Does fat equal health in fish?

[Jinko]

Fat fish seems less likely to get disease from my experience, whether they can be too fat who knows.

 

[OrionN]

I think most fishes just grow faster if they have more food. Certain species can get fat, but not all of them.
Cold water fish have a lot of oil and fat, but this is their antifreeze. They can live in extremely cold water and not freeze. The fat content result is desirability of the fish. I am thinking of Chilean Sea Bass. This is an extremely fatty and very expensive food fish.
Fishes are a heterogeneous group of animals. We cannot generalized what is true with one fish, maybe true with all fish of the same species, but does not mean it is true with all fishes.

 

[eggplantparrot]

crank up the flow so they build muscle instead of fat

 

[OrionN]

crank up the flow so they build muscle instead of fat

You should see my tank. More than a few people, seeing my anemones, have described my anemones, multiple Gigantea and Magnifica, as hanging on for dear life.

 

[Antics]

I love when my fish turn and you can see their bulk at the right angle. Fat fish is definitely my goal!

 

[ScottR]

I’m just going to leave this here: you must have spent 6 hours taking those pics.

With that said, I love fat fish. Looking good.

 

[OrionN]

I’m just going to leave this here: you must have spent 6 hours taking those pics.

With that said, I love fat fish. Looking good.

Thanks. For this thread I just attached pictures I had from before. None of the pictures here are new.
I think someone should start a “Big bone fish show off”. That would be a nice thread.

 

[OrionN]

I love when my fish turn and you can see their bulk at the right angle. Fat fish is definitely my goal!

Me too. I often try to take pictures that capture this if I can. I would love it if you can post pictures of your fat fish.

 

[Brew12]

I'll take fat fish over starved fish but I do think a fish can be too fat to be healthy. It's been a long time since I've seen it but @Lionfish Lair posted some great information on the harm over feeding fish can do.

I guess I see it is very similar to how it works with people. A healthy weight is idea. Overweight causes more long term issues. Underweight causes more short term issues. So.. Normal>fat>skinny

 

[ScottR]

Thanks. For this thread I just attached pictures I had from before. None of the pictures here are new.
I think someone should start a “Big bone fish show off”. That would be a nice thread.

I’d be down for a skinny fish thread. Let’s see those pin bones!

 

[WMR]

Interesting topic, just absorbing this thread. I feed smaller feedings, more often

 

[MPS]

Well, I’ve never had a fat fish die in my tank. Although, I have them eat so much in a single go that they sunk to the floor and I was certain that they were going to pop.
Great topic and great points.

 

[Twocoralsonetank]

Would a fat fish just be a by product of happy corals? You could almost say if you fish are starving, so is your corals.

 

[SeaJay]

Despite all the info here and elsewhere one of the most difficult things about getting into this hobby was knowing what and how much to feed. I think most of us probably went through a stage of over feeding for fear of under feeding. Soon you learn their habits and what they look like when they’re healthy and what the tank looks like when you over feed. I’d say the opinions of what is sufficient or overfeeding probably vary greatly. Fish seem to be able to eat 5 times a day or once every 5 days and still look pretty healthy. Mine now wait in the corner where I come from the kitchen like puppies under a table. It’s pretty entertaining.

 

[OrionN]

@evolved , @eatbreakfast , @Humblefish , @Lionfish Lair

There is definitely a right answer for this question. What the answer is I am not certain at this time. I would love to hear the opinions of some reefers who opinions I highly valued.
I wanted to attach Reef Squad here but unable to so so. Would a Mod add Reef Squad this please?

 

[eatbreakfast]

Fish DO suffer from overfeeding and diets high in fat. Fatty liver disease is a thing with fish where fatty tissue deposits around the organs and can cause longterm health issues.

However, that doesn't mean that they should be skinny either. Both extremes should be avoided.

 

[eatbreakfast]

#reefsquad

 

[Kal93]

I don't think that fat fish are as healthy as lean, well-fed fish. Just as underfeeding has consequences (less disease resistance, for instance, less likely to spawn), so too does overfeeding. Of course, I'd much rather have fat fish than underweight fish, but ideally, feed enough and provide enough space/flow for adequate exercise so that my fish are never fat.

 

[Dsnakes]

I’ll go with maybe I like to think they are fat and happy though.

Those fish look great!

 

[Antics]

It seems hard for me to know the sweet spot for a 'fat' vs 'well fed' fish. Their bodies don't tend to store the weight in the way humans and other animals do. If my tangs start getting multiple chins... Well I guess it's diet time.