I remember reading once a long while back that corn as a filler was bad for goldfish and can lead to everything from constipation to dropsy. Is there any truth in this, because I noticed one of the ingredients in my goldfish/koi pellets to be cornmeal.

Now coincidence or not - in the summer after the purchase and feeding of those pellets, my big oranda did develop dropsy. It was then that I did a bit of research and saw somewhere the writings of the corn being bad, and consequently, haven't touched those pellets since.

What are your thoughts.

Shawna, I've never read anything about corn causing dropsy but it is widely accepted that too much corn can cause indigestion and constipation, even sudden death in extreme cases.

If the fish food that contains the cornmeal is a reputable brand and the cornmeal is a small percentage of the total ingredient I would assume it to be safe. But you've got to follow your own gut feeling and if you don't trust the food then throw it away. I probably would chuck it after a fish died, the food may not be related to the death but there is no way to be sure.