Goldfish come in a wide variety of colors and sizes. They love to eat food that is slippery and crunchy and smells great. Now that your goldfish has grown a little, it is ready to eat live food. It is the right time to collect or buy some yummy morsels for your goldie. One question that comes to mind when you noticed ants outside of your backyard is –
Can goldfish eat ants?
Yes, goldfish can eat ants. Ants are considered to be tasty morsels for your goldfish. If you ever come across an ant nest, you can scoop up the nest and feed your goldfish ant eggs as well. Nothing is better than feeding live insects and worms to your goldfish, especially during the summertime.
Also, live food is a must if you want to breed your fish.
Check out this video of a YouTuber feeding ant to his goldfish!
Goldfish – Natural Omnivores
It is a matter of common observance that goldfish are naturally omnivores. In the wild, they eat all kinds of food, including larvae, eggs, small crustaceans, and even dead and decayed animals.
Even in captivity, goldfish keepers offer live food as supplements. The most common live food choices include ants, brine shrimps, mosquito larvae, and blood worms.
So, when it comes to ants, then yes – goldfish can eat ants!
Being a form of live food, ants have a high nutritional value, which is excellent for the growth and development of your goldfish.
Feeding Ants and Ant Eggs To Goldfish
Ants, especially ant eggs, are the most common traditional food to buy for your goldfish. These eggs are collected from ant nests and are dried. Thus, a significant part of the food is dried ant pupae.
Ants are also collected and dried to package and sell to fish owners.
Being dried, natural food, ants and ant eggs tend to be eatable for a long time. And so, they are easy to preserve and sell. However, these are most suitable for fish who feed on the surfaces such as goldfish, angelfish, etc.
Other than feeding live ants and ant eggs, you can also get other different products. However, make sure you look into the nutritional breakdown.
Most commonly, they come with a low proportion of proteins and offer less nutritional value.
Let’s look into how and where you can collect ants!
How To Collect Ants?
If you want to keep it simple, you can simply buy ants from the fish feed store. They come to live food packages and jars.
But, why spend money if you can collect ants right from your home? All you need to have is some collecting tools such as a small brush and a jar. You can brush off ants from the plants into a jar.
It is best to use a plastic jar as it does not break. You can use an empty jar from your kitchen.
Where To Collect Ants?
Ants are usually present in the gardens or on sidewalks. Any plant or tree in your house must have many ants that can be your goldfish’s food of the day.
Another thing you can do is place a plastic jar on the sidewalk or in the garden with a little jam or any fruit on its inside and a bit on the outer side. After a while, you will see a whole lot of ants sticking to the food.
Fill the jar with water. Place the cap and swirl it. The ants will come off the fruit.
Now, you can pour the water in the tank, and your goldfish will consume all the ants.
Can Goldfish Eat Ants: FAQ
For related questions to goldfish eating ants, check out these commonly asked questions.
Can goldfish eat insects?
Goldfish are known as omnivores which means they’ll feed on anything when they have the opportunity. This means that goldfish can/will feed on insects when they spot any.
Do goldfish eat ant eggs?
Yes, goldfish can eat ant eggs as mentioned at the beginning of this article. Ant eggs used to be sold in aquarium markets as food many years ago.
What other food can my goldfish eat?
You can feed your goldfish human foods at home but it’s not recommended to make it a habit. You can feed them to your goldfish as a treat. Here is a chart of human food you can feed your goldfish at home. For certain food, you will have to boil them to make sure they’re soft enough for your goldfish.
Vegetables Fruits Peas Grapes Lettuce Orange Spinach Watermelon Kale Corn Chard Apple Cucumber Slices Banana Sweet Potatoes Raspberries Potatoes Strawberries Zucchini Pears Carrots Mangoes Cauliflower Broccoli Pumpkin Cabbage Lima Beans Carrots
From VivariumTips,
If your goldfish is ready to eat live food, you should start with smaller foods such as ants, hatched brine shrimps, mosquito larvae, etc. You can either get dried ants from your fish supplies store or collect them from your garden or sidewalks yourself.
For other goldfish-related articles, you can check out:
- What Can Goldfish Eat Instead Of Fish Food?
- How Long Can A Goldfish Live Without Oxygen?
- 15 Diseases + Treatments For Your Goldfish
- Can Goldfish Eat Brine Shrimp?
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