I see a lot about making sure your gf get the right nutrition but I do not see anything on what values to apply to that. With humans we have the FDA that says how much of a specific vitamin/mineral we should get per day. Anything like that for fish?

The food I use is Aquarian Goldfish Flake. The very first item in the ingredients is Fish Meal and the second is Wheat Flour. From what I've read in the food section, fish meal isnt the greatest and since its a filler in the second spot its not a high quality food. From the nutritional breakdown though, it appears to have a high protein and vitamin A,D,E. Could someone add the nutritional values from the food they are using? Preferably from food that is considered "High Quality"

Thanks

Aquarian Values

Crude Protein 30.5%
Vitamin A 10,000Kg
Vitamin D 2400Kg
Vitamin E 500Kg
Calcium 2.3%
Iron 300ppm
Crude Fat 9.5%
Crude Fiber 2%

The more high end quality foods are pro-gold and hikari goldfish foods. I'm pretty sure though that all the things goldfish need are probably found in even the cheapest goldfish food but the more expensive ones tend to have lots of extras designed specifically for doing something like enhancing color or growth or both.

The more high end quality foods are pro-gold and hikari goldfish foods. I'm pretty sure though that all the things goldfish need are probably found in even the cheapest goldfish food but the more expensive ones tend to have lots of extras designed specifically for doing something like enhancing color or growth or both.

I don't have any specifics, but I just wanted to say I don't entirely agree with GFL10, I don't believe low-end, cheap fish flakes do have all the nutrients a fish needs to thrive and do well. You can see it in fish that are only fed the cheapest of flakes, they tend to look like they're suffering from malnutrition and they just don't thrive like fish fed on a high-end commercially made product. You get what you pay for when it comes to fish food. I know the Hikari mob spend a lot of money, time and resources researching the nutritional requirements of fish. That's why it's a pricier food to buy, but, at the end of the day, you know that they've balanced the food just right for the most optimal nutritional value for your fish.

As you mentioned, the cheaper stuff just has lots of fillers that is not necessarily that great for your fish, it'll keep em alive for a while, but that's about as far as I'd go to recommend cheap fish foods. Just my

I'm not sure on the exact percentages of fat, fiber, etc., but here are the ingredients in pro-gold: "Krill meal, fish meal, shrimp meal, wheat flour, alfalfa, spirulina, immunostimulant, fish oil, and much more. Plus all the vitamins and minerals to maintain healthy goldfish. 40% protein." The only filler is wheat flur and that is just to hold the pellets together.

The other bag of food I have is Hikari Gold, which isn't as good, but still better than cheap flakes. The nutritional analysis is: 35% protein, 7.4% oil, 1.8% fiber, 8.3% ash, and 1.2% phosphorus. Vitamin A: 19,000 IU/kg, vitamin C: 60 mg/kg, vitamin D3: 3,900 IU/kg, and vitamin E: 550 mg/kg. Doesn't say for calcium, iron, etc., though I see those in the ingredients list.

I'd be interested to see the analysis of some other popular foods as well. Does anyone know the info on pro-gold? What about Omega One?

By the way, in my opinion, you generally get what you pay for. I wouldn't be able to survive on ramen noodles day in and day out for my whole life, so I don't expect my pets to eat junk either. My goldies eat pro-gold and homemade gel food and I can see the difference in them since I stopped feeding only the Hikari. They have grown, their colors are brighter, they are shiny and active. Most of all, they BEG for food and began eating out of my hand. I take all these signs to mean that they like the better stuff, so that's what they get. I still feed other things, but not as their staple, and usually only to mix into the gel food I make.

A side note: the number one thing to think about before you get a pet is "can I afford it?" They are not cheap. I have many times spent my last twenty dollars on my cats' Science Diet and eaten the ramen noodles until payday. They don't choose us and they deserve the best we can give them, or we shouldn't have them in the first place. Just my opinion. Back to the question at hand

I'm not sure on the exact percentages of fat, fiber, etc., but here are the ingredients in pro-gold: "Krill meal, fish meal, shrimp meal, wheat flour, alfalfa, spirulina, immunostimulant, fish oil, and much more. Plus all the vitamins and minerals to maintain healthy goldfish. 40% protein." The only filler is wheat flur and that is just to hold the pellets together.

The other bag of food I have is Hikari Gold, which isn't as good, but still better than cheap flakes. The nutritional analysis is: 35% protein, 7.4% oil, 1.8% fiber, 8.3% ash, and 1.2% phosphorus. Vitamin A: 19,000 IU/kg, vitamin C: 60 mg/kg, vitamin D3: 3,900 IU/kg, and vitamin E: 550 mg/kg. Doesn't say for calcium, iron, etc., though I see those in the ingredients list.

I'd be interested to see the analysis of some other popular foods as well. Does anyone know the info on pro-gold? What about Omega One?

By the way, in my opinion, you generally get what you pay for. I wouldn't be able to survive on ramen noodles day in and day out for my whole life, so I don't expect my pets to eat junk either. My goldies eat pro-gold and homemade gel food and I can see the difference in them since I stopped feeding only the Hikari. They have grown, their colors are brighter, they are shiny and active. Most of all, they BEG for food and began eating out of my hand. I take all these signs to mean that they like the better stuff, so that's what they get. I still feed other things, but not as their staple, and usually only to mix into the gel food I make.

A side note: the number one thing to think about before you get a pet is "can I afford it?" They are not cheap. I have many times spent my last twenty dollars on my cats' Science Diet and eaten the ramen noodles until payday. They don't choose us and they deserve the best we can give them, or we shouldn't have them in the first place. Just my opinion. Back to the question at hand

In my post I meant that you could keep fish alive on the cheapest flakes but the more expensive foods are worth it. Lol I should've just said this in the first place. I prefer hikari and omega. Hikari is good for wens and I'm pretty sure Omega has whole fish in their food. By the way, does anyone know what WHOLE fish meal means? Is it the same as regular fish meal? Since the Aqueon food that I'm trying right now says that. (It's a relatively new brand and they don't even have their website up yet so I decided to try it.)

I have no problem buying more expensive food (my dogs food costs me 160 a month) I just want to make sure that I'm not buying something just becuase it "says its the best".

Thanks Imtammyo, those numbers were exactly what I was looking for. I notice that it has Vit C where as what I'm using doesnt. Question is, is it necessary for Goldies?

I could feed someone chocolate everyday and I'm sure they would be my best friend and scoff it down. Doesnt mean its good for them though

The main piece I'm looking for is a recommended nutritional formula for goldies. Like the FDA does for us.

Thanks

According to Hikari's website: "High in stabilized vitamin C which promotes resistance to stress and immunity to infectious disease."

Makes sense - that's what it does for us.

I don't know if there is a food pyramid for goldies, but I would be interested in hearing some takes on that. Someone must know, that's how they make the foods we feed them.