i'm considering getting some fish (i've had both goldfish and tropicals in the past) ... i am also a strict vegetarian, and am looking for fish that can thrive on a vegetarian diet. i know there are some all-veggie flake foods out there, and i cook *all the time*, so supplementing with fresh veggies and fruits would be easy. i could also feed tofu/tempeh and beans for something higher in protein. (unless that would be bad?)

also, how about dried fruits (if reconstituted in water first)? i'm thinking raisins, prunes, apricots, etc.

are there any foods to especially avoid? (besides processed, chemical-laden stuff - we avoid that ourselves, as much as possible).

thanks,
frances

Your fish are going to love you. I can't tell you what to feed them. But I do know they love most fresh veggies.

it'll be a while before i get any ... i've never had an aquarium with live plants, so that's what i want to do this time. i want to read some, about aquatic plants before getting started ... it's my guess that plants will be fine without fish?

but i just wanted to make sure that, eventually, there would be some veggie-friendly fish out there for me to add.

Your plants will be fine w/o fish.

As for veggie diets for goldies, you will have to take lengthy measures to ensure that they receive enough protein. I don't know about tempeh; doesn't it contain a lot of salt? The only thing I can think of is make a gel food using pectin instead of gelatin and add soy protein powder (like the stuff at GNC) to it.

Unfortunately goldfish cannot live on an all-vegetarian diet; it is absolutely essential they receive plenty of protein and fats too (in a ratio of about 70% 'meat' foods to 30% vegetable foods). In the wild they would eat mostly small larvae, worms and grubs, supplemented by algae and some plant matter.

I'm afraid you would have to regularly feed them products containing fish meal and fats, otherwise they will quickly suffer from nutritional deficiencies. It doesn't have to be gelled or frozen 'live' foods if you can't bear the thought of handling those, as good-quality pellets or flake foods will provide all the required nutrients. Hikari or Pro-Gold are excellent brands.

If you only want vegetarian fish then I would suggest loaches or plecos.

Hope this helps.

hmm, i've never been a big fan of bottom-feeder type fishes ... and i guess they don't ever really swim around, mid-tank?

it's not handling live-foods specifically that would bother me (although i wouldn't really enjoy it) ... more generally, i wouldn't want to contribute to the whole meat industry (even if fish food is mainly scrap-type stuff) ...

how about gelled nut butters? (pectin! that's a great idea ... i was thinking agar (more $$)). nut butters might be a concentrated-enough source of fats and proteins. (the fats shouldn't be a problem, as *i* certainly seem to find plenty of them! ;) i guess fish may be like cats, though, and need specific proteins found in meat (like taurine)?

gelled, pureed, beans might have more protein than the usual baby food flavors i see mentioned for gel foods.

someone also asked about avocados? (i'm glad they did, as i had no idea they were toxic/bad for parrots, and i have a parrot. luckily i've never given him avocado!)

i don't think tempeh has a lot of salt (until it's prepared with soy sauce) ... i'm out at the moment, or else i could check the package.

do the brands of fish food mentioned have nutritional analysis on the back? if so, i may could do some calculations about proteins and fats, and see how some veg*n foods would compare.

I would not try to feed a goldie an all-plant diet. If you wish to have pets that don't eat meat, please choose a fish that is a herbivore by nature. Mollies, silver dollars, and pacus are some types of herbivores that come to mind.

anyone have a *reliable* source of where i can find out which fishes are herbivores and which aren't? (i didn't know about the ones just listed.) although lots of pages (i'm just reading now) recommend "meat" for mollies?

i know saltwater tangs/surgeons (some species) are reported to be ... but i've also seen flake food advertised as "good for herbivorious freshwater fishes like goldfish ..." (which was one reason i was considering goldies.)

(see second food item here (sites like these came up when i was searching for herbivorous fish)):
http://www.twolittlefishies.com/tlf_prod_foods.html

maybe some sites mean "mostly herbivorous" or "will eat some vegetable matter" when they use the term 'herbivorous'.

About people saying that fish are veggie fish and then on a site u found it talking about feeding them worms i think is just like some fish do ok on veggie diets and they usally are vegatarians in the wild but all fish usally do like bloodworms and that kind of stuff.

I suggest you go to a site that tells u if fish are vegatairans like fishprofiles.com or getting a book that tells you like Dorling Kindersley Handbooks's aquarium Fish by dick mills.
That is were i get all my info

Hope u find some good veggie fish! (i am a vegatarian myself)

Veggie Fish this i found on fishprofiles.com it list all of the herbivoreus fish

thanks, fishies12!

i'd already thought about dwarf catfish (the thing i don't like about bottom feeders is that they usually get soooo big!) ... i looked over the page you posted, and saw ruby red tetras (i think that was their name, i've bookmarked the site, so when i'm ready, i'll revisit). they'd be a good schooling fish and are safe, so it says, in a planted tank.

thanks again,
frances