goldfish feeding

April 18, 2005 9:42 AM

weekend feeders appear to constipate my office goldfish. i know how to treat him, but i'd like to stop this vicious cycle. recommendations for how to feed the goldfish over the weekend?

is it okay to substitute peas for the weekend feeders, or will the vegetable rot make keeping the tank clean too difficult? is it okay to skip feeding him two days every week? what about vacations? i'll be gone for five days soon and i fear he'll be in intestinal distress the whole time i'm gone.

posted by crush-onastick to pets & animals (8 comments total)

You can put a carrot, cucumber or zuchinni in the tank. I've done that for more than a weekend without any problem at all. And they're high fibre, so it will keep your fish regular.
posted by duck at 9:44 AM on April 18, 2005

I'm not sure about goldfish, but I often let my betta go without food for a day or three, and he appears to be in excellent health.

Incidentally, how do you know your fish is constipated? I never thought of such a thing.
posted by Specklet at 9:52 AM on April 18, 2005

Your fish can go without food for up to a week with no ill effects. No need to feed over the weekend if you're feeding regularly otherwise.
posted by sid at 9:54 AM on April 18, 2005

specklet: a constipated goldfish trails feces. disgusting, but true.
posted by crush-onastick at 9:58 AM on April 18, 2005

What sid said. Skip the weekend feedings. Your goldfish won't suffer a bit (fish in the wild don't eat on a regular schedule) and your water will be cleaner to boot.

I regularly fast my fish one day a week, just as a matter of course. Unless you have any fry in the tank, (sounds like you don't) fish are always better off slightly underfed.

I also feed my fish cucumbers and zucchini. You'll need to weight them down with something (those lead weights they use to weigh down aquarium plants work well) and if you have access to a microwave, nuke it for 30 seconds to blanch it slightly, then let it cool.

I have left my fish as long as six days without feeding, and they came through fine.
posted by ambrosia at 10:42 AM on April 18, 2005

I started using an automatic feeder a few months ago and I love it. If you are feeding a pellet or flake food, you can find one. Basically, the one that I use mounts on the top of the tank, and it has a big container that holds the food. Every twelve hours, it dumps a certain amount into the tank. You can adjust the amount to suit your needs. I fill it up weekly, and forget about it.

There are lots of different models out there, some more complicated than others. This one looks great, although it's a bit more complicated than the one I use, which more closely resembles this model.
posted by MrZero at 10:55 AM on April 18, 2005

Could the weekend feeder by overfeeding? My fish trail feces when they've eaten too much. If so you could also consider putting in a smaller piece of the feeder.

I know fish can skip a day or two, but I don't have the heart to not feed them.
posted by duck at 10:57 AM on April 18, 2005

Second the automatic. I use one whenever I'm away from home for more than 36 hours. Mine is large enough that it will dispense twice a day enough for a couple dozen guppies for two weeks. I bought the cheapest one they had at the local Mega fish store. It's battery operated which I worry about so I always put in a fresh battery if I'm going to be away more than a couple days. If you used it exclusively you could tell when the battery got weak.
posted by Mitheral at 2:35 PM on April 18, 2005