Goldfish are omnivores, and they share a lot of foods with humans: especially plants and vegetables. But not all human foods are safe for goldfish.
If you run out of food for your goldfish, knowing what human food they can eat is a great way to make do.
Find out what foods you shouldn’t give your goldfish and 11 foods you can feed them.
As a fishkeeper, you want to give your aquatic pets the best possible diet While fish food flakes and pellets are specially formulated for their nutritional needs, you may wonder if human foods can provide fun variety. Some human foods are safe for fish, but others should be avoided.
In this article, we’ll go over what human foods are okay to feed fish and which ones to steer clear of. Follow these guidelines to give your fish tasty, nutritious treats from your fridge and pantry.
Can Fish Eat Human Food at All?
Fish can absolutely eat some people food in moderation along with their regular diet. Certain items provide healthy fats, minerals, and fiber. Offering bits of human food also gives fish enrichment and excitement at feeding time.
That said, not all human cuisine is safe for fish. Some foods may harm them or foul aquarium water. Knowing what’s okay and what to avoid is key when sharing tidbits from your plate.
Best Human Foods for Fish
Here are some of the top human foods that are safe and nutritious for fish
Lean Meats
- Chicken, turkey, beef with fat/skin removed
- Earthworms, insects, small shrimp
Lean meats offer fish protein and amino acids. Avoid greasy, fried items.
Vegetables
- Shelled peas, zucchini, cucumber, spinach, lettuce
Blanch vegetables to soften. Offer sinking veggie pellets too.
Fruits
- Melons, berries, citrus fruits, mango, kiwi
Remove rinds/peels. Fruits provide fiber.
Cooking Scraps
- Pasta, rice, bits of bread
Avoid oil, butter, and salty seasonings. Go easy on carbs.
Dairy
- Hard boiled egg yolks
- Low-fat plain yogurt
Offer just tiny amounts due to fat content.
Human Foods to Avoid for Fish
On the flip side, these common human foods are unsafe for fish:
- Oily, fatty, or fried meat/fish
- Raw meats which may contain parasites
- Deli meats with nitrates or lots of salt
- Seasoned dishes with onions, garlic, spices
- Starchy breads, snacks, cereal, chips
- Chocolate, candy, gum, sugary desserts
- Caffeine or alcohol
Avoid anything spoiled, moldy, or uncooked. The basic rule is to skip processed foods or those with additives.
Offering Human Foods Safely
Follow these tips for safely sharing human foods with fish:
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Wash produce and trim away peels, rinds, seeds, etc.
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Cook meat, dairy, and vegetables before feeding to fish.
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Cut into tiny pieces or blanch/mash foods so fish can eat them.
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Introduce new foods slowly and in very small amounts.
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Feed as occasional treats – not daily diet replacements.
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Remove uneaten food promptly to avoid spoilage.
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Monitor water quality closely when feeding human foods.
Quick Human Food Snacks When Fish Food Runs Out
If you unexpectedly run out of fish food, you can whip up one of these healthy snacks using ingredients already in your kitchen:
- Shelled peas mashed with plain yogurt
- Cooked chicken shredded fine with veggie flakes
- Earthworms or mealworms rinsed in water
- Cucumber or zucchini boiled till soft
- Mixed frozen berries thawed in tank water
- Cooked egg yolk crumbled into tiny bits
Avoid overfeeding human snacks, and get more fish food as soon as possible. But in a pinch, you can use cat food, reptile pellets, or boiled veggies for a day or two max. The key is keeping your fish’s digestive system moving until you can restock their regular food.
Which Fish Enjoy Human Foods Most?
Herbivorous fish like goldfish, bettas, and suckermouth catfish often relish veggies and fruits. Shrimp, crabs, cichlids, and carnivorous fish devour bits of lean meat eagerly. Most species enjoy a diverse diet with both plant and animal matter.
Offer new human foods cautiously. Fussy eaters or fish unaccustomed to produce may ignore veggies at first. Tempt them by mixing a few tiny pieces into their regular meals. Most fish quickly learn to associate these treats with feeding time.
Make Mealtimes More Exciting with Human Foods
Sharing safe human foods allows you to spice up feeding routines for your fish. Not only doesVariating their diet offer health benefits, it also enriches their lives by providing mental stimulation. A few tasty table scraps easily transform boring pellets into a feast!
With some care in choosing and preparing items, many kitchen staples can become nutritious supplements to your fish’s regular diet. Just follow basic safety guidelines, and both you and your aquatic pets will have fun at mealtime.
So next time you chop, cook, or tidy up leftovers, think like a fish! Set aside a few morsels to brighten up feeding time for your swimming buddies. Offering tasty human foods safely will bring excitement to their day – and yours too.
What Human Food Can Goldfish Eat?
Since goldfish are omnivores, it is only logical that vegetables should constitute your goldfish diet. Most vegetables you can use as safe food for your goldfish are leafy greens.
But not all leafy greens are safe. Here is a list of some to feed and what not to feed.
Your goldfish can eat spinach. Spinach is one of the safe leafy greens that offer much nutritional value for your goldfish.
This vegetable contains the vitamins A, C, K, and many other nutrients that your goldfish could benefit from.
Feed your goldfish spinach only as a healthy treat rather than a staple meal. Also, feed only fresh spinach. Cut the spinach leaves into swallowable portions and feed them right before a water change. This is so that you can clean up the leftovers during the water change.
Goldfish can also eat lettuce. This vegetable is one of the few leafy greens that goldfish can eat raw without digestive problems.
Before giving your goldfish lettuce, cut the leaves into small pieces. This will help them eat it. Also, you want to avoid iceberg lettuce. They are dangerous for your goldfish.
You can feed your goldfish kale. This dark leafy green can only be eaten by your goldfish after it has been blanched, boiled, and torn into small pieces.
Kale is usually harder than other foods we eat. To soften it, it needs to be blanched and boiled for about 5 minutes. Ensure to cool it in cold water before shredding it to bits for feeding goldfish.
Cabbages are another leafy greens you can feed your goldfish. These densely-leaved leafy greens can be served raw or boiled.
You want to slice them into swallowable bits before you serve them raw. But it is best to serve them cooked.
Soften the cabbage by boiling it for no more than a minute. Slice them into tiny bits and serve your goldfish. Cabbages also work as a healthy treat for your goldfish.
Carrots are another great leafy greens you can feed your goldfish. Feed your goldfish carrots. Besides being healthy, carrots are great for fish, especially if you want to bring out their color.
Amongst other useful vitamins and minerals, carrots contain carotene, which can enhance the color of your goldfish.
Carrots need to be scraped to get rid of dirt and hair, and they need to be washed to get rid of any bad bacteria.
Cut the carrots into tiny bits, and remember to boil or microwave the carrots. Cooking the carrots will soften them and kill any other lingering dangerous bacteria.
Even though green peas aren’t leafy greens, giving them to your goldfish will make it feel great.
It’s good for your goldfish because it helps with health problems like constipation, mild digestive problems, and even swim bladder disease.
You can soak your peas in warm water for one minute or heat them in the microwave for one minute in a bowl that is only partly full of water.
After softening your peas, remove the skin because your goldfish can choke on them. You can do this with your fingers. Afterward, cut up your peas into smaller pieces to ensure your goldfish can swallow and digest them easily.
You can feed your goldfish garlic. Make them eat garlic to boost their immune system. Garlic has the properties to kill harmful parasites and bacteria in your goldfish.
Garlic can also increase your goldfish’s appetite.
Although beneficial, garlic is one human food that should be given to your fish sparingly. It can become toxic if you make them eat garlic too frequently.
Cutting garlic into tiny pieces and dropping them in the fish tank is one way to feed your goldfish garlic. Another way is to grind it into a fine powder and mix it with the fish food.
Other Alternatives for Goldfish Food
Oatmeal is a nice goldfish snack because it is rich in minerals, vitamins, and fiber. It has the perfect blend of almost all the vitamins your goldfish needs. Feed your goldfish oatmeal.
Even though oatmeal can be fed to your fish raw, it is best to either soak it in warm water, cook it in the microwave, or cook it before giving it to your goldfish. This is because your goldfish needs soft food, which is easily digestible.
If you opt to feed your goldfish raw oatmeal, ensure you cut it into small pieces. That will make it harder for your fish to swallow the oatmeal if you don’t do it. It might hurt them, though.
It would be best to avoid oatmeal with flavorings. The recommended quantity of oatmeal for your goldfish is one-quarter-sized oats 2-3 days a week.
There are different kinds of oatmeal, and all of them are processed foods. However, you can feed your goldfish oatmeal.
But you want to feed this human food moderately to keep your goldfish nourished and healthy.
Unlike many other vegetables, sweet potatoes are a root vegetable. But you can feed them to your goldfish. This human food is very high in fiber, which aids digestion in the goldfish.
However, sweet potatoes should be fed to your goldfish minimally because of their high carbohydrate content. Foods high on carbs aren’t good for your goldfish.
The sweet potatoes need to be cut into pieces that are no bigger than a quarter of an inch. If it’s thicker than that, it will take longer to cook.
Next, cook the sweet potatoes until they’re soft enough to pierce with a fork. You can either bake them or boil them.
You then immediately remove them and dip them in cold water to stop the cooking process. Letting the sweet potatoes cook for longer will make them mushy, messing up the fish tank.