Proper Goldfish Feeding

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A quality Koi and goldfish food starts with quality aquatic based ingredients. Fish derive their energy from fats, not carbohydrates (although cereal is needed as roughage). also the amino acids that make up proteins should be ones that can be easily metabolized by fish. Soy proteins and feather meal that are used by many foods are of poor quality. An analogy I used to describe this to my customers to compare amino acid (protein) quality is this: You can achieve the protein analysis of many pet foods with a pair of leather shoes, yet leather shoes are for the most part, made up of un-digestible proteins that will eventually lead to renal (kidney) failure in fish.
An amino acid missing in many goldfish diets is DL-methionine. This is an essential amino acid for producing the "Lionhead" feature in goldfish. High levels of methionine can be found in the vegetable proteins of spinach, green peas, and garlic. DL-methionine can also be found in fish meal.

It also should be pointed out that no one food should be fed alone (including Sanyu). A balanced diet for goldfish should also include Spirulina Flakes, and Brine or Mysis shrimp (which have a natural laxative for goldfish). Frequency of feeding is also important, think of goldfish as under water horses (there are differences of course), they are regularly grazing, unlike say a lion. The point is that goldfish have digestive tracts meant for a more vegetable diet and constant grazing, not unlike horses (yes there are differences, as godfish do not have the stomach like a horse), and if not kept full, they can develop gas (that is also why the brine shrimp and spirulina are important). Another point of note is that most fancy goldfish are very inbred and have poor digestive tracts which make them even more sensitive to a poor diet and intestinal gas.

Try and feed your goldfish at least two or more times a day (if more often, feed less per feeding). Also soak your fish food in water for at least 5 minutes so that it does not float, which will prevent your goldfish from ingesting air (which can cause digestive problems). Be careful with feeding too much flake food (even the spirulina flake, although this flake does not cause the intestinal gas problems that many flakes such as TetraFin due to the high cereal content and lower quality proteins), and again soak any flake food too.

For more in depth information about fish nutrition in general, please see this article: Quality Fish Food; What ingredients are needed for proper nutrition, health and growth

Sanyu Vital is a complete diet to provide all necessary nutrition for goldfish and koi. This food is formulated to meet the diet requirement for goldfish and koi. The raw material used is selected from vegetable based, high carbohydrates and less protein ingredients are easily digested. Feeding this food will result a rapid colour enhancement. With various vitamins and minerals added ensure the fish stay healthy and vital.
Although this food contains soya meals (a poor source of protein in fish), it derives the majority of it's proteins from quality sources such as spirulina vegetable proteins and fish meal.

Ingredients:

Vegetable protein extract, fish meal, soya meals, rice bran, wheat flour, corn meal, carotenoid, lecithin, vegetable oil, vitamin A, C, E and important minerals and trace elements

THESE BASIC STEPS WILL HELP WITH SUCCESSFUL GOLDFISH KEEPING:

*A quality food (another is Spirulina 20 Fish Food Flake),

*Changing water (20%) once per week,

*Keeping a ph of 7.2- 7.6,

*Proper mineralization and electrolytes, using products such as Wonder Shells.

*Proper filtration (including germicidal)

*And proper tank size (one average adult goldfish per 4-8 gallons, depending on filtration)

Sanyu Tropical fish and cichlid food is similar in quality, but with a higher concentration of aquatic based proteins (such as shrimp meal) and less vegetable based ingredients.

Tropical Fish Food Ingredients:

Fish meal, shrimp meal, dried yeast, wheat flour, corn meal, fish oil, carotenoid, inositol, vitamin A,C,D, calcium iodate, iodine, magnesium and other elements.
Analysis: Protein 37%, Fat 3%, Fibre 4%, Moisture 10%

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Is Feeding Baby Rice Cereal Hurting Your Baby?

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It's on the shelf in every grocery store and in every book on baby care - but is feeding baby rice cereal actually hurting your child? Extensive studies on cereal are showing it's not the safe, wonderful food you've been taught... and studies on children are showing we've been starting babies on foods they're not ready for.

What problems could "gentle" rice cereal cause? The startling truth is that studies have shown rice cereal is anything but gentle on baby's immature digestive system. Parents who, for decades, have seen their babies start having gas, constipation, bloating, fussiness, and even allergic reactions after starting cereal are finally getting the scientific evidence behind them to be taken seriously. It is not a good food for babies.

Cereal causes a few problems. First, a sixteen year study done in Australia has shown that rice cereal causes far more reactions than either cow's milk or soy - two major allergens. It also causes more severe reactions in the infant's digestive system, causing damage to the gut wall and lining.

The western world tends to think that rice allergies are rare mostly because there's not a whole lot of rice eaten in many countries. Asian countries, however, eat a lot rice and rice allergy is quite common. Rice is not the completely allergy-free food you've been lead to believe.

Another problem with rice is that it's binding. That's right - it clogs the digestive system up. If somebody has diarrhea they're advised to eat mostly rice and bananas to help stop the diarrhea. The rice stops things up - feeding baby rice cereal can cause problems with constipation. Many babies get severely constipated on rice cereal.

Rice, like all cereal grains, is hard for babies to digest. Children don't develop the enzymes to break down starches and grains until after their first birthday. They just don't handle rice, oats, wheat, corn, or other grains well. Many parents have noticed that grains like this go in one end of the baby and come right out the other. They're not being digested at all.

It's is nutritionally poor. Rice just doesn't have a lot to offer your baby! It's fortified with iron that's hard for baby to absorb, and can further increase the constipating effects of rice cereal. Health Canada has even come right out and stated that the iron in rice and other infant cereals is hard to absorb as compared to the iron in meats.

So rice cereal - and other cereals - are not really good for your baby. They're actually pretty bad choices. Consider starting your baby with another solid food choice - one that offers a lot of nutrition and is truly easy to digest.

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