As any goldfish owner should know, goldfish can and will eat basically anything.
However, just because goldfish will eat anything does not mean that they should eat anything. With that in mind, many goldfish owners have a tendency to feed their goldfish crackers. And this raises an important question, can goldfish even eat crackers?
No. Goldfish should not eat crackers as their bodies are not built to digest crackers.
Anyway, this article will elaborate on why goldfish can’t eat crackers and offer advice on what to feed your goldfish.
Why Goldfish Can’t Eat Crackers
The reason goldfish can’t eat crackers – goldfish don’t actually have stomachs!
I know, it’s strange. But goldfish don’t have a stomach to mash up food before sending it to their intestine. Basically, a goldfish eats food and it goes directly into their intestine to be absorbed and pushed out into your tank as waste.
This means that goldfish should only consume food that their intestine can easily absorb. The next section will cover the type of food that goldfish can easily absorb in their intestine.
Healthy Food For Your Goldfish
As mentioned previously, goldfish eat pretty much anything, but they really shouldn’t eat anything because they don’t have stomachs and can’t process most food!
A natural, healthy diet for a goldfish is the following:
- Insects.
- Leafy greens, which usually will include any plants you attempt to grow in the tank.
- Anything else high in protein (snails, meat, other fish, etc.).
That’s about it for a natural goldfish diet.
You can also feed your goldfish manmade food such as goldfish pellets, tablets, and even paste, but a natural diet is always preferable albeit more difficult and expensive.
The food not to feed your goldfish is also simple. Avoid the following foods:
- Strachy foods.
- Carbs.
- All processed human food.
Overall, feeding a goldfish a healthy, natural diet is not difficult. Just avoid carbs, processed food, and starchy food and you’ll be fine.
Final Thoughts
Well, that’s about it for whether or not you can feed goldfish crackers.
No, you can’t feed goldfish crackers because they don’t have stomachs, which means they can’t process the starch and carbs in the crackers. Stick to food with protein (ie. insects) or leafy greens to keep your goldfish on the healthiest possible diet.