You can try mealworms, but gutloaded crickets are a better staple as far as feeder insects go (not that mealworms can't be offered too though). I'm afraid I've never compared different brands of pellets before, I only rely on them as a portion of a varied diet. Most are designed for smaller newts, like fire-bellieds though, but your newt may take them as well. If not, krill and mysis shrimp (THAT'S the shrimp I couldn't remember before) are probably appealing enough to her eyes since they're larger and look more like "real food".
Going back to the fish for a moment, other reasons they're not good staples is because they can often carry parasites that are capable of being transferred to your newt. Pet store fishes are also kept under relatively poor conditions and can contaminate your newt with more than just parasites. Most pet stores wind up having to treat their fishtanks for disease, and some of these treatments can poison your newt. The most common is copper poisoning. Like I said though, if fish are ever offered, livebearers such as danios and mollies are better than goldfish or minnows. Just figured I'd mention some more on it for anyone else who may read this in the future
I wouldn't use fish as a staple in the diet, just as an occasional snack now and then. Mollies and danios won't survive in your newt's water for very long anyway, they're tropical species. In the wild newts rely much more heavily on invertebrates than fish in their diet. They don't have the stamina to chase down fish outside of an enclosed aquarium, so it's not a part of their regular diet.
