# Looking to get my fish closer to a 100% raw diet



## LilasMom (Mar 10, 2012)

I have goldfish, guppies, and bettas and I was wondering if anyone knew what a complete diet for them would be. I know bettas are carnivores, but is just mosquito larvae and like mysis shrimp okay to feed? Would they need more of a variation of proteins like dogs and cats do?

And how would I feed a raw diet for goldfish and guppies? What would I do for the veggie part, and what are the proper ratios for them in terms of meat to vegetables to fruit?

Right now my goldfish and guppies get Mazuri gel food (but I add extra sardines and veggies when I blend it) and New Life Spectrum Goldfish and Small Fish formula pellets. The bettas eat mostly Small Fish Formula and sometime betta formula (small fish has more protein for some reason). They also get mosquito larvae and mysis shrimp as treats occasionally.


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## bridget246 (Oct 26, 2011)

LilasMom said:


> I have goldfish, guppies, and bettas and I was wondering if anyone knew what a complete diet for them would be. I know bettas are carnivores, but is just mosquito larvae and like mysis shrimp okay to feed? Would they need more of a variation of proteins like dogs and cats do?
> 
> And how would I feed a raw diet for goldfish and guppies? What would I do for the veggie part, and what are the proper ratios for them in terms of meat to vegetables to fruit?
> 
> Right now my goldfish and guppies get Mazuri gel food (but I add extra sardines and veggies when I blend it) and New Life Spectrum Goldfish and Small Fish formula pellets. The bettas eat mostly Small Fish Formula and sometime betta formula (small fish has more protein for some reason). They also get mosquito larvae and mysis shrimp as treats occasionally.


Good to see such effort in taking care of the fish. I can't offer any advice to you on those type. I can't remember if it is brime shrimp or mysis that was the better one. My African Cichlids are a mix of both fish who need more veggie and fish who need more protein. I keep fresh lettuce and a little algae in the tank for those who need more veggies. I also keep snails in the tank for those who need more protein. I feed a great brand of premium pellets. I noticed the fish who need more veggie eat the lettuce, algae, and free plants I get from friends when they overgrow. Fish who need protein target the snails. But I never seen them mix. It is as if I provide them a choice of they can eat and keep a supply of it in the tank.


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## brandypup (Jan 23, 2012)

I raised bettas about 6 years ago. I gave them the frozen 'meats' food. I also raise baby brine shrip and some kind off worms for them. (microworms I think) You 'grow' them in a yeast mix. Here is a good site for ideas and even getting some stuff. they have a forum as well. I used to be on the fishforums.com when I had fish. Not sure it's still there. We had a pond of feeder fish also and they did eat whatever landed int he pond as well as the flakes we gave. 

AquaBid.com - Live Aquarium Food Auctions


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## IslandPaws4Raw (Sep 7, 2011)

When I had Bettas they loved live tadpoles! Best of all they were free.......haha. I'm sure they would be easy enough to find and add to your rotation


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## Huginn (Nov 21, 2011)

Live black worms are a great source of protein, if you can find them, tubifex are also usually available live. For veggies for my fish I use strips of nori, zucchini, broccoli, baby carrots, and lightly blanched baby spinach. A lot of articles I have read highly recommend oranges for goldfish and I just went to a presentation today that said guppies tend to eat more fruit near spawning so every 30ish days, and it is usually small berries. I believe a proper rotation for them would be mostly plant matter with some live foods once or twice a week. Daphnia are also really easy to culture and are a fantastic size for guppies.


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## LilasMom (Mar 10, 2012)

Thanks so much everyone! I will get more frozen stuff for protein and then head to whole foods. I have no idea what nori is but they would probably have it there.


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## Huginn (Nov 21, 2011)

Nori is the sea weed strips that they use for sushi. My pleco and otto cats love it, my betta even nibbles on it occasionally. I've also mixed organic baby food, with some veggies and a packet of knox gelatin to make sinking food for my snails and pleco, its not the best but its better than algae wafers!


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## LilasMom (Mar 10, 2012)

I have a few extra packets of the gelatin stuff lying around so I will have to try that out. Whole foods has baby food really cheap if you are just buying one or two jars, like 89 cents each.


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## xchairity_casex (Oct 8, 2011)

i make my own gel food for my 2 goldfish and i used to breed guppies they loved it too.
as for goldies they dont need much fruit at all too much sugar.
heres a recipe that works for both my goldies and when i had guppies

3 packs pea baby food-this is very important for digestion to help prevent bloat
2 packs mixed veggie baby food
2 packs carrot baby food
romain lettuce boiled about 3 min till soft then chopped in food processor
red bell pepper strips boiled till soft then chopped to mush-this is a natural color enhancer plus its healthy
a sheet of greenseaweed(for sushi wraps)
a tablespoon chopped garlic-this is a good dieses preventative plus a great appitite stimulant
a teaspoon paprika-another color enhancer
a package frozen blood worms-best protien sorce
a can of baby shrimp
earthworms ground to a mush
2 tablespoons cod liver oil
tablespoon of canned pumpkin-excellent for digestion
1 bite sized piece of banana
2 packagaes sweet potato baby food

you can mix and match as you go sometimes i add canned red salmon sometimes i will add apple instead of banana sometiems i add orange. i know some people who add dog vitamins or cat vitamins some people add alfalfa pellets most people add canned tuna.
the ingredents MOST important is the peas ALWAYS add lots of peas,garlic,and a protien sorce like the earth worms,blood worms, ext in the sumemr time i will catch grasshopeprs and gind them up to add to the food also


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## LilasMom (Mar 10, 2012)

Amazing recipe! Just the sort of thing I was looking for. Do I leave everything uncooked/boiled except for the lettuce and bell peppers?


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## xchairity_casex (Oct 8, 2011)

yup the only rason you boil the lettuce and peppers is simply becuase its too tough for them to eat otherwise.
almost forgot the most important ingredent for making it into a gel! the knox unflavored gelatin DUH
but yeh add everything all mashed together into the gelatin
it doesnt last long in the fridge so youll need to freeze it what i do is due to all the plastic baby food containers i have saved i wait for the gelatin to harden in a normal cake pan lined with wax paper or plastic wrap i use a knife and cut chunks out then i seperate a weeks worth of gel food in a baby food container (as i only have 2 goldfish now) then toss every little container into the freezer once one runs out i put a newo ne in the fridge. but you can use ziplock baggies also and youll know when its gone bad if you added more then a week or twos worth in the fridge it will get sorta liquidy and STINK bad once that happens jsut toss it and grab somemore from the freezer


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## xchairity_casex (Oct 8, 2011)

also thought i would post a few pictures of my "Feeder fish" that i started on gel food from day one and how big they have gotten
after 4 months (got these two in november)
here is marchello on the first day i brought him home








and this is him about a week ago








(almost all goldfish will lose there black color at some point in there lives including black moors)
and this is betty minnow when i first brought her home a week after i got marchello








and this is her about a week ago


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## Huginn (Nov 21, 2011)

I have actually read that vitamin C can help keep the black color darker and around longer. Also, goldfish are cool because their scales are clear and its is their dermis that is actually pigmented which is why their patterns will change as they get older. So really cool thing, goldfish that are kept out in ponds can actually get a suntan! 

Its nice to know that I am not the only one who makes majority of their own fish food!


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## xchairity_casex (Oct 8, 2011)

hum maybe ill try some VC if i ever get a black fishy or one with lots of black!
i love making my own fishs food its great to be able to see whats going inside of it and they grow like weeds on it too! i used to have a little fantail whom i had on pellets for like months and months with hardley any growth then i switched to my own gel food and BAM 3 weeks in and she was twice as big! its amazing and it keeps that tank MUCH cleaner then flakes


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