can also try putting the veggies in the freezer overnight to soften them up before feeding them to your fish.
After all, they are a bit tough.
Be sure not to leave any veggies in the tank for over 24 hours or it will start getting gross.
Read More: How Much & How Often to Feed Your Goldfish
Put Your Feeding Schedule on Autopilot
Here’s something super nifty about pellets:
They can be loaded into an automatic feeder so you can simply set it and forget it.
You won’t have to remember to feed your fish every day anymore!
This can be especially useful for when you go on vacation. (I’d recommend using it for a while before trying this just to be on the safe side).
If you have a ton of live plant in your aquarium that your goldfish can peck on, you may not have to give them veggies to graze on.
Of course, it can be tricky to grow enough of them to keep up with their voracious appetite!
Goldfish are pretty smart little creatures – you may notice that once you set up the automatic feeder, they will wait underneath it for the pellets to drop out about the time it is ready to release them!
Let’s Hear it From You
I hope you learned something useful from this article.
Now I want to hear your feedback:
Are you ready to make the switch to a good quality goldfish pellet?
(Your fish will thank you for it!)
Do you have a question about goldfish diet in general?
Let me know what your thoughts are in the comments section below.
Featured image credit: Rabbitmindphoto, Shutterstock
Hi hi! Based on your recommendation, I purchased the Azayaka growth formula for my 2 goldfish (ranchu and thai oranda; both are between 3.5-4 inches). Any idea on how many pellets to feed each fish? The ranchu gets floaty after each meal. Thank you for your help!
With Azayaka, I go by feeding time not the amount of pellets partly because they are so tiny and also because each fish is different in terms of how much they need. I recommend feeding them for about 30 seconds and removing everything else that isn’t eaten in that time. It can take a bit of trial and error but you’ll learn through experimentation. 🙂 Hope this helps!
Hi! I am a broadtail moor(black telescope) goldfish keeper and to me, I have never feed them Azayaka. It is because they always appear on Ebay and so much orders went blank afterwards, plus my order was about to go on my place, but ended postponed due to an error of my code lol. But I think it’s best to say, I feed my goldfish Hikari. Hikari Growth formula is best for young fish, Saki Hikari is best for adult fish and premature fish, Hikari Lionhead is best for small and medium sized goldfish, because as they consume the pellets, it aggressively increases size and rapidly increase color enhancements:+) this diet is not all weat, but spirulina, krill meal, fish meal, and veggies. Very good product just like Hikari:-)
Thanks for sharing your preferences, Isaiah! I love broadtail moors <3
I tried feeding my 3 conet goldfish (Kane, Avel, and Aave) pellets, but the simply didn’t eat them. I know after a while into the day of not being fed they probably did their usual foraging and popped some in their mouths, but I’m afraid by then the pellets were just releasing yucky stuff into the tank to dirty it. I did start using “crisps” and they love those (they also LOVE spinach. It’s amazing to see how easily they bite little pieces off) But if these pellets are really the best options, how can I get them to eat them before they are just sitting and dirtying the water??
I would fast them a few days, then try again with a little amount 🙂 They will come around eventually
I am using Hikari pellets but would like to switch to the northfin you suggest since they are getting bigger now… their bodies are about 2 inches long, not including tails. How do I know which size pellet is best for them? The ones they’re eating now are tiny.
I would go with the small size Northfinn.
So Helpful! Thank You.
You are welcome 🙂
I bought a goldfish for my 2nd grade class room just about 15 years ago. About a year ago I found out he\’s shubunkin. I finally had to retire him from my classroom because he now requires a bigger tank. He is now in a 55 gallon tank in my family room. He kept getting high ammonia levels causing septicemia. I tried the powdered erythromycin from Petsmart but it would just come back so it was finally suggested I try Melafix and after 2 weeks of treatments it seemed to be gone. I change the water every week. I started to research goldfish food and found your site. I spent quite a bit of time researching dog food and and now do a homemade raw diet for the my dogs and found similarities in good and bad brands as I did with fish and dog food. I currently have been using Bug Bite pellets, Omega One flakes and TetraPro crisps. He also gets 6 peas a day. I\’ve got live wood and plants in the tank too. I\’m learn now there are better brands of food out there and how I can also but in leafy greens. I noticed last week he started to get blood spots again so I treated with Melfix again. My thoughts were between my husband and I was overfeeding causing extra waste which boosted up ammonia? Can you recommend anything more like brands of food ? How to keep the septicemia coming back and treatments? I noticed a few tiny spots last night so added ammonia reducer until I could do my weekly water change in the morning. This morning I could tell he just didn\’t feel well ( maybe too much ammonia reducer?) I did the water change, added salt and a treatment of Melafix and he seems a bit better and ate a few peas and reg. food. I added a spinach leaves being held by a chip clip. Any suggestions is appreciated.
High ammonia can mean inadequate filtration or as you said overfeeding. Water changes & Prime are the better way to deal with ammonia spikes IMO.
Thanks , Since writing this I had more time to look all through the website and learned soooo much. I was told my Petsmart/Petco to only change 25% out weekly. I was really surprised to learn that I can change up 90% and put the Prime in first and then add new water. I ordered a Phython hose. I’m dealing with the recent red streak of blood by big water changes and it seems to be getting better. I also plan on ordered the pellets you recommended. I join the Facebook page and will ask a few more questions there.
Great to hear!
Hi Meredith,
What’s the best way to feed spinach and lettuce? I have tried booking spinach and it became so soft that when my goldfish tried to bite some off she got a huge long piece. She sucked in the whole thing before I could do anything about it, and I was terrified she would choke to death. She finally spat it out and I was able to remove it luckily. Can you suggest the best way to prepare the leafy greens to avoid that type of thing happening again?
Thank you!
Andrea
You can try tearing it into finer pieces if you like. But it won’t hurt them and they won’t choke. That’s what they do in the wild.
Loving your site, it’s so helpful!
I noticed however, after giving your top three pellet recommendations, you mentioned what low quality brands often do with their ingredients.
In all three of the recommendations you gave, they all contain grain based ingredients which you previously warned against.
Bought the Japanese brand you mentioned but now I’m wondering
Hi Peter, so all pellets on the market that I know of all have wheat in them as a binder. The difference is in how much and what kind. NorthFinn uses whole wheat which is not as much of a constipation causing ingredient. When plain wheat is the first ingredient I classify that as a low quality pellet. Hope that helps!
Hi!
I just wanted clarify, Is the Azayaka food good for goldfish even though it has fish meal has the first ingredient?
Thanks!
It isn’t my first choice but it is still a very decent food.