Can my fish get TOO fat?

[don_chuwish]

As I have a new Scribbled Rabbitfish in the same QT/HT as a Hippo Tang I'm trying to pack full of nutrition, so the Rabbit is eating very well. He's a friggin' pig. Looking quite wide bodied lately, which made me wonder - can our fish get too fat? Or can they be trusted to regulate their eating?

 

[eatbreakfast]

Fish can and do get too fat.

In nature, there are times when plenty of food is available, and then there are times when food is lean. Most fish will consume as much as they can when food is available because they don't know if and when their next meal will become available. This strategy works in the wild because resources often even themselves out over time. However, this strategy can be problematic in aquaria. Food is almost always available and the fish will eat more than they should. This can lead to health problems for the fish.

 

[salty joe]

I remember a picture of a necropsy of a fish from many years ago where the fish had fatty liver disease. Too much food, too much of the wrong food, IDK.

 

[don_chuwish]

Thanks! I think that for a long time I've been underfeeding for fear of polluting the tank. Need to work on finding the balance now.

 

[eatbreakfast]

I have found its better for the fish and water quality to feed frequent small meals than it is to feed only one or two bigger meals a day.

 

[FloodWaters]

Do they make a treadmill for fish? Jokes aside, I find it really tough to find the perfect amount to feed. I have even more trouble with fast tangs that are like vacuum cleaner that out compete the more chill fish. Classic example is when I have 2 nori clips for my tangs and crack clam open for my puffer... those tangs will bully the puffer for his food and then go back to the nori. It has gotten to the point where the puffer is eating their nori out of spite some days.

 

[sundog101]

Do they make a treadmill for fish?

Turn up the power heads haha!

 

[rockstarta78]

There is no such thing as TOO fat. It's called big being fat n happy. Take you pick.

 

[Potatohead]

That depends, maybe your fish just has a dad bod.

 

[brandon429]

Joe agreed
feeding freshwater fish to marine ones, that kind of fat is bad. its the super size me technique of goldfish to lionfish circa 1996

fat from freshwater feeding is much worse physiologically I bet than fat from marine

id never fatten either way, they need a forage mode as stated above