Goldfish is a pretty versatile fish and pet. It can survive in many different conditions and eat various foods, some foods you would never think of. But…
Can a goldfish eat chocolate? Chocolate is not a recommended food for fish of any type including goldfish. The diet of goldfish should mainly consist of fish flakes or pellets.
You may have a pet goldfish that you adore very much, and for that reason, you may want to share some chocolate with it.
Or you may have a child who thought it was a good idea to give chocolate to goldfish.
Although your little buddy will probably be okay, there is a good chance that the chocolate could kill your goldfish.
Here’s a detailed explanation of why chocolate is bad for your goldfish…
Why Is Chocolate Bad For Your Goldfish?
Chocolate is bad for your goldfish because chocolate is not part of the natural habitat of a goldfish.
In a natural habitat, goldfish do not get to eat chocolate and so are unlikely to digest it entirely if you feed chocolate to a goldfish.
This might not kill goldfish immediately, but if you regularly keep feeding chocolate to your goldfish, then most likely it will affect the health of your goldfish.
In simple words, splitting your favorite candy bar with your goldfish is a bad idea!
Apart from that, many forms of processed chocolate contain sugar, which is known to kill all kinds of fish, including goldfish.
Recommended Further Reading: How To Take Care Of A Goldfish? (Goldfish Care In 3 Simple Steps)
Can Sugar Kill A Fish?
Yes, sugar can kill a fish. If you add sugar to the tank water, it leads to an increase in bacteria.
This in turn will make the water cloudy and reduce the oxygen levels in the tank which will make the fish gasp for air.
Similarly, if you put chocolate in the tank water, it will dissolve and have the same effect as dissolved sugar.
So it is better to not feed chocolate or sugar to your goldfish.
Instead, you should feed your goldfish Fish Flakes and Fish Pellets.
Here’s why…
Why Should You Feed Fish Flakes To Goldfish?
Dry fish flakes are the most popular form of fish food.
It’s the one that most people buy from pet stores and supermarket stores.
Different varieties of Fish flakes are usually available for different breeds of fish.
Some fish flakes will contain protein as its main ingredient, while some flakes will have veggies as the main ingredient.
It all depends on what type of fish is going to consume the flakes.
Fish flakes can be found in many different stores and pet shops, it can be purchased in bulk, and it is a fish food that isn’t very expensive.
Dry fish flakes also tend to float on top of the water than other forms of fish food.
These reasons make fish flakes a popular choice among fish owners.
While there are many pros to feeding fish flakes to your goldfish, there are cons too…
Pros of Feeding Fish Flakes To Goldfish
- These dry fish flakes can be bought in almost any pet store and supermarket.
- There are many different types of fish flakes. You can purchase these flakes for almost every different breed of fish.
- Higher-end flakes can be very beneficial to goldfish. It will contain the perfect amount of ingredients to ensure that your goldfish get all the nutrients that it needs for healthy growth and healthy life.
- Dry fish flakes are great to use in tanks with many fish, they disperse very well and spend a lot of time floating on the top of the water. This helps to make sure that the food is eaten and not wasted.
- Flakes are very small but can also be crushed to make them even smaller. This is perfect for smaller goldfish with smaller mouths.
Cons of Feeding Fish Flakes To Goldfish
- Fish flakes are made up of ingredients that make it dissolve very quickly in water. This means that sometimes a lot of the flakes will go uneaten and turn into mush on the bottom of the tank. This can cause possible water contamination in your tank.
- Fish flakes tend to float on top of the water, although this is good for a lot of fish, it is not the best choice if you have bottom-feeding fish in your fish tank like goldfish.
- Most fish flakes don’t have a really long shelve life. Once you open the container, it is only good for a few weeks or a month.
- Goldfish will often take in a lot of air while trying to eat the flakes floating at the top of the water. Too much air entering your goldfish can cause a lot of health problems. This, of course, is very bad for your fish.
- Dry fish flakes are good to use with smaller goldfish but are not ideal for the larger goldfish that are in your tank. The flakes are pretty small and large goldfish would need a lot of the flakes for a healthy diet. A lot of times, larger goldfish won’t get the proper amount of nutrients from these flakes.
- Also, it is hard to measure the number of flakes that you are giving to your goldfish. You may give them way too much, which will cause your goldfish to overeat and could cause problems for the tank. And if you feed your goldfish too little, they won’t get the nutrients that they need to have a healthy life.
Further Interesting Reading: Do Goldfish Eat Each Other? And How To Keep Them Together?
Why Should You Feed Fish Pellets To Goldfish?
In the long run, there isn’t much of a difference between fish flakes and fish pellets.
Just like fish flakes, you can purchase fish pellets for every type of fish.
You will get pellets for freshwater fish and saltwater fish.
Whether your fish is a meat-eater, a herbivore, or an omnivore like goldfish, you will get pellets for almost all kinds of fish.
Fish pellets are packed with the nutrients that your goldfish needs.
They are much larger than the fish flakes, so they tend to sink much faster and dissolve much slower.
Although most fish pellets will sink to the bottom of your tank, some pellets are designed to float too.
Here are the pros and cons of using fish pellets to feed your goldfish…
Pros of Feeding Fish Pellets To Goldfish
- Fish pellets sink in the water easily because of their size and consistency. So your goldfish won’t take in as much air as they would when eating the flakes. This is very good because too much air is bad for your goldfish’s health.
- Unlike flakes, you can purchase pellets that float on top of the water and pellets that will sink much more quickly. This is perfect if you have top eaters and bottom eaters in the same fish tank.
- Because the pellets are much denser than the fish flakes, pellets will have more nutrients in them than the flakes. So you don’t have to feed your goldfish as much.
- It is easier to measure the perfect amount of pellets for your goldfish. This means that you won’t overfeed or underfeed your goldfish.
- Fish Pellets have a pretty long shelve life. This is both great for you and for your goldfish.
- There are a lot of automatic fish feeders that use pellets. This is great for you if you go on vacation or if you are just forgetful sometimes.
Cons of Feeding Fish Pellets To Goldfish
- Uneaten fish pellets will sink to the bottom of your fish tank. This will cause the pellets to dissolve. The pellets are much larger than the flakes, so when they dissolve, they can make a mess at the bottom of your tank rather quickly. This is bad for your tank water, and this could potentially hurt the goldfish too.
- Since pellets tend to sink to the bottom of the tank, goldfish can accidentally suck in the decorative rocks at the bottom of the tank instead of pellets. This could be very bad for your fish, and could possibly kill it.
NOTE: To get a complete idea about what goldfish eat, refer this guide: What Do Goldfish Eat? What To Feed (And Not Feed) Your Goldfish
Conclusion & Final Tips
Chocolate shouldn’t be a part of your goldfish’s diet. Feed your goldfish, either fish flakes or fish pellets.
There really isn’t much of a difference between fish flakes and the fish pellets.
It really depends on what type of fish you have in your tank as well as the amount of fish you have in your tank.
Whether you choose to feed your goldfish pellets or flakes, it is up to you. Talk to your local pet store employee for more information.
