Can Fish Eat TOO Much??

[loodachris]

I know...especially with trigger that they will eat as much as you feed them, and I know you cann feed too much (overfeeding) But can fish eat so much that its not healthy for them as if the are literally forcing the food into themselves? Sometimes when I feed it seems like my fish is eating way more that you would think he could fit in his little body. I was just curious to see if they eat because the food is there or if they really know when to stop?

 

[lion_crazz]

Well some fish can eat too much. I know that my batfish will continue to eat until I stop feeding him, whereas my lions know when they have had enough. I definitely think you can overfeed a fish.

 

[corally]

I thought I was told as a child that fish will eat and eat and eat till they die, but then again, my parents might of been trying to keep me from overfeeding and killing my goldfish (which I did anyway).

 

[loodachris]

Well thanks for your replies...Maybe in some cases if more than one fish, especially in an aggressive tank, compete for food, they will eat (even if it may be too much) to prevent the other(s) from eating??

 

[corally]

:notsure: hmmm, I never thought of it that way, but that does sound sensible.

 

[1journeyman]

I wouldn't think a fish could eat too much. After all, what prevents a fish in the ocean from eating until it bursts?

 

[uberlink]

Originally Posted by 1journeyman
I wouldn't think a fish could eat too much. After all, what prevents a fish in the ocean from eating until it bursts?
Scarcity? :thinking:
But I suspect you're right. I think the bigger danger from overfeedings is excess food and waste rotting away in your tank. Fish do much better being underfed than overfed.

 

[puffer9006]

i have a damsel that nos when hes eaten to much when i put frozen brine shrimp in the tank their was still food around and he stop eating

 

[loodachris]

Yes I agree that overfeeding would be more hazardous to water quality, it was just an odd thought I had one night while I was feeding... I also agree that in the wild this may not occur due to the fact that in the wild they can just about find food anywhere. But in captivity a fish may do so in order to prevent a tankmate/competitor from eating to possibly attempt to starve it or simply slow down its growth while speeding it's own (especially an aggressive tank). Again, these are just odd thoughts I had and was just curious to see if anybody else had any thoughts.

 

[mikeyjer]

I don't think you can overfeed fish, I know some would just eat and eat and never stops. But I've NEVER seen my fish do that. They would eat until they're full and won't touch anything else. My Naso Tang is rather fat though. I think he's been eating too much pods....I have a mother load of pods anyway....Maybe I'll get a Mandarin next, I have hundreds of pods available all the time.... :happyfish

 

[watertight]

Originally Posted by 1journeyman
I wouldn't think a fish could eat too much. After all, what prevents a fish in the ocean from eating until it bursts?
Spot on. I fish and snorkel a lot, and I know fish can be biting like crazy for half an hour or so, then just stop. They haven't gone away, usually, just stopped biting. They must know when they've had enough.

 

[dragonzim]

I have a striped burfish that one night I decided to feed fresh chopped up scallops. He ate so much of it that a half hour later he threw up and started puffing up and going back down. He did this about 10 times over the course of an hour. Fishy indigestion!!