Does overeating kill fish?

[random]

Just asking to avoid future problems:
I read that, when you're choosing a fish to buy, you should check to see if its belly is rounded/full, so you know it's eating.

I know that you're supposed to feed them only what they can eat in a minute or 2, but do fish just keep eating, to the point where they are unhealthy? Is that possible? I've seen fish with a VERY round belly, compared to others of the same kind, and I don't know if it's because they have a healthy appetite, because they're over-eating, or if there's something wrong with them.

Plus, once I get them home, I don't want to overfeed them, myself. There seems to be some conflicting info on how many times/day to feed the fish. (all-you-can-eat, for 2 min.s, but: once a day/2x a day/every other day)

Couldn't find the answer when I searched; if there's already a thread with the info, please point the way!

Thanks in advance!

[Reeftanker3295]

I guess that would be possible. Some people on here feed everyday but thats mostly the people with larger tanks that can take that kind of waste. In my 29g i only feed once every 2-3 days and i feed about 1/5-1/3 a cube of frozen brine shrimp

[Elegance Coral]

I would not worry about over feeding your fish. IMHO, the biggest health problem with captive fish is malnutrition. Just feed them a variety of foods, and feed them often. If you start to have water quality issues, get a larger sump, better filtration, and/or step up water changes. The only time I've seen problems with a fish over eating is when a predatory fish tries to eat a fish that won't fit down its throat.

[Loverotties]

I feed every three days.

[ibanez2k]

It's better for your fish and your tank if you don't overfeed. It's easy to overfeed fish too because they don't have a set feeding schedule in the wild. They adapt to eat whatever they can find because they don't know when they're going to be able to eat again. Feed very little. They should be able to finish off their food quickly with as little leftover waste as possible. I've known people who didn't even really feed their fish. They would target feed their corals and just let the fish eat whatever they could that was left over in the water.

[Neuticle]

Mine stop eating after the second Big Mac anyways.

[SoK]

i feed everyday, but slowly. I'll put in a couple pieces, wait till it's all gone, then feed again. I'm actually going to cut back to every other day now.

[random]

Originally Posted by Elegance Coral

The only time I've seen problems with a fish over eating is when a predatory fish tries to eat a fish that won't fit down its throat.

...that sounds bad! is there a fish-Heimlich?

Originally Posted by ibanez2k

They adapt to eat whatever they can find because they don't know when they're going to be able to eat again.

Originally Posted by Neuticle

Mine stop eating after the second Big Mac anyways.

...I'm still confused. Which things (fish/shrimp) will stop eating when they're full? How can I tell if I'm feeding them enough if they always look hungry?

(I don't know if it makes any difference what kind of fish/invert, so I'll mention now that we're planning on having a pair of ocellaris clowns, a six-line wrasse, a peppermint shrimp & a cleaner shrimp. Our snails & hermits have been fine.)
When we start spending money on things that cost more than $1, I'd like to avoid feeding them till they explode

[Elegance Coral]

Originally Posted by random

...When we start spending money on things that cost more than $1, I'd like to avoid feeding them till they explode

You don't have to worry about that. I promise you that your fish will not explode if you feed them. Feeding them the wrong diet or not feeding them enough can cause serious problems. Feeding them every day, or multiple times a day will not kill your fish. It will just cause your fish to grow, have great coloration, and strong immune systems. Poor die leads to slowed growth, poor coloration, week immune systems, disease, stress, and death. So....Don't be afraid to feed your fish.

[Reeftanker3295]

Originally Posted by random

...that sounds bad! is there a fish-Heimlich?



...I'm still confused. Which things (fish/shrimp) will stop eating when they're full? How can I tell if I'm feeding them enough if they always look hungry?

(I don't know if it makes any difference what kind of fish/invert, so I'll mention now that we're planning on having a pair of ocellaris clowns, a six-line wrasse, a peppermint shrimp & a cleaner shrimp. Our snails & hermits have been fine.)
When we start spending money on things that cost more than $1, I'd like to avoid feeding them till they explode

Haha your worrying yourself about a topic too much. For that stocking list: pretty much only the fish are going to eat your food that you put in the tank, the others will just eat the scraps and other things in the tank, i have a tomato clown, a goby, a blackbar chromis, cleaner shrimp, anemone and i feed 1/5 a block of frozen brine every 2-3 days. The answer to your question is pretty much none, as said before fish are oppurtunistic and will eat any chance they get because they dont know when they will eat again. Fish dont need anywhere close to the amount of food humans do (in proportion of course haha) What i do is i fill up a small shell with tank water (about 1 1/2 inches across) and put in enough food for the water in the shell to become cloudy with food when the brine shrimp defrosts and just feed the fish slowly, but drop it in different sections of the tank, as clowns will actually wait at the top of the water when you come next to the tank and eat all the food if you put it all in the same place.

[random]

Originally Posted by Elegance Coral

You don't have to worry about that. I promise you that your fish will not explode if you feed them. Feeding them the wrong diet or not feeding them enough can cause serious problems. Feeding them every day, or multiple times a day will not kill your fish. It will just cause your fish to grow, have great coloration, and strong immune systems. Poor die leads to slowed growth, poor coloration, week immune systems, disease, stress, and death. So....Don't be afraid to feed your fish.

That's reassuring, thanks!
There's too many other ways we could kill our critters; don't want to add "loving them to death" to the list.

We'll pay lots of attention to water quality, and plan on fat & happy fish.

[fihsboy]

My six line wrasse will eat so much he gets sick. and the same with my clowns. I would just throw in a little here and there. Now that I have an anthias.....(which eats a ton) I have to feed every day, so I feed just enough for the three of them to consume all of it without them looking like they are bulging. Its just something you have to learn.

[Elegance Coral]

Originally Posted by random

That's reassuring, thanks!
There's too many other ways we could kill our critters; don't want to add "loving them to death" to the list.

We'll pay lots of attention to water quality, and plan on fat & happy fish.

That sounds like a good plan. I'm sure you and your fish will be very happy.

[random]

thanks again!

[cutietwo]

I would not worry about it too much. Fish in the wild do not eat much in general so they do not need that much food. My fish i feed every day, but only what they can consume in a minute or two the rest I don't use. trust me if my fish had it their way they would eat until they exploded. (especially my clowns)