Obese fish health

Makara23 · Mar 29, 2023

I've only had my Royal Gramma for 3 months, and it seems like he's very overweight. Is this a thing for fish? My concern is that this may shorten his life span. Visually, I also prefer a proportional sleek body shape like all the other normal Royal Grammas I see. I'm not sure what to do about it either, because if I don't put enough food in, my timid firefish won't even get a single piece before other fish gobbles it all up. I also have a low nutrient issue and not running a skimmer, so I can't really feed less.

If fish had a double-chin, this would be it. Pics/vids below are a comparison when I first introduced him, and now. Notice the head to body size ratio.

Lowell Lemon · Mar 29, 2023

Normal fish behavior and appearance to me.

You could get him a treadmill or fish bicycle!

Makara23 · Mar 29, 2023

Lowell Lemon said:
Normal fish behavior and appearance to me.

You could get him a treadmill of fish bicycle!

So then mine was just underweight when I got him? All royal gramma I've seen at every LFS I've been to looked like how mine was when I first got him.

Lowell Lemon · Mar 29, 2023

Fish go through alot to make it to your local fish store. This can include weight loss. They also continue to grow to their full adult size.

Makara23 · Mar 29, 2023

Ok then this guy may be normal size/fatness.

But my original question still stands. Hypothetically, is there such thing as an overweight fish, and if so would this impact their life expectancy or overall health?

ZoWhat · Mar 29, 2023

Another example of a Reefer not being satisfied unless they're stressing over something completely insignificant

Zaven D · Mar 29, 2023

Chubby fish looks happy to me!

Lowell Lemon · Mar 29, 2023

I am sure there are overweight fish. But during regular feedings the fish should consume most of its food in a short time span. In the wild they hunt all day and feed almost constantly. So more frequent smaller feedings are closer to natural feeding cycles. Overfeeding is just a waste and adds uneaten food into the aquarium to rot. Not what you want to do for good fish health and water quality.

JC1977 · Mar 30, 2023

I think we see skinny fish at LFS so often we’re just used to it lol. Fish looks fat and healthy to me.

Smite · Mar 30, 2023

It definitely ain't skinny, ha! He is pretty round but I'm not sure there is much you'll be able to do about it with your tank mate issue? I feed very heavy and my fish are thick but my flow is also pretty turbulent. They work all day.

I tried google/youtube to see what one looks like in the ocean but it's tough to find a decent quality video. I'd imagine they'd be skinner from fighting ocean currents.

Tagging along to see if anyone has the answer to your question. It'd be interesting to hear how they store their fat in regards to organs ect.

xiongsy · Mar 30, 2023

"Don't judge me!" - Royal Gramma

Nate Chalk · Mar 30, 2023

Have you met my clown fish 6 yrs I've had

xiongsy · Mar 30, 2023

Nate Chalk said:
Have you met my clown fish 6 yrs I've had

Am I seeing the photo correctly? Is this even possible? What did you feed it and how frequent? Is it prego? Is it still alive? Tell us more! My female clown is definitely OMAD fasting starting tomorrow lol

Roatan Reef · Mar 30, 2023

If your fish is fat and happy, be happy too!

Stigigemla · Mar 30, 2023

I am not certain the Gramma is fat at all. It can be a disfunction so it is carrying more and more water inside.
The Clownfish does not look fat at all but it seems like it has an internal parasite. If I had to guess maybe maybe in the liver.
Maybe @Jay Hemdal can tell You more

MischiefReef · Mar 30, 2023

The fish’s expression in the last pic says it all: “Who are you calling overweight punk?”

In seriousness, I think the Gramma looks fine, that clownfish looks… interesting…? Many of the fish at the LFS are juveniles or starved so they fill out a lot when properly fed. Also, from my experience, most fish will grow quite rapidly to about 80% their adult size within a year and then much slower after this.

homer1475 · Mar 30, 2023

Your comparing a juvenile to an adult fish. Even in humans we tend to get a little "thicker" as we age.

ajm83 · Mar 30, 2023

lol i get the fat/happy thing but i've never seen any royal gramma look anything like this

maybe it's just an unflattering photo

Jay Hemdal · Mar 30, 2023

My thought is that the RG may be suffering from edema. The general thickening of all tissues is not how fish store fat. More typically, the fat is deposited in the belly and it displaces the vital organs - so the fish may never "look" fat.

Edema can be caused by kidney or liver disfunction. It causes fluid buildup in the tissues. It typically isn't treatable. Ascites is related, but it is characterized by loose fluid in the belly area.

Jay