i just got a HUGE guy, maybe 5-6 inches long and i have been reading here about all the different food to feed goldfish and i was just wondering a few things...
if i give him peas should they be whole? and how many?
if i give him veggies how small should i cut them and how much should i give him?
any respose would be greatly appriciated!

Well hello and

If you feed your fish peas (and he'll love ya for it if ya do!), get frozen peas. Then what you do is warm them in a cup with tank water in it (I stick mine in for about 10-15 minutes) then take the outer shell off. This sounds time consuming but is really quite easy. Actually I often de-shell them before I stick them in the tank water to warm. Anyway, then I break them in half and toss them in. Some people squish them a bit before they throw them in. I wait until my fish have swallowed before throwing the next one in.

Hope that helps and have fun!!

good tips! i usually only give mine a couple at a time, otherwise they fall to bottom and sit for awhile before they discover where the pea remains went! LOL, as for other veggies, i recommend a veggie clip. Their not expensive and can come in handy. You can clip like a hole orange slice to it and they will nibble on it that way!

- lucy -

thanks so much guys, i just got worried trying it all on a whim you know, so if i put in a whole big peice of something will he just nibble away at it or should it be cut into peices? and fruit is good too then i presume? wow i am so excited!

I've only tried peas so far and some other made for fish treats (bloodworms, daphnia, brine shrimp) but I know lots of others feed fruits. Grapes (peeled), bananas, oranges . . . There are lots of other veggies people feed also--cucumbers, brocoli, and others I can't think of right now. But since I ahven't tried these yet I'll let someone who has let you know how to prepare them!!

Another easy one to start with is oranges, satsumas ect. Just get the segment, break it open and pick out the juicy bits inside. They lurrrrrrrve this. Its a good way to get them to eat right from your fingers as well as the bits sort off cling on.
Have fun experimenting.

Grow your own dandylions! Mine have just germinated, so when I get some goldies I'll see how much they like them. They are supposed to be very healthy, and good for snails if you've got any of those.

the flowers or the leaves or both? that sounds cool, where did you get dandylion seeds?

I got the seeds from the hundreds of dandylions at the park. I have to admit, the first few times I tried nothing germinated. That was both pathetic and depressing lol! About a week after the third try some sprouted up tho I'm still wondering why the others didn't sprout. I don't think they could have been infertile because I think dandylions can reproduce by themselves if needed.

Anyways, if you are going to feed fish dandylions, its best to grow them yourself. You can buy them from a health store, but why buy when you can grow them easily yourself? Its best not to just pick them from public places. They may have been sprayed with insecticides, bug spray, fertilizers, weed killer, and God knows what other harmful chemicals.

I know you can feed the leaves, but I'm not sure about the rest of the plant. The whole thing IS edible, but I don't know if its true for goldfish. A member told me she used to feed the flowers and buds to her mice. I have mice and that is what I will do. People use dandylions as kinda of a tonic. It helps with virtually everything in your body! You can make coffee and tea from the roots, salad from the greens (but I've heard its bitter) and jam and wine from the flowers! How good is it I don't know, I haven't tried any yet

Just a little info that I found about dandylions a little while ago. They are very interesting plants

WOW! i never new there was so much you could do with danylions, i knew you could eat the greens but i always found them really bitter and kinda nasty, but i cant wait to try them with my fishy, he'll be so excited! thanks so much for you advice, i really appriciate it.

You're welcome Let me know how they like them!