Hikari 12.3-Ounce Lionhead Sinking Pellets for Pets, Mini

I've been keeping Fancy Goldfish for almost 40 years - and using Hikari for almost as long. I'm glad to see they have removed MSG from their Goldie formulas and reduced the amount of fillers. When Hikari went back to their original formulas and developed newer and healthier alternatives I began to incorporate their foods once again. The Lion Head formula is rich in Fish Meal, Krill and Spirulina - considerd the most 'perfect' food on earth. In fact, I would encourage all Gold Fish lovers to add Zoomed's pure Spirulina flakes to your fishes diet - they'll flourish incredibly. As for the Lion Head formula my fish go crazy for it. The pellets sink nice and slowly reducing any top gobbling. The intake of air from floating foods is one the main causes of buoyancy issues and air bladder disease. Smaller pellets also provide your fish with activity as they indulge in their natural inclination to graze. As for Wen growth and color enhancement I haven't seen any results I would consider significant but I have seen an increase in activity and many of my 'bottom dwellers" which is always concern now spend much of their time mid tank. All in All the Hikari Lion Head formula is a superb food that packs plenty of significant proteins and fatty acids. 5 Fins Up!

Update: Saying my fish were half grown was a bit of an understatement. They were tiny little babies compared to what they are now. I've also added a few more. Considering these things, I can no longer get a year out of one of these bags. But at least three months for about 5 or 6 LARGE fancy goldfish, more in the fall and winter when the house is cold (my tank is unheated). Also, despite the fact that my tank is a bit overstocked, I rarely have problems keeping the water both clear and within healthy parameters. Part of that is filtration but I'm sure this great food helps too. Many of my fish are over six years old and they've been eating this food since I bought them. They are healthy and have good colors. Highly recommended food for fancy goldfish. Oh, I should also mention that my goldfish are not of the lionhead variety and this food serves them well. A couple of my new ones are oranda types but I'm not sure this has done much to promote head growth, though they were just cheap pet store hybrids so maybe they didn't have much to work with genetically in the first place. But anyway, good food for all fancy types and even feeding a young koi I'm babysitting (though he is quickly out growing the aquarium on this food since he's much faster than the fancy goldfish) Original: I've fed my goldfish this food since I got them. They're all healthy and vibrant. I've read this is just about the best food you can buy for them with out going and making/mixing it yourself. One bag has also lasted a very, very long time. I have 4 half-grown fancy goldfish and I can probably get nearly a year out of this bag.

This food is far superior than traditional flake food for medium to large fish, but small fish under 1.5 inches may struggle with the pellet size in an amusing way. (think of a kid getting caught red handed with cheeks puffed full of cookies). With a glass bottom aquarium, sinking pellets result in zero waste when feeding the fish as apposed to floating pellets that will eventually sink wherever or get caught up in plants. My fish usually catch them before they hit the bottom. Ever since I started using this food, my fish have been ravenously begging me for more every time I'm near the tank, however chewing more than a mouthfull keeps them occupied for some time after feeding, which works out well (and is again amusing to watch). I'm starting to wonder is there is some sort of addictive substance in the formula. I'm feeding it to all my fancys and they are all doing very well and are always happy to see me during feeding time, but they are also always very hungry no matter how much they get, but I think that's just how goldfish are. My fish have had zero swim bladder problems since using this food as well. Though my Orandas are growing fast and healthy, this food doesn't seem to be working any magic for their wen. I think it's purely genetics at play there.

My goldfish and my bristlenose pleco go CRAZY for this food. They will eat, but are noticably dissapointed when I give flakes or frozen peas. My albino bristlenose actually gets a bit aggressive over this food... I have been using for years and no problems. If your tank is smelling or getting cloudy, you may be overfeeding or need to clean the tank more often. In order to decrease the mess, i use a feeding bowl for my fish. Put pellets in a cup. Use a clean baster to add some tank water to cup. Use baster to suck up food, and you can basically place the pellets right into the bowl. This way, the food gets moist which lowers chance of swim bladder desiese. It also eliminates waste in two ways: 1) the food does not get lost in your substrate 2) by using a baster, you are only adding the food to your tank. The water in your food cup will become cloudy before feeding, and by using the baster, all those unwanted food particles clouding the water will never end up in your tank. Simply dump the water out of the food cup down the sink after feeding. I know this was a long review, but this is the best food I have come upon, and thought I should share my tips on how to use properly

It's hard to find a good quality pellet with high protein... At 46% this is one of the best! These pellets are a small size and sink quickly to avoid surface eating and bloating issues. Use this with some fresh greens and some frozen livefood, and you will have happy fish!

Good quality even sized pellets which I have been using for over two years for my oranada, ranchu and shubunkin goldfish as part of a mix. Best price i could find was on amazon as most of my LFS are usually $5 tro $10 higher in cost. It is high in protein so i would make sure to mix it with other foods if you goldfish are more than a year old. My Price - $ 21.51

I have a tank with fancy goldfish: Orandas, Lionheads, Moors and Fantails. I have used this food with them for years. My fish are active and healthy, with great coloring. They have not had any swim bladder issues while on this food. My largest fish is as long as my hand and as rotund as my fist, so they certainly grow well on this diet. I have a 55 gallon tank with 5 goldfish, as well as a few platies, danios and several kinds of shrimp and snails. One bag of food lasts me about 3 months. It does not break down and cloud the water, it does not have a strong odor to it. It is hard to find the sinking variety where I live, in fact I'd been buying it from Japan for the past few years. So I am very happy to see it offered here on Amazon. I can highly recommend this product.

Fast shipping and a reasonable price compared to in store prices. Sinking pellets prevents my fishes from taking in too much air and encourages them to scavenge the bottom instead. Overall a good product.

It should be a number one fish food.