![Why Does My Goldfish Eat Rocks And Stone [What Owners Will Want To Know]](https://www.lifeforfish.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Why-Does-My-Goldfish-Eat-Rocks-And-Stone-What-Owners-Will-Want-To-Know-1024x576.jpg)
Giving your goldfish a well-balanced, nutritious, and ‘natural’ diet is a priority for most fish keepers and we often spend a lot of time researching and customizing the best possible diet for our goldfish.
It, therefore, comes as a shock when you see your goldfish foraging through the tank’s gravel and seemingly eating rocks and stones. This behavior is not just displayed by your particular goldfish or even goldfish in general.
There are countless fish that appear to eat rocks and stones and what might seem like shocking behavior is not necessarily what it appears to be. In this article, I’ll cover a very common and concerning question of why do goldfish eat rocks and stones (or if they actually do or not).
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Why Does My Goldfish Eat Rocks and Stone
To clear something up and avoid any confusion before I continue with this article, rocks, stones, pebbles, and gravel are all terms that I’ll use interchangeably. When people have an issue with a goldfish eating or even swallowing a rock or stone, we’ll always be referring to the decorative substrate at the bottom of the tank.
A goldfish will behave the same with all of these items (which I’ll come back to shortly) and the issue will be less about the type of rock or stone and more relevant to the size of the item that they are eating.
To answer the question of “why does my goldfish eat rocks and stone”, the short answer is that they do not.
Goldfish do not eat rocks and stone. A goldfish will hold small pieces of gravel in its mouth to test it as a food source and to also consume any algae or food particles that are resting on the gravel before spitting it back out. If a goldfish swallows a rock or stone, it would need critical surgery to remove it.
Goldfish are foraging and opportunistic eaters and research shows that the type of substrate you have in your tank will have a direct impact on how long your goldfish forages for food (regardless of how readily available food is in captivity).
They will usually do this not too long after you have fed them and the video below shows how a group of goldfish all seem to be showing this behavior when it comes to “eating” rocks.
What Happens if a Goldfish Eats a Rock
The first time you see your goldfish suck a rock into its mouth can be a very alarming site, especially if you are relatively new to fish keeping. You might not know that this is quite normal behavior for goldfish and chances are you jumped straight online to do some research into this.
While it can be considered normal for a goldfish to eat algae and food particles on rocks and gravel that are small enough to fit into its mouth, there is a cause for concern if your goldfish don’t then proceed to spit the rock back out after a few moments.
When this happens you will have two potential issues that you will need to deal with.
The first and most serious issue is that your goldfish might have swallowed to rock by accident. As mentioned earlier, rocks, stones, pebbles, or gravel are all items that can come in a range of sizes and shapes and if your goldfish accidentally swallows a rock, it could be a life-threatening scenario.
In this instance, it would be best to seek medical help as your goldfish could either choke on the gravel or find it becomes lodged in their stomach which would impact digestion and eventually lead to death.
The second issue with a goldfish eating rocks is that it can get stuck in its mouth which will lead to a range of other issues but will not be as immediately serious as your goldfish swallowing the rock. A goldfish getting a rock stuck in its mouth is something that you can actually resolve yourself, though it won’t be easy!
How Do You Get Rocks Out of a Goldfish’s Mouth
When keeping goldfish you really shouldn’t have any substrate in the tank that will fit into a goldfish’s mouth. The reason being is that they are notorious for swimming around a tank and testing anything that will fit into their mouth for food.
This is a major reason why goldfish should not be kept with smaller fish as they will accidentally eat them and not even notice. Therefore, having rocks in a tank that are small enough to fit into a goldfish’s mouth is a risky addition and can easily lead to issues with a goldfish eating them at some point.
We’ve put together a pretty comprehensive guide on what goldfish can eat and one thing I can say with certainty is that goldfish cannot and should not eat rocks! If a goldfish gets a rock stuck in its mouth then you’ll need to remove it yourself.
To get rocks out of a goldfish’s mouth you’ll need a set of long, narrow tweezers. To start, hold your goldfish firmly (but not tightly) and remove it from your tank. With your set of long tweezers, you’ll need to carefully insert these into the goldfish’s mouth to pry out the rock.
Be very careful but confident when handling your fish. If the rock is at an awkward angle then adjust it and remove it carefully with the tweezers. If you can’t get the rock out immediately, place the fish back into the tank after 1-2 minutes of being outside the tank so that it can be exposed to water again.
Leave the fish a few moments to calm down before attempting to remove it from the tank again. Repeat this process until you have removed the rock completely.
While this can be an anxious and scary scenario, I’ve found a video that is included below to show you the correct way to remove a rock from a goldfish’s mouth while following the steps above.
How To Prevent Goldfish Swallowing Rocks and Stone
Now that you have a better understanding of some of the dangers that can happen if fish eat and swallow rocks and stones, I’ll outline some of the things that you can do to prevent this from happening in the first place.
The number one thing you should do is take out any small rocks, stones, pebbles, gravel, or other kinds of substrate that are small enough to fit in a goldfish’s mouth but also large enough that it could be life-threatening if they swallow it or choke on it.
A substrate serves a purpose and while it can be a decorative feature of your aquarium, there should be nothing that can cause harm to your goldfish.
Larger rocks and pebbles will still give your goldfish an opportunity to forage at the bottom of a tank which is a natural behavior for them and will also still give your tank an appealing, aesthetic look without the fear that your goldfish will swallow the rocks.
While goldfish are opportunistic eaters, you should also ensure that you are feeding them an optimal diet.
I mentioned our guide earlier but ensuring your fish is not hungry or missing key nutrients from its diet will minimize (though not eliminate) the time it spends foraging for food which ultimately leads to eating things it shouldn’t!
These two actions will be enough to eliminate the instinctive habit that your goldfish has to test small items as a food source and will also remove any risk of choking or accidental swallowing completely.
This isn’t usually an issue that you’d anticipate when you first start to care for goldfish so if you’re reading this and have rocks in your tank that a goldfish can fit in its mouth, the best option is to replace them with something larger immediately.
Also, keep in mind that goldfish grow and a rock that initially seemed small in the tank could eventually be one that a goldfish can eat when it’s a full-size adult.
Final Thoughts
A goldfish eating rocks and stones can definitely be an alarming sight for both beginner and experienced fishkeepers alike. Humans have a significantly more complex and efficient digestive system yet we do not have the ability to digest rocks so when a goldfish eats a rock, it can be life-threatening.
Fortunately, the majority of times when you see a goldfish eating a rock or stone they are not technically “eating” it. Rather, goldfish will test rocks and stones for algae and trace amounts of food and instinctively know that the rock itself is not food.
If they accidentally swallow a rock or stone though, it can be a serious issue.
Therefore, if you see your goldfish display this kind of behavior, I’d recommend immediately swapping out the rocks or stones for larger gravel that won’t fit into the goldfish’s mouth. The is the single most efficient thing you can do to eliminate the risk of your goldfish choking or swallowing any rocks/stones.
