Feeding during break in period

Question
Hi Chris how are you?  I was wondering if I should feed my fish any peas or other food besides the flakes during the break in period or is it better to just stick to the flakes for a few weeks. My week old tank is 10 gallons and has one 2 inch long comet.

Also, yesterday after a 25% water change he seemed very sad and sat in his cave for long periods of time, coming out for a few minutes and then going back again.  What could be the cause of this?  He even slept in the cave at night.  Do you think fish feel lonely when their partners die? ( the other fishy died yesterday).

Answer
Hi Bela;

I suppose he could be lonely. This is the very first time he has ever been alone since he was hatched from his own little egg. More likely, he is feeling insecure without the physical "cues" of other fishes' movements to guide his behavior. Goldfish tend to group together and will move together in synchronization. It would make him shy and fearful for awhile. He will get used to it in a few days.

It is okay to feed a little bit of whatever food you want to feed during break-in. You just don't want to leave any leftovers. The leftovers make the toxins much higher than they should be. Feed once a day and only what he can totally consume in 5 minutes.

I hope he feels better soon...........

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins