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5 Best Goldfish Treats Your Fish Will Love in 2024 – Reviews & Top Picks

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By Lindsey Stanton

Goldfish eating food

There are hundreds of treat options on the market for goldfish, so it can be frustrating to find one that is not just tasty to your goldfish, but also healthy. We all love our goldfish and want to give them the best life possible, which includes giving them tasty treats from time to time.

But how do you know where to start when it comes to finding the right treat for your goldfish?

These reviews of the top five best treats for goldfish are intended to help take some of the frustration out of finding treats for your goldfish. Treats are one of the best ways to show affection to your goldfish, so use these reviews to help you save time finding the best treats for your goldfish.

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A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites of 2024

Rating Image Product Details
Best Overall
Winner
Omega One Freeze-Dried Blood Worms Fish Treat Omega One Freeze-Dried Blood Worms Fish Treat
  • Two ingredients
  • Can enhance color
  • Good supplement for breeding fish
  • Best Value
    Second place
    Tetra Baby Shrimp Sun Dried Treat Tetra Baby Shrimp Sun Dried Treat
  • One ingredient
  • Can improve color
  • Excellent source of roughage
  • Premium Choice
    Third place
    Uncle Jim’s Worm Farm Treat Uncle Jim’s Worm Farm Treat
  • Live treat for fish
  • One ingredient
  • Can be used for more than fish treats
  • Tetra River Shrimp Fish Food Treat Tetra River Shrimp Fish Food Treat
  • Can enhance color
  • Excellent source of roughage
  • Cost-effective
  • Tasty Grubs 8oz Dried Black Soldier Fly Larvae Tasty Grubs 8oz Dried Black Soldier Fly Larvae
  • USA-grown
  • High nutritional content
  • One ingredient
  • The 5 Best Treats for Goldfish

    1. Omega One Freeze-Dried Blood Worms Fish Treat – Best Overall

    Omega One Freeze-Dried Blood Worms

    Check Price on Chewy

    The best overall treat for goldfish is the Omega One Freeze-Dried Blood Worms Fish Treat. This product is available in two sizes of canister and is made of nothing more than blood worms and vitamin E supplement. It has 55% protein, 3% fat, and 5% fiber. Blood worms are known to help enhance goldfish’s color.

    The freeze-dried texture makes it a great treat option for fish that prefer floating or sinking food since it will start off floating but once saturated, it will sink. Blood worms are best served only as a treat and should not be fed as the main diet, although the high protein content makes this a good routine dietary supplement for breeding fish.

    Pros
    • Two sizes of canisters available
    • Two ingredients
    • Can enhance color
    • Good option as a floating or sinking treat
    • Good supplement for breeding fish
    Cons
    • Not a good option for daily feeding

    2. Tetra Baby Shrimp Sun Dried Treat – Best Value

    Tetra Baby Shrimp Sun Dried Treat

    For the best treat for goldfish for the money, the Tetra Baby Shrimp Sun Dried Treat is a great option. This product’s only ingredient is baby freshwater shrimp. It has 44% protein, 6% fat, and 6.5% fiber. This food is an appropriate treat for freshwater and saltwater fish. Shrimp have carotene in them, which will help improve the color of goldfish.

    This product is made of whole shrimp, including the shell, which is an excellent source of roughage for goldfish. It’s appropriate for all life stages and is a great treat for fish that like floating foods. The high protein content makes this a good treat option for breeding fish. The high fat content makes it a good option for young, growing fish as well as breeding fish that need extra energy. This food is not a good option for daily feeding.

    Pros
    • Best treat for the money
    • One ingredient
    • Can improve color
    • Excellent source of roughage
    • Good for fish that like floating foods
    • Good for breeding or growing fish
    Cons
    • Not a good option for daily feeding
    • Only available in one size canister

    3. Uncle Jim’s Worm Farm Treat – Premium Choice

    Uncle Jim's Worm Farm

    For a premium-priced goldfish treat, the Uncle Jim’s Worm Farm Treat is not only a great treat but also a fun activity. Live red worms will be shipped directly to your home and can be used for more than fish snacks. Red worms can be used as treats for reptiles and birds and can also be added to compost piles or used as fishing bait. You can create your own worm farm with this product, allowing you to keep a live, high protein treat on hand at all times for your goldfish. Since this is live animals, there are some shipping restrictions, and it cannot be shipped to Hawaii.

    Red worms are high in protein, making them a good treat option for young fish or breeding fish. Large red worms may need to be cut into smaller pieces before being fed to fish.

    Pros
    • Live treat for fish
    • Can be used for more than fish treats
    • Good treat for breeding or growing fish
    • Can be allowed to reproduce long term
    • Healthy, high protein treat
    • One ingredient
    Cons
    • Premium price
    • Some shipping restrictions

    Many fish die as a result of improper food and/or portion sizes, which can be easily prevented by proper education.

    The Truth About Goldfish New Edition

    That's why our best-selling book, The Truth About Goldfish, covers exactly what you can and can’t give your goldies when it comes to mealtime. It’s even got a section dedicated to keeping your pet fish alive and well-fed when you go on vacation!


    4. Tetra River Shrimp Fish Food Treat

    Tetra River Shrimp Fish Food Treat

    The Tetra River Shrimp Fish Food Treat is a cost-effective treat for fish. River shrimp is the only ingredient in this product. This product has 60% protein, 3% fat, and 8% fiber. This is available in one size canister.

    These shrimps include the shell and are an excellent source of fiber to help prevent constipation. The high protein content makes this product a good option for breeding fish and fish that are in recovery from illness or injury. The high level of carotene in this product mean that it can help improve goldfish’s coloration. This food is rich, so it’s a good option for an occasional treat. These shrimps are intended for medium to large fish, but they crumble easily and they can be crumbled or broken into small pieces for smaller fish.

    Pros
    • One ingredient
    • Can enhance color
    • Excellent source of roughage
    • Good treat for breeding and recovering fish
    • Cost-effective
    • Can easily be broken or crushed
    Cons
    • Only available in one size canister
    • Not a good option for daily feeding
    • Large pieces

    5. Tasty Grubs 8oz Dried Black Soldier Fly Larvae

    Tasty Grubs 8oz Dried

    The Tasty Grubs 8oz Dried Black Soldier Fly Larvae is a USA-grown and non-GMO product. These dried worms have 32% protein, 30% fat, and 10% fiber. They are a rich but tasty treat for fish, birds, reptiles, and more. They include large amounts of calcium, which makes them a good option for a treat for snails and shrimp. The only ingredient in this product is black soldier fly larvae.

    These larvae should be fed sparingly due to their high fat content, but they can be a good occasional treat for breeding and growing fish. The high fiber content will help prevent constipation and the high nutritional content of this treat can help improve coloration.

    Pros
    • USA-grown
    • High nutritional content
    • Good treat for snails and shrimp
    • One ingredient
    • Good treat for breeding and growing fish
    Cons
    • Only available in one package size
    • Not a good option for daily feeding
    • Large pieces

    Buyer’s Guide

    What to Look for When Picking Treats for Your Goldfish:
    • Ingredients: When it comes to treats, picking products with as few ingredients as possible is best. Many types of treats are just a single ingredient, and others may have two or three, usually because some type of nutritional supplementation has been added. The fewer ingredients the better because fillers will dirty your tank water and fill your goldfish up with treats that have little nutritional value.
    • Sourcing: Knowing the source of your treats is ideal, especially if you’re providing a live treat. Insects that were raised as food are not likely to have had exposure to pesticides and other chemicals that may be dangerous to your fish. Catching crickets in your yard or digging up earthworms from your garden may risk introducing dangerous chemicals into your tank. If you are keeping worms in a compost pile or keep a pesticide-free garden, then that will be safer sourcing than not knowing where the worms have been feeding.
    • Nutritional Content: Fish of different ages have different nutritional needs and fish can become overweight, shortening their life span and decreasing their health. Treats that are high in fat should be fed sparingly since they are more likely to lead to weight gain. High protein treats are a great choice for breeding fish and juvenile fish, as well as fish that are recovering from illness because they will need protein to encourage healing. The main thing to remember with treats is that they should be fed as treats in moderation, and not as a primary dietary source. Foods that are intended to serve as a main nutritional source for fish are the best way to ensure your fish is getting all the necessary nutrients for optimal health.
    • Sinking/Floating: Some fish, like fancy goldfish, are generally recommended to have sinking foods to avoid air gulping since they are prone to swim bladder problems. Some fish prefer to go to the water’s surface to retrieve foods while others are more shy and prefer to stay lower in the water column. Knowing your fish’s preference will help you pick a treat that your fish will get the full benefit of.
    Types of Goldfish Treats:
    • Freeze-dried: These foods are dehydrated through a process of freezing and then removing the ice. These treats will plump up with enough time in the water as they rehydrate. Freeze-dried foods are a nice option because they contain most of the nutritional content of live foods with less chance of parasites and dangerous chemicals.
    • Frozen: Frozen foods are usually frozen into small ice blocks. Many fish will prefer these foods to be thawed before being fed, but some fish will be plenty happy to feed from a bobbing ice cube of treats. It is best to purchase frozen foods from stores that are local to you. This will allow you to get a frozen food home to your freezer with minimal risk of thawing.
    • Live: Live foods are a fun, tasty option for fish and are extremely nutritionally sound. Just make sure you know where your live foods are sourced from to prevent the introduction of parasites and dangerous chemicals like lawn chemicals and pesticides.
    • Processed: Processed treats are the least preferred from a nutritional standpoint. These foods are generally mixed with fillers that allow them to be made into a shape, like sticks, pellets, or flakes. Processed foods tend to have a longer shelf life than fresh foods, but they have more empty calories and provides less nutrition than live, frozen, or freeze-dried foods.
    Single Ingredient Goldfish Treats to Try:
    • Blood worms: Blood worms are the larvae of midge flies and naturally live in shallow, gentle-flowing waters. Almost all carnivorous, aquatic animals will eat blood worms, including fish, snails, turtles, crabs, and frogs.
    • Red worms/earthworms: Red worms are a variety of earthworm that are generally small and excel at composting. They are nutrient-dense and are usually a good size for medium to large fish to eat. The other type of earthworm we see most often is nightcrawlers, which are larger and tend to be better at aerating soil than composting waste.
    • Shrimp/krill: Small freshwater shrimp make a great, high-protein and high-fiber treat for fish. Usually these are fed to fish freeze-dried or frozen, but goldfish will eat any shrimp they can fit in their mouths, including cherry shrimp and ghost shrimp.
    • Black soldier fly larvae: These larval flies are grub-like and are great at composting and recycling waste. They will compost everything from food scraps to dead fish. They are nutritionally sound and tend to be kind of fat, so they are best served to medium to large fish.
    • Daphnia: Daphnia are also known as water fleas, but they are not insects. They are tiny crustaceans and are a form of plankton. Daphnia can be purchased frozen, freeze-dried, or live, and you can also purchase kits that allow you to raise your own daphnia.
    • Mosquito Larvae: Mosquito larvae are common in warm areas in pools of water, and goldfish are more than happy to take care of this problem in ponds. If you are confident in the cleanliness of your water, then you can catch your own mosquito larvae to feed to fish in your tank, but generally you will only find mosquito larvae in stagnant, low-quality water. Mosquito larvae can be commercially purchased frozen or freeze-dried to be fed to fish.
    • Mealworms/superworms: Both of these worms are different types of beetle larvae. They can be purchased live or freeze-dried and are frequently sold in stores that carry supplies for reptiles.
    • Wax worms: Wax worms are the larvae of wax moths and are also often sold as treats for reptiles. They are usually sold live or freeze-dried.
    • Crickets: Crickets can be purchased live from most pet stores and can usually be found freeze-dried as well. Crickets are a great source of protein, but they tend to be too large to be fed to fry or small fish.

    Conclusion

    For the best overall goldfish treat, the Omega One Freeze-Dried Blood Worms Fish Treat is a great pick because of its high protein content and the fact that it’s available in two sizes of canisters. The best value for goldfish treats is the Tetra Baby Shrimp Sun Dried Treat because it’s cost-effective but also one ingredient and a healthy option. For a premium treat for goldfish, the Uncle Jim’s Worm Farm Treat is the top pick. This product is on the pricy side, but worth every penny for a live, healthy treat for your goldfish and a functional worm farm you can use for a number of reasons.

    These reviews of the best treats for goldfish are intended to help you find a new, healthy way to treat your goldfish. Goldfish love snacks and will appreciate a tasty new treat option in the rotation of foods you provide them. Use this information to pick a new treat, or treats, for your goldfish.


    Featured image credit: Kaikoro, Shutterstock

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