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Goldfish are just about the most popular pet fish in the world, followed closely by betta fish.

Many families buy goldfish for their kids, but keeping these beautiful fish happy and healthy is not simple. Goldfish can grow up to 12 inches long, depending on the species, so they need a large tank or a pond to live in. Also, these fish produce a lot of waste, so keeping the tank clean and safe for the fish is challenging.  

If your goldfish are to enjoy their full 10 to 15-year lifespan and remain healthy, you must feed them the best nutritionally balanced types of food.

Read this guide to discover the seven best goldfish food brands available on the market today!

7 Best Goldfish Food Brands

Here are seven of the very best brands of goldfish food. You can feed your pets all of these foods with confidence, knowing that you’re giving your fish the very best nutrition.

Tetra Balanced Diet Goldfish Flake

Tetra is a world-famous producer of all things related to the fish-keeping hobby, including foods.

Tetra goldfish flakes are specially formulated for goldfish. The food contains a precise blend of minerals and vitamins and Tetra’s ProCare formula designed to boost the fishes’ immune system. The food is also designed not to leach color into your aquarium water, so your goldfish tank won’t end up cloudy. 

It’s worth noting that this food is somewhat padded with grains, which are not found naturally in the goldfish’s natural diet. Also, the main ingredient is fish meal rather than whole fish. So, although the food is very tasty, it’s not the most nutritious food out there, and it can also cause digestive issues in round-bodied fancy types of goldfish.

What we like:

• Easy to use
• Doesn’t cloud aquarium water
• Very appetizing and full of flavor

 Room for improvement:

• Contains artificial colors, fillers, and fish meal
• Flakes are not always suitable for round-bodied fancy goldfish types

Repashy Super Gold

Repashy Super Gold is not the cheapest food for goldfish out there, but it comes in gel form, making it super-easy for all types of goldfish to digest.

The food is formulated so as not to cloud the tank water. The gel contains a balanced meal for your fish, consisting of high levels of protein and lots of natural ingredients that won’t cause constipation, bloat, and swim bladder problems.

The food comes in powder form, so you’ll need to mix it into simmering water. You can do that on a stovetop or in your microwave if you have one. Simply add the powder to the water and wait until the two are combined. You then pour the mixture into ice cube trays or something similar and wait for it to cool and set. Once the gel has set, you can feed it to your fish. Leftovers can be stored in your fridge or frozen.

What we like:

• Perfect for fancy goldfish
• Doesn’t cloud aquarium water
• High-quality food with no additives or fillers

 Room for improvement:

• Requires prep time
• More expensive than flakes or pellets

API Goldfish Pellets

My favorite goldfish food is API Goldfish Pellets. API is a major player in the aquarium industry, producing many products for hobbyists for over 50 years.

These tiny pellets are formulated to be very easy to digest, making them suitable for fancy full-grown goldfish and ideal for juveniles that are still growing. This color-enhancing food is also said to reduce ammonia production, which has to be excellent news for all fish keepers! The food contains yeast, vitamins E and C, garlic, carrot, and spirulina.

As these are sinking pellets, some uneaten food may remain on the bottom of the tank. However, since goldfish are incredibly greedy fish, leftovers are pretty unlikely!

 What we like:

• Perfect for fancy goldfish
• Reduces ammonia in the water
• High-quality food with high protein levels

 Room for improvement:

• Sinking pellets can cloud the water if uneaten

Aqueon Goldfish Pellets

Aqueon Goldfish Pellets are another very high-quality pellet food explicitly formulated for fancy goldfish.

Goldfish granules are a kind of cross between flakes and pellets. These small pellets are easy to digest and are formulated to create minimal waste, leading to cleaner water. The slow-sinking granules contain nutrients and vitamins, including proteins, Omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamin C. Spirulina and other colorings and natural ingredients are included to help enhance the bright color of your goldfish.

These pellets are designed to sink slowly, so the fish can grab the food before it reaches the substrate. Also, the food is an excellent value for the money and is not expensive considering the quality of the product.

What we like:

• Easily digestible, slow-sinking granules
• Contains natural colorings and ingredients
• High-quality food with good protein levels

 Room for improvement:

• Sinking granules might cloud the water if not eaten

Omega One Goldfish Pellets

Omega One Goldfish Pellets are handy pellets for goldfish of all types and sizes. The ingredients include whole herring, shrimp, and salmon rather than cheaper offcuts and waste products.

The food contains Omega-3 and Omega-6, which are excellent for helping to improve the goldfish’s immune system and boosting energy levels. The food contains beta-carotene naturally derived from salmon skin to enhance your goldfishes’ natural color. On the downside, these pellets are tiny and can sometimes be sucked into the filtration system, potentially causing blockages.

What we like:

• Contains real whole shrimp and fish
• Formulated with Omega-3 and Omega-6
• High beta-carotene levels 

 Room for improvement:

• Can make tank water cloudy

Hikari Saki-Hikari Fancy Goldfish Food

Hikari Saki-Hikari Fancy Goldfish Food provides the goldfish with a very high-quality diet, as you would expect for the price of the food.

This food is formulated to provide protein-rich balanced nutrition with high protein levels approaching 45%, making it perfect for both juvenile and growing goldfish. These pellets also contain 7% fat, which is vital for the fish’s nerve cells, hormones, and even the cell membranes. Fish can also store fat for energy.

The food has low fiber content, so the fish produce less waste. That means cleaner water and easier aquarium maintenance for you! These pellets also contain Astaxanthin and spirulina, which are natural carotenoids that help to boost your fish’s colors. There’s also a patented living probiotic called the Hikari Germ to aid your fishes’ digestion.

Added vitamins include vitamins A, C, D, and E, which are essential for a healthy immune system.

What we like:

• Contains color-enhancers and live probiotics
• Ideal for full-grown and juvenile fish
• Provides a healthy, balanced goldfish diet

 Room for improvement:

• Expensive compared with other similar products

New Life Spectrum Goldfish Daily Diet

New Life Spectrum Goldfish Daily Diet is a sinking pellet food formulated to be easy for your fish to digest, thus avoiding common problems, such as constipation and swim bladder issues.

This food can lead to better water clarity in your goldfish aquarium, thanks to its easy digestibility. Unlike many other similar products, these pellets don’t disintegrate in the water, keeping pollution and wastage to a minimum. 

The pellets contain Antarctic squid and krill as two of the primary ingredients,  providing an excellent source of protein. The food also contains whole fish, spirulina, seaweed, vegetable extracts, fruit, vitamins, and minerals. Reassuringly, there are no fillers, grains, artificial colors, or hormone additives included in the food.

These are slow-sinking pellets that gradually make their way to the bottom of the tank, allowing plenty of time for your fish to grab them. 

What we like:

• Easily digestible
• Can improve water clarity
• Contains color enhancers

 Room for improvement:

• Quite expensive compared with other similar products but the excellent quality makes up for that

How To Feed Pet Goldfish

Feeding goldfish is challenging for a few reasons.

Firstly, goldfish are extremely greedy fish! They spend pretty much their whole day grazing on algae, foraging for leftover foods, and even eating aquatic plant leaves in their constant quest for nourishment. That can lead to overfeeding. After all, the sight of a cute little goldfish begging for food each time you go near the tank can be just too tempting for many owners. After all, one more little pinch of food can’t hurt, right?

But overfeeding your fish leads to more waste, which in turn causes water quality problems in your tank. Also, if you overfeed round-bodied species of fancy goldfish, the food can accumulate in their digestive system, causing blockages and associated health issues. High-quality goldfish food is expensive, and if you overfeed your fish, you could just be wasting money, especially if the food is left uneaten and decomposing in the substrate.

How Often And How Much Should You Feed Your Goldfish?

I feed my four fancy goldfish two times per day, in the morning and in the evening, offering them only what they will clear in a couple of minutes. The fish don’t go hungry because I’ve left algae growing on the side and back panels of the tank, and they happily graze on that during the day. 

The morning feed is generally goldfish pellets as a staple diet, whereas the evening feed consists of frozen bloodworms, daphnia, or tropical mix. I find that diet helps to prevent constipation problems that can easily afflict round-bodied goldfish species if you feed them too much dry food.

How Do You Choose The Best Goldfish Food?

If you want to keep your beloved goldfish in tip-top condition, it’s crucial to ensure that your pets are receiving the very best food. 

High-quality goldfish food contains a large amount of protein, as well as fats, fiber, and essential vitamins and minerals to keep the fish in good health. Some foods also include color enhancers to bring out the best of your goldfishes’ vibrant red, gold, and orange shades. However, always check that any color-enhancing additives are natural rather than artificial.

Protein

Protein is necessary for good growth and development, so that’s something to bear in mind when you bring that tiny fish home from the fish store. Most goldfish that you buy are only a few months old, so they still have lots of growing to do.

Ideally, the food that you choose for your fish should contain around 30 to 45% protein derived from whole fish and meat sources. 

Fat

Fat is essential for energy, and goldfish should have 5 to 10% fat in their diet. 

Vitamins And Minerals

Goldfish also benefit from additional vitamins and minerals in their diet, which can make up for any deficiencies in their environment. Like you, your fish need folic acid, vitamins A, D, K, and minerals such as magnesium, iron, and zinc.

Goldfish Food Types

There are several different types of goldfish foods:

• Flake food is usually the cheapest option and is generally acceptable for long-bodied species of goldfish. However, this dried food can cause constipation in fancy goldfish types. Flakes can also contain quite a lot of filler that has no nutritional value.
• Pellet food comes in floating or sinking format. Generally, goldfish don’t allow the food to sink into the substrate; it’s usually gobbled up well before the food arrives at the bottom of the tank. Floating pellets can encourage the fish to take gulps of air that can cause digestive problems.
• Ideally, choose slow-sinking pellets that take on enough water to allow them to gradually drift down through the water, where the fish can grab them.
• Gel food makes a nice alternative or tasty treat for your fish and can form a large part of their diet. Some gels come ready-made in handy sachets that you simply squeeze into the water, while others have to be mixed.
• Goldfish love frozen foods, such as bloodworms, daphnia, and brine shrimp, all of which make a nice, nutritious treat that can help prevent problems such as constipation.
• Goldfish also enjoy fresh vegetables, including blanched zucchini, shelled, cooked peas, and even pieces of fruit, including bananas.

What Foods Are Unsuitable For Goldfish?

There are a few things that you shouldn’t feed your goldfish:

• The protein contained in high-quality fish food is perfectly adequate for your goldfishes’ needs, so you don’t need to add additional meat or fish to their diet.
• Never give bread to your goldfish! If you run out of goldfish food, don’t feed your fish until you can get hold of some proper food for them. Alternatively, you can provide your pets with some nutritious veggies instead.
• Avoid giving your fish foods that contain salt or dairy products that can cause digestive upsets.
• If your goldfish live in a pond in your garden, don’t feed them during the winter months. In the wintertime, when the water temperature cools down, the fish are inactive, even hibernating at the bottom of the pond. If you continue offering food to your fish, the food will simply rot in the water.
• Start reducing your feedings in the fall when the days become shorter, and the temperature falls. Once the air temperature drops below 50°F, you should withdraw feeding altogether.

Live Foods

Goldfish will eat naturally occurring insects, larvae, and worms in a pond environment. You can also buy live foods in your local pet stores, such as bloodworms and daphnia. However, live food is a common source of bacteria and parasites that can cause significant problems if they find their way into your tank.

Also, never take live foods from the environment. The risk of importing something toxic or harmful into your aquarium is much too high.

If you want to feed your fish with live foods, you might consider raising brine shrimp in a home hatchery.

In Conclusion

Goldfish need a high-quality, specialized diet to keep them in good health and free from common health problems, such as constipation, bloat, and swim bladder issues.

All of the foods we’ve featured in this guide are perfect for goldfish, and there’s a product here for every budget. To keep your goldfish happy and healthy, feed a mixture of pellet, flake foods, or gels, and frozen meaty foods, too.

What’s your preferred goldfish food, and why? Tell us in the comments box below! 

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