Goldfish Feeding and Deformity

Question
QUESTION: Hi, I have 2 young goldfishes. I been doin some research and I started feeding them peas. I fast them on the day b4 i feed them the peas because i'm scared I'll make them bloated.

I was looking online and they said you can feed them lettuce, preferably Romaine lettuce. Jus wash it in warm water an clip it to the tank. I was wondering. Do i jus clip it an leave it?As if it were a plant in the aquarium or should I time them for perhaps 2 minutes and then take it out? Then if I do the timing.. Throw away the remainder?

Also one day I got up an noticed one of my goldfishes mouth looking deformed. It is no longer oval shaped like that --> [ ]
lol @ my drawing. but it looks more like this --> () and it has trouble eating flakes so i need to cut them really small for it. The other is fine though.

Do you know what might have caused this? Should I be wondered about the other one? Is this a disease or something? It should be noted that its behavior hasnt changed. it doesnt look or act sick. and when it sees me it usually pushes at leasts its head out the water begging for food. It still does that. It however doesnt look for food at the bottom much anymore I guess because it cant suck on the gravel anymore cuz its mouth is jus too small

Thanks much in advance

ANSWER: Hi Kami,
Peas and lettuce are both very beneficial to goldfish, vegetable foods are important for proper digestion since the goldfish have a digestive tract different from many fish. They lack a true stomach and need to eat continuously throughout the day.  

I feed my baby goldfish and my bigger goldfish Romaine lettuce almost every day. I've been able to clip it with a plastic clip to the inside rim of the aquarium so the leaf hangs below the water and my goldfish devour almost the entire thing in a few hours.

When feeding lettuce, you'll have to leave it in for at least a day to allow them plenty of time to discover it and graze on it as they wish. It won't hurt for the lettuce to sit for almost two days but don't go much longer than that, especially if they are not eating it.

Peas are great for helping goldfish that are constipated and it can help keep their systems balanced.

Hmmm... Mouth looking deformed? Are these really young goldfish like an inch or so in length? Sometimes deformities will happen due to genetic problems and theres not much you can do for them.
Some goldfish can get pieces of gravel stuck in their mouths/throats and struggle to eat and breathe properly. If it looks like your goldfish can't open and close his mouth normally and he is breathing a little heavy, I'd be concerned he -could- possibly have gravel stuck. I have to had to handle situations like this before and you'll need to get a soft net, flashlight, tweezers and possibly a helper.
Catch the goldfish in the net and lift him out of the tank, holding him with your fingers (and the fish still within the net) and his mouth facing towards you use a flashlight to see if you can see anything in his throat. I have had to use a pair of tweezers to remove gravel that's become lodged in fishes throats before.
You must not be nervous or jumpy when doing this otherwise your little fish may get hurt. Make sure if he wiggles out of your grasp that he'll fall back into the tank or hold him over a soft towel. Don't keep him out of the water for more than a minute or two or he'll become distressed.

If you absolutely cannot see anything and his throat looks clear you'll have to just carry on as normal and keep an eye on him.

There are no known diseases that I am aware of that would cause such a mouth deformity.

Let me how your goldfish are doing! Best of luck,
I hope this helps!
Susan~


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks again

I feed them Birdseye peas... I saw Birdseye also have Leaf Spinach... do you think I can try this? And how do you usually prepare the lettuce? Should I boil it to make it a little soft..?

My goldfishes are probably like 2 or so inches long. I think it might most likely be just a deformity... I wish its just that because I dont think I have the stomach to do the tweezers thing. Ive been following it an peeking inside its mouth to see if I see any gravel, and I havent seen any. Its jus more like it has sucked in the sides of its mouth. Ive been jus cutting the food/ flake extra small for it.

Behavior hasn't changed though.. So I'm not that worried. Im juust hoping that its mouth doesnt close completely.

Thanks again

Answer
Hi there!
Spinach is also a good supplement to your goldfishes diet. Birdseye is just fine, you could boil it to make it a bit softer. When I feed my goldfish lettuce I use fresh romaine, I simply wash it well under running tap water and clip it inside the tank. They have no trouble grazing off of this and have it nibbled down to the less tasty stem in a matter of hours.

I'm glad you havent been able to see gravel in your goldfish's mouth. Maybe it is just a deformity. Its too bad you can't get a picture but if you can't that's ok.  :-)

As always let me know if you have anymore concerns!
Best of luck!
Susan~