What To Feed Goldfish
Goldfish are omnivores and need to eat a varied diet to keep them healthy and live their best life.
A high-quality goldfish flake and pellet is a good base diet.
You should supplement this with frozen or freeze-dried foods such as brine shrimp, bloodworms, and daphnia, along with veggies such as shelled peas, broccoli, spinach, and lettuce.
Fruits such as blueberries, strawberries, and watermelon can be fed in moderation.
Goldies also love to munch on plants, duckweed and elodea are great choices.
Now you know what to feed goldfish, we’ll go over the highest quality and most nutritious foods available and I’ve also included my no-mess homemade fish food recipe, that your goldies will gobble down!
Best Goldfish Pellets
I prefer to feed goldfish sinking pellet food over flake food due to the flakes breaking up easily and making a mess in the water.
If you have a fancy variety of goldfish pellets are much better for them due to them being prone to taking in excess air at the water’s surface and developing swim bladder problems.
Best All Round  | Best For Fancy Goldfish  | Best Budget Buy  |
4.4 | 4.7 | 4.5 |
$8.97 ($1.12 / Ounce) | ||
2mm | 3mm | 2mm |
Protein 36% / Fat 5% / Fiber 5% | Protein 45% / Fat 7% / Fiber 3% | Protein 35% / Fat 10% / Fiber 3% |
Organic kelp, Antarctic krill meal, high omega-3 DHA herring meal, whole sardine meal | Fish meal | Salmon and whole herring |
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Best Goldfish Flakes
Floating flakes are OK to feed juvenile goldfish, but once they’ve grown big enough to take a pellet, I’d switch.
Best All Round  | Runner Up  | Best Budget Buy  |
4.6 | 4.5 | 4.8 |
$14.75 ($2.78 / Ounce) | ||
Protein 30% / Fat 17% / Fiber 1.3% | Protein 38% / Fat 5% / Fiber 5% | Protein 42% / Fat 2% / Fiber 11% |
Salmon & whole herring | Fish meal | Fish meal |
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Best Freeze Dried Goldfish Foods
These kinds of food are high in protein, which is super important for a fish’s growth and muscle health.
Plus, because they’re freeze-dried, they last a long time without spoiling, so you can keep them handy for feeding time.
I recommend using long tweezers to pick out the foods below, as they can cause an allergic reaction in some people.
Avoid touching your face and wash your hands thoroughly if you make contact with these foods.
Blood Worms
Blood worms are a natural part of a fish’s diet.
They contain a high amount of iron and protein but do lack other essential minerals, amino acids, and vitamins so they should be used to supplement their regular diet of flake or pellets.
Best All Round  | Runner Up  | Best Budget Buy  |
4.7 | 4.6 | 4.5 |
$11.97 ($0.12 / Ounce) | $3.13 ($12.52 / oz) | |
Protein 65% / Fat 5% / Fiber 3.5% | Protein 50% / Fat 4% / Fiber 4% | Protein 50% / Fat 2% / Fiber 15% |
Blood worms, vitamin E, vitamin C, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, vitamin B12 | Blood worms | Blood worms |
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Brine Shrimp
Brine shrimp are packed with good stuff like proteins and fatty acids.
They have a simple structure that makes them easy for goldfish to break down and absorb.
Some brine shrimp are enriched with extra nutrients that can help boost your goldfish’s immune system, making them better at fighting off illnesses.
Best All Round  | Runner Up  | Best Of The Rest  |
4.4 | 4.5 | 4.4 |
$10.35 ($8.09 / Ounce) | $9.99 ($14.27 / Ounce) | |
Protein 47% / Fat 5.5% / Fiber 0.5% | Protein 48% / Fat 6% / Fiber 2.5% | Protein 49% / Fat 7% / Fiber 0.6% |
Brine shrimp, vitamin E, vitamin C, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, vitamin B12 | Brine shrimp and vitamin E | Brine shrimp |
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Daphnia
Freeze-dried daphnia retains much of the nutrition they had when alive, providing essential vitamins and minerals that contribute to the overall health of your goldfish.
High quality
Vitamin enriched
Krill
Krill is loaded with protein, which supports growth, muscle development, and overall goldfish health.
It contains astaxanthin which is a natural pigment that can help enhance the vibrant colors of your goldfish.
Also high in Omega-3 Fatty Acids which are important for a healthy heart and can improve the condition of your goldfish’s skin and fins.
Best All Round  | Runner Up  |
4.4 | 4.4 |
$9.79 | $17.51 ($9.73 / Ounce) |
Protein 63% / Fat 12% / Fiber 3% | Protein 60% / Fat 10% / Fiber 19% |
Krill, vitamin E, vitamin C, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12. | Krill and vitamin E |
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Gel Food For Goldfish
Repashy gel food offers you a quick and convenient way to make up nutritious food for your goldfish.
It’s a powdered food that has to be mixed with water and heated to form a dense gel consistency (1 part powder to 3 parts water, can be adjusted to suit).
Either mix the powder with cold water and then microwave it or bring some water to a boil on the stove, remove it from the heat, and then stir in the powder.
Pour the mixture into a tub and allow it to set.
A word of warning – this stuff stinks!!
If you have a weak stomach, I’d avoid this and make my homemade version below.
You can store it in your refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, or in your freezer for up to 6 months.
When storing in your freezer, it’s best to put the mixture into ice cube trays, so you can get out individual portions as you need them.
6 oz - Best Value  | 3 oz  |
4.7 | 4.4 |
$19.99 ($3.33 / Ounce) | $12.58 |
Protein 40% / Fat 6% / Fiber 5% | Protein 40% / Fat 6% / Fiber 5% |
Krill meal, spirulina algae, & black soldier fly larvae meal | Krill meal, spirulina algae, & black soldier fly larvae meal |
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Homemade Fish Food
If you want to spoil your goldie and make them some homemade food, they’ll love my Herbilicious recipe. This is my stinky-free version of the Repashy gel.
You’ll need the following ingredients:
- 75g spinach
- 75g peas
- 75g carrots
- 75g cut green beans
- 1/3 Cup (80ml) of water for blending
- 1 Tsp Spirulina powder
- 1 Tbsp Seachem Garlic Guard
- 7g Agar Agar Powder
- 1 Cup of water (250ml)
To make it:
- Cook the veggies
- Blitz them in a blender with a 1/3 cup of water
- Mix the agar agar powder with water and boil it for a couple of minutes
- Mix in the blended veggies
- Put the fish feed into a tub or ice cube tray and leave it to set
I’ve also done 2 other delicious homemade recipes with step-by-step instructions, your goldfish will love the Oceanic Greens recipe.
Vegetables & Fruits That Are Safe To Feed Goldfish
You should blanch the veggies first, so they are soft enough for your fish to eat, with fruit remove the rind and seeds.
Vegetables you can feed your goldfish include:
- Broccoli
- Cucumber
- Lettuce
- Peas (remove the outer shell)
- Spinach
- Zucchini / Courgette
Fruits you can feed your goldfish include:
- Apple
- Banana
- Kiwi
- Orange
- Raspberries
- Watermelon
It’s important to feed fruits in moderation as an occasional treat because of the higher sugar content.
Live Plants That Goldfish Will Eat
Goldfish will nibble away on some live plants, these are the 2 they find most irresistible!
Duckweed
Duckweed is super easy to grow at home and goldies love to munch on it, it does grow very fast and can overtake your tank if you’re not careful though.
With that in mind, only add small amounts at a time and keep it contained within an aquarium feeding ring.
Made in U.S.A.
Helps keep your fish tank cleaner by keeping food contained in the feeding ring.
Suction cup secures it in place.
Elodea
Elodea Densa is another great option for a goldfish tank, it looks good and provides a healthy food source for your goldie.
It grows quickly, removes harmful nitrate, and infuses oxygen back into the water.
Closing Thoughts On Best Food To Feed Your Goldfish
Keeping goldfish healthy is a matter of a good diet and maintaining water quality, the 2 go hand in hand. Cheap food = more mess = dirty tank water.
The foods listed in this post are full of top-quality ingredients that will keep your goldie in good health and help towards keeping your tank clean.
Check out the aquarium health section for more guides like this and keep your tank in tip-top shape.
