Hikari Oranda Gold food question

[jessfish]

I have been feeding my goldies (oranda, fantail, ranchu, pearscale, ryukin) Hikari Lionhead (at the time it was the only one the store had) now I am about to open a new bag of Hikari Oranda Gold.

It says on the package "Aggresive Colour Enhancers Added"

Will this cause a problem with my black goldies (3 are black)? I don't want their colour to fade because of the food!! & I have heard the colour enhancers can cause problems with black.

Also this type floats - i like to use sinking food to reduce risk of swim bladder & other problems...does it actually float? & for a while or will it sink pretty quick?

I'm debating trying to exchange the food...but I got it months ago so not sure how that will work

[bigbettadan]

The floating issue is bigger than the color enhancer. Stay away from floating pellets if at all possible...

Dan

[marlin08]

What Dan said. A couple of years back, before I knew any better, I ordered a bag of Hikari Oranda Gold not knowing it was floating pellets and had to throw it out. The Lionhead and some of the other Hikari is sinking, much better for the fish. Be sure and check the label before you buy any pellets, or ask customer service to check, to be sure they are sinking.

[Ichthius]

I mix the lionhead and oranda in my auto feeders all the time...

In tubs and green water I only feed floating pellets so I can get a daily check on the fish.

[jessfish]

thanks for the info - i'll try to exchange it tomorrow & get the lionhead or other sinking pellet...I had the same problem as others - i didn't read the lable well enough!!!

[TheTruth]

I have been feeding my goldies (oranda, fantail, ranchu, pearscale, ryukin) Hikari Lionhead (at the time it was the only one the store had) now I am about to open a new bag of Hikari Oranda Gold.

It says on the package "Aggresive Colour Enhancers Added"

Will this cause a problem with my black goldies (3 are black)? I don't want their colour to fade because of the food!! & I have heard the colour enhancers can cause problems with black.

Also this type floats - i like to use sinking food to reduce risk of swim bladder & other problems...does it actually float? & for a while or will it sink pretty quick?

I'm debating trying to exchange the food...but I got it months ago so not sure how that will work
i feed my formula and tuna,sometimes peas,earth worms etc.no swim bladder problems

[TheTruth]

i feed my formula and tuna,sometimes peas,earth worms etc.no swim bladder problems
what im trying to show here is that there are natural things to feed your fish that i think will keep them in great shape and extend their lives

[judge]

what im trying to show here is that there are natural things to feed your fish that i think will keep them in great shape and extend their lives

Definitely agreed. I feed my fish only gel food that I made. They are big and spawn like crazy. Growth is better than that I achieve with any hikari pallets. They grow fast and much much healthier.

59qYN4vB0i8

[countcoco]

I mix the lionhead and oranda in my auto feeders all the time...

In tubs and green water I only feed floating pellets so I can get a daily check on the fish.

Do you find that the 'Oranda Gold' ever causes bloat or other adverse effects? I bought a bag of it but stopped using it after I read floating foods are generally unhealthy goldfish food options.

[Ichthius]

Currently I do not have a single fish with a buoyancy issue. I'm feeding both the oranda and lionhead as a mix, saki goldfish and several hikari floating koi pellets.

I think the issue is over feeding. If they stuff themselves, the floating food can swell up more than the sinking. The swelling food can back up into their gas duct that leads to the swim bladder. Worst case they get a bacterial infection, the duct is damaged and they are floaty for the rest of their lives. Not likely though. Keep your water clean and feed appropriately.

Some fish react differently. A friend has a tank of large ryukins that were doing just fine. Floating hikari wheatgerm sent them into a tail spin. Treated with a medicated food and they came back just fine. I was feeding the same thing to large ranchu and they were doing just fine...

So if a floating food is causing an issue stop using it on those fish but I'd guess 1/2 of the pellets I feed are floating.

[yukoandk]

Oh, I'm late responding to the topic, but has anybody heard of using floating vs sinking food as a way to groom tail forms on TVR? As for buoyancy problems, I also think the pellets expanding in the belly can bring it on.