What's my best option?

[Mr. Hyde 5,372]

Hello.

I have two goldfish (ryukins) that are approximately 3 inches each (sorry, don't know the age).

Read many suggestions about what to feed them, and right now I am not too thrilled with the brand I have.

I am sure it isn't horrible, but probably mediocre at best (Tetra Fin sinking pellets from Pet Smart).

The fish do get the occasional floats, but nothing a full day of spinach followed by a day of fasting doesn't clear up.

My question;

I have heard mention of Pro Gold, but that is a US brand and is not available (...or so I have been told)

Is Hikaro brand food a good option?

Also, is it a flake or pellet thing which should be soaked?

Thanks in advance.

[sarajo 566]

Hikari is a great brand. I only have experience with Saki Hikari (purple bag) but my fish do very well on it and it does wonders for growth. What's nice about them too is that they are small pellets, perfect for smaller fish, but I feed it to my big guys with no problem. I recommend soaking pellets for a minimum of 30 seconds to soften them up and they will sink immediately

Flake food is not typically recommended because it floats and goldfish end up gulping a lot of air while eating.

[dankriscurly 43]

im just wondering why only my 2fishes gets e occasionally floating issue too...

im feeding all hikari sinking pellets with a mixture of floating hikari wheat for variation...but i did soak and smash it down so it will sink

but im not sure if any brand will contribute to the floating issue, it either the frosten bloodworms that has too much protein and i fed it every alternate days

or it could be the fish itself having bad a habit of gasping for surface air..

thats what i observed for these two....non other fish have these behavious though....

Just feed moderately...yr fish will love u for it *as they dont get SBD

Edited May 3, 2013 by dankriscurly

[Mernany 3,708]

Q: How do your canadian customers get Pro Gold Gold fish food? A:

You can order Pro-Gold from Dan Cole of Mail Order Pet Shop in Canada: http://www.mops.ca/scstore/Foods.html

This is a Question asked on Goldfish Connection. I'm not sure if it will help or how that company works but you could check it out!

I love my ProGold! It's always scarfed down!

Also, you could order Repashy from TastyWorms, our sponser. They are a powder mix that you combine with water. It makes a gel food that you can weigh and cut in cubes. Two brands we like are Soilent Green and Super Green. Super green is vegan and Soilent Green has meat in it. Increase veggie intake can sometimes help with the floats so be sure to check it out and think about it!!

[motherredcap 6,284]

Different fish react differently to different foods. My fish, there is only one, gets Hikari sinking pellets and a variety of fresh foods. He did do well on Pro-Gold. Repashy was not a success for him but peas, spinach, egg whites, dandelion greens, cod/sei, and so on are very popular.

[Mr. Hyde 5,372]

Thanks, very helpful.

[4prettyfish 2,702]

Omega One is a sinking pellet that you can purchase at Petsmart. Another brand of sinking pellets is New Life Spectrum. You can get this one at Petco. I'm not sure if Petsmart sells it. I use these two a long with other members here on Koko's. What I do is: I have a little measuring cup that I scoop some fish water in and then I put my fish pellets in the measuring cup. I let it soak for about 30 sec. or so until the pellets sink to the bottom of the measuring cup. I then feed my fish their food. I also feed my fish peas, spinach, and broccoli. Make sure the food is softened first. I just feed them these as treats though.

[Mr. Hyde 5,372]

Omega One is a sinking pellet that you can purchase at Petsmart. Another brand of sinking pellets is New Life Spectrum. You can get this one at Petco. I'm not sure if Petsmart sells it. I use these two a long with other members here on Koko's. What I do is: I have a little measuring cup that I scoop some fish water in and then I put my fish pellets in the measuring cup. I let it soak for about 30 sec. or so until the pellets sink to the bottom of the measuring cup. I then feed my fish their food. I also feed my fish peas, spinach, and broccoli. Make sure the food is softened first. I just feed them these as treats though.

Great suggestion with the fish water soaking.

Thank you.