Hi guys:

I have a juvenile fantail goldfish. I have feed it Wardley pellet and it has not grown for the past few months.

I heard that young goldfish need high-protein diet to grow. I read that treat food (like freeze-dried tubifex worms etc) have high protein. Is it all right to use this treat food as staple?

Thanks!

I would think you would need to suppliment it with plant based foods, such as algae wafers or green peas, romaine lettuce, etc. but there are others on the site that probably know more.

I never feed Wardley, and some of the guys here think Wardley is one of the poorer brands of food.
Try to get some Hikari stuff like Hikari Lionhead and Hikari Oranda Gold. Also feed them some frozen bloodworms once or twice a week (but don't feed tubifex! There's a risk of some nasty stuff in there)

Yes goldfish really need a variety, and a diet mainly focused on worms can be too much protein. I'd say go for a high quality goldfish food (Hikari, Omega One, Pro-gold, etc) and supplement with worms, fruits, veggies, spirulina etc. However, I wouldn't feed tubifex worms because they are known to carry disease and parasite.

Edit: sorry Riz we posted at the same time How big is your goldfish and how long have you had it? How big is the tank?

Thanks for the reply

I have the fish for 2 months and it is about 1.5 inches. I change the water at least twice a week and have a good filter. So, I am just wondering what's the problem with my fish. I thought that since treat food is high in protein, I should feed it more often. Yes, I will change the diet and feed it with better-quality food.

Anyone has other suggestion?

What are the test results for nitrates on your tank? Is the tank at least 10 gallons?