How Long Can A Goldfish Go Without Food? (Surprising Answer)

One of the things that make goldfish such great pets is that they are so easy.

If you have a dog, you know that you can’t go more than ten minutes without your dog reminding you they are still hungry.

Although I certainly don’t recommend withholding food from your goldfish, I do have some easy to follow guidelines for you when it comes to taking care of your goldfish.
 

How Long Can A Goldfish Go Without Food?

 

Some goldfish can go up to two weeks without food.

Just because a goldfish can live this long without food should not mean that they should have to.

A goldfish should not go more than three or four days without food.

If this happens because of an emergency or a problem with the tank that is acceptable, but you don’t want this to become the regular feeding schedule for your goldfish.

Some fish have been known to survive if something happens to the owner because they are eating algae and other materials in the tank.

However, it is not at all healthy for a goldfish to have to survive like this.
 

How Often Should You Feed Your Goldfish?

Goldfish do well with small meals several times a day.

They love to eat and will continue to eat even when they are full.

In fact, they will eat until they get sick.

However, small meals a few times a day is ideal for a goldfish.

If you can feed your fish three or four times a day, that is going to be best for them.

Most people are a little too busy to be on call to feed their fish, and they end up with a once or twice a day feeding.

Certainly, this is entirely acceptable and will keep your fish healthy as well.

 

What To Do If You Can’t Be Home For A Few Days?

I understand that you don’t want to miss out on that beach vacation because you need to feed your goldfish.

The good news is that you won’t have to.

There are several ways you can take care of your goldfish even when you are not home.
 

Pet Sitter

The first option is to hire a pet sitter.

A pet sitter will come to your house once or twice a day, clean the tank, and feed the fish.

The problem with this is that the pet sitter can get quite expensive.

If they have to drive to your house and then spend time with your fish, you have to understand that you will have to make each visit worth their while.

Another problem with pet sitters is that they can sometimes be unreliable.

Of course, with a goldfish, if they happen to miss a day, the fish will be fine, but the whole reason you hired them was so that your fish don’t have to go without food.

 

Vacation Feeder/Automatic Feeder

A vacation fish feeder is designed to work for a few days while you are out of town.

You can also get an option that is the traditional way you feed your fish.

An automatic feeder is a food dispenser that will send food out at timed intervals.

You can set the time, and you can set the amount of the food you want to dispense as well.

The problem that you will run into with automatic fish feeders is that they are not always reliable.

Make sure that you carefully read the reviews and make any adjustments before leaving your fish.

Another thing to consider is that you should test this fish feeding option before you leave your fish.

If you happen to leave and the feeder has a problem, never turns on, or causes too much food to be dispensed, it is best to witness this for yourself.

Before you leave for your trip, turn your feeder on for a day or two and see how the fish do.

Make sure that the feeder that you choose is suited to handle the type of food that you are feeding your fish.

If not, you will run into problems with food clogging up and getting stuck in the feeder.
 

 

What Should A Goldfish Eat?

Since your goldfish cannot eat what it usually would in the wild, you will have to pick a food that you feel works best from a nutritional and cost standpoint.

I like to find great food that my fish enjoy and then stick with it as long as it is still being produced.

If you are home to feed your fish every day, then the type of food you give them does not matter.

If you are putting the food in an automatic feeder, make sure that the food you use fits in the feeder and that it can dispense the food accurately.

The three main types of food that goldfish eat are flakes, pellets, and gel food.
 

Gel Food

Gel food is very easy to make if you don’t want to purchase it already made.

It is easy to feed your fish, and it contains a lot of nutrients as well.

Some will say that the gel food seems the most natural to give your fish.

 

Flakes

Flakes are probably the most common form of goldfish food.

These are very easy to use, and they contain some nutritional value.

The problem is that when the flakes are put in the water, they lose a little bit of their nutritional value.

This is expected and something that all fish owners deal with, but it’s essential to keep in mind.
 

Pellets

Pellets are excellent in the sense that they hold their nutritional value longer than the flakes.

Pellets can be either sinking or floating.

Floating pellets are very easy to clean up when there is extra food, but the sinking pellets will be more natural for your fish.

Eating a sinking pellet is more like eating in the wild for a goldfish, and they won’t be ingesting as much water when they eat.

This is better for their digestive system, but it will leave you with a bit of a mess in the tank to clean up.

 

How Do I Know If My Goldfish Is Hungry?

When you first get a goldfish, it can be hard to tell if you are giving your goldfish enough food.

Of course, you can follow the directions from the pet shop, and you can read the back of the food container as well.

However, all fish are different, just as all people are different when it comes to their diets.

There are a few signs that you can watch for to know that your goldfish is hungry.

If you see any of these signs, you may want to adjust the feeding schedule or the food itself to make sure that you are giving your fish what it needs.

 

Searching For Food

If you look over in the tank and your fish is frantically swimming in spots that it usually does not swim, it may be hungry.

You will see the goldfish looking around for food, and you will visibly know that your fish is hungry.

This is a mild sign of hunger.

If you notice this happening often, you may want to adjust the amount of food you are giving your goldfish or the times that you are giving it to them.

They may not be able to make it in between feedings without feeling hungry.

 

Aggressive Behavior

If you notice your goldfish being aggressive towards the other fish in the tank, it may be hungry.

If this is a behavior that you have never witnessed before, it could certainly be that your fish is hungry.

This is usually not the first sign of hunger.

If your fish has gotten to this point, they have probably been without food for quite some time.

Make sure that you are not underfeeding your fish if you are noticing these signs.

 

Lazy or Lethargic Fish

Part of being a responsible fish owner is keeping an eye on the general patterns and behaviors of your fish.

It would help if you had an idea of how active they are and when.

If you notice that your fish does not seem to be acting like they usually do, it could be a sign that they are hungry.

There could, of course, be other issues going on with your fish, so you will want to keep a close eye when you notice these types of situations.

 

Aggressive When Getting Food

It is no secret that goldfish like to eat.

When you feed your fish, they will likely swim over and start eating it almost immediately.

This is entirely normal, however, if you notice them starting to get aggressive when you put the food in, it could mean they are very hungry.

There is a difference between a fish that wants to eat and a fish that needs to eat.

You will be able to witness this behavior rather quickly.

 

How To Avoid Underfeeding Your Fish

If you are constantly reminding yourself that you need to feed your goldfish, then you may need to set up an extra system to make sure your fish don’t get too hungry.

You can use an automatic feeder as we described above, or you can simply set a reminder for yourself.

With all of the calendar and alarm options we have at our disposal, don’t forget to add your fish to this list of chores or a routine.

Making fish feeding part of your daily schedule is going to make things much easier on yourself and your fist.

Having to try and remember the last time the fist ate is just healthy, and it isn’t sustainable for you or the fish.

Even if you need to put a little chart next to the tank that you can check every time you feed the fish, this is entirely acceptable.

If your kids are the ones in charge of feeding the fish, make sure that they are following up with their responsibilities.

Taking care of a fish is an excellent way for kids to learn, but you need to make sure that the fish is adequately fed.

 

Conclusion

If you are worried because your fish went without food for a day, don’t be.

They will be just fine.

However, making sure that you have a good feeding plan in place for your fish is very important.

If you need to leave town, find a reliable alternative to your daily feedings, and test to make sure it works before you go.

Although goldfish can be rather resilient when it comes to lack of food, this is not something that you want to test with any of your fish.