Kcals per per day for goldfish?

[Phaewryn]

Goldfish care question: I have a 6" long goldfish. It's inside an aquarium for the winter, it goes out to the pond from May-Oct. How many kcals per day does a goldfish this size require? I don't want to under or over feed it.

It's eating cat and dog food (Nulo Freestyle Turkey & Cod cat and American Journey Venison & Sweet Potato dog: both high quality pet foods). Just trying to decide if 1 dog food kibble or 6 cat food kibbles a day is an appropriate amount of food, calorie-wise. It seems healthy and this has been its diet for 2 months now. I don't feed it in the pond at all as I have an invasive worm problem and it gets several large earth worms a week outside. Not buying fish food, don't try to guilt me into doing so, I gaurantee the Nulo cat food has better ingredients than any commercial fish food at the local pet store. Simply looking for kcals required for a 6" goldfish.

 

[Phaewryn]

The fish:

 

[Stephen Noble]

The fish looks great. I wouldn't change anything. My goldfish that lives with our turtle (indoor pond) eats all sorts of stuff...blueberries, worms etc. and is very healthy. Just keep the water clean and test it regularly. What size tank is it in?
Edit: Sorry, I just realized I didn't answer how many Kcals your fish needs. That is a subjective question. It depends on the water temperature and the activity level of the fish. In moving, warm water, the fish will eat more. How large are the food kibbles? I am sure they provide ample nutrition for your fish.

 

[Phaewryn]

The fish looks great. I wouldn't change anything. My goldfish that lives with our turtle (indoor pond) eats all sorts of stuff...blueberries, worms etc. and is very healthy. Just keep the water clean and test it regularly. What size tank is it in?

Unfortunately a far far far too small tank but I live in a very small apartment and it's just going to have to survive in those conditions for the winter. I think it's a 20 gallon tank but because I'm using it for my pond plants I don't have it all the way full. If I could find a 30 gallon tall that had the same footprint as a 20 gallon tank I would absolutely jump on it but I haven't found one on the used market at a price I'm willing to pay yet.

 

[Stephen Noble]

Space issue, I get it, been there myself in the past. As mentioned above, your fish looks great so clearly you are doing a good job. Just keep the water quality high. Good water quality is the most important thing to do over the winter. Keep the tank cool and feed sparingly. Make sure to remove all uneaten food as soon as possible.

 

[Phaewryn]

Space issue, I get it, been there myself in the past. As mentioned above, your fish looks great so clearly you are doing a good job. Just keep the water quality high. Good water quality is the most important thing to do over the winter. Keep the tank cool and feed sparingly. Make sure to remove all uneaten food as soon as possible.

There is no uneaten food! This fish is a beast! He eats giant dog food kibbles in 3 seconds flat. I should name it Hoover. I vacuum the waste out of the bottom every other week which results in a partial water change. I don't test it, but I do add Prime and it does run through activated carbon (along with filter floss and biomedia), so I feel pretty confident it's decent quality.

 

[WaterGardener]

I highly recommend that you test the water. There is no way to know what the quality of the water is by looking at it. Clear water is not necessarily healthy water.

You can't see ammonia, or nitrite, which can both be toxic, or alkalinity which can cause problems that can be deadly. Testing the water is the only way to know if you are providing a good environment for your fish.