How to: Gel Food for Goldfish

Here is how to make an agar agar based gel food. The agar agar base is supposed to be good for fish with swim bladder issues. You can alternatively use regular gelatin. I feed gel food to my goldfish, betta, and apple snails throughout the week (along with other things like fresh veggies and blood worms). This is a recipe that I got from someone else that I changed a bit to my own liking, and you can certainly do the same! : ) It is fine to swap out one ingredient for another or leave something out : ) Just try to keep the overall ratio of foods to agar agar about the same so that the consistency is good.

Recipe:
1 fillet of salmon or tilapia (cooked)
1 jars of baby food - peas (make sure peas/water are only ingredients)
3 tbsp canned pumpkin (no other additives)
1/2 red pepper (chopped)
2-3 leaves of kale (large middle stem removed)
1 tablet acidophilus
1 multivitamin tablet (crushed, I was out of vitamins!)
1/2-1 tsp garlic
1 cup spring water
1 tbsp agar agar powder (OR 2 packets of unflavored gelatin)
1/2 tsp koi clay (optional, I did not have any today, so I did not add it)

- Cook fish and soften kale and red pepper in some boiling spring water.
- Put all ingredients in a bowl. Add 1/2 cup spring water. Puree using a hand blender or regular blender.
- Boil a 1/2 cup of springwater in a pot and add the agar agar slowly. Pour the puree into the pot and mix well.
- Pour mixture into a baking pan and put in refrigerator to set.
- Cut it into into small cubes and transfer to a baking sheet. Put baking sheet in freezer until gel food is frozen.
- Put gel food into ziploc bags and freeze.

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• oranda
• goldfish
• gel
• food
• fish

[midnightmoon710]

You've inspired me! I'm going to try this for my Goldfish ^~^ Btw I've noticed in your videos that in some videos you have substrate and in others you don't, what is your opinion on bare bottomed tanks? Are they better? Thank you!

[tithra33]

@midnightmoon710 I was originally bare bottom (before I started making videos), then I decided to try some substrate, but I went back to bare bottom a couple months later. I personally much prefer bare bottom. I don't think I will ever have substrate again. It is just so much easier to clean and you don't have to worry about what's hiding in the gravel lol. It's really all personal preference though. As long as you only keep a thin layer and vacuum it regularly gravel is fine.

[MexiMike83]

Your fish eat better than I do! ;-)

[tithra33]

@MexiMike83 lol, they eat better than I do too! Spoiled little pigs ;)

[smukkegreen]

Great guide and cute fish :)

Thx!

[tithra33]

@smukkegreen thanks! :)

[Squwigy]

Iv got to try making gel food using agar agar. Iv tried making gel food with gelatin but I did it wrong. It didn't set, it was too liquidy.

[tithra33]

@acidglow You only want to soak pellets for 2-3 minutes at the most, but yes, sinking pellets are fine. Really variety is the key to a healthy goldfish diet. Pellets, veggies, and gel food make a well rounded diet. However, some goldies are very sensitive to commercial foods and cannot eat pellets without swim bladder problems (even with soaking), gel food is a great alternative for these sensitive fish : )

[tithra33]

@acidglow haha, yeah it's really a hit at kids birthday parties! ;)

[acidglow]

5:26 Nice cake. =p