Pellets Or Flakes?

[Dr_Shakalu]

Hey everyone. I'm going to set up a fancy goldfish tank and was wondering how many people use flakes and how many use pellets? Whan are the pros and cons? Thanks in advance, The Doctor

[Xavier]

Pellets. As high quality as you can get. Flakes are typically lower quality (bad fillers, made with a lot of wheat) and if you don't soak the flakes, the goldfish can get air (since they have to gulp at the surface) in the digestive tract which can lead to swim bladder problems.

Low quality food, pellet or flake, can cause constipation, which can lead to a host of problems. This is especially true for fancy goldfish since their digestive tracts are slightly abnormal.

I use New Life Spectrum. I've also heard good things about Hikari. I used to use Nutrifin max, but my ranchus would get constipated once a week, forcing me to fast them once a week and then feed peas. Now they are regular :D

[barney]

I have a cupboard full of different pellets and flakes of different names and find the Hikari a good one, although as my fish are small the tiny pellets can't be seen, plus the weather loach doesn't seem to like them, unless I'm not giving him enough time to find and eat them. At the moment I feed flakes by hand, in the water so the fish don't get air from the top of the tank when they gulp. Feeding each fish by hand also prevents a messy tank as the flakes tend to break up and I know each one has had equal amounts.
I think I'll have a look at the New Life Spectrum if they are suitable for fantails. I do worry about constipation and give them peas and sweetcorn to help prevent this. I do love our fish, I must be daft as I even watch to see if they are pooping and worry if I haven't seen one do one. lol

[Xavier]

I think I'll have a look at the New Life Spectrum if they are suitable for fantails. I do worry about constipation and give them peas and sweetcorn to help prevent this. I do love our fish, I must be daft as I even watch to see if they are pooping and worry if I haven't seen one do one. lol

Mine poop 10 hours after I feed them, like clockwork now. Makes checking their poo easy.