Mixed My Own Food Tonight.

[oeyjay143 1]

I sent Mr. Hopkins from Raingarden goldfish an e-mail... I said, "Mr Hopkins my fish were amazing when you sent them to me. Their colors were so bright. Well, now their colors are very dull and I think it may be because I'm not giving them the best food. If you are willing to disclose I'd love to know what food you were feeding them so that their colors might return. Thanks so much."

Well, in return he sent me this advice.

"Hi Joey,

We use a blend of industrial fish foods plus a lot of home made food. Sort of hard to replicate.

I suggest using one of the Hikari brand goldfish pellets supplemented with aquatic plants (for example Anacharis or duck weed) or leafy green vegetables from the refrigerator/freezer. Hikari makes a variety of pellets in a wide range of prices. Some have color enhancers, but they are all make with good quality ingredients.

Thanks for inquiring.

-steve"

I just thought I'd share his advice and show you guys the food blend that I made. I will be getting some Hikari food shipped. My pets stores dont carry it but I bought these all from various places around town. I had the cichlid pellets left over from an old tank and I wanted to get rid of them(my dojos and sucker will eat them anyway).

Edited August 23, 2011 by oeyjay143

[oeyjay143 1]

I also plan to break up some Hikari Algae Wafers into the pellets because they gotta have some sort of plant stuffs...

[lynda441 4]

That's a lot of food there! Just to remind you, once food is opened, it's only good for about 6 months. Unopened, maybe 1 year. Freezing it will extend the life a little longer. So, thing is, probably a lot of that food you have there is going to expire before you get a chance to use it all, so one thing I learned about buying processed commercial food is to buy the smallest container they have. Especially if you intend on buying a bunch of different foods.

Now, I think maybe what Steve was saying when he said they used a blend of foods, and he touched on this, was to use one good high-quality sinking pellet and then supplement that with a lot of fresh (or frozen) vegetables and fresh fruits and frozen proteins such as brine shrimp and bloodworms.

But, your enthusiasm for trying to find the best food possible for your fish is really great!

[oeyjay143 1]

That's a lot of food there! Just to remind you, once food is opened, it's only good for about 6 months. Unopened, maybe 1 year. Freezing it will extend the life a little longer. So, thing is, probably a lot of that food you have there is going to expire before you get a chance to use it all, so one thing I learned about buying processed commercial food is to buy the smallest container they have. Especially if you intend on buying a bunch of different foods.

Now, I think maybe what Steve was saying when he said they used a blend of foods, and he touched on this, was to use one good high-quality sinking pellet and then supplement that with a lot of fresh (or frozen) vegetables and fresh fruits and frozen proteins such as brine shrimp and bloodworms.

But, your enthusiasm for trying to find the best food possible for your fish is really great!

Well. my mom has goldies out in her pond. Altogether we have about 16 golfish around here lol but yeah I did go a bit overboard I suppose lol

[lynda441 4]

Ah hah! Well! Maybe you WILL use it all then! Try some fresh veggies like steamed broccoli or spinach or a thin orange slice! They go crazy for that kind of stuff. If you use a feeding clip, it makes it easy for the fish to eat.

[Captain Findus Goldfish 272]

From what I have seen - goldfish colors like red, orange, brown and yellows are greatly enhanced by feeding foods with high beta carotene like carrots. For blacks it is the opposite.