Can Fish Eat Too Much and Die?

[Dr_Shakalu]

Hey everyone. I was just looking in one of my tanks that has a 7inch albino channel cat. It's with a couple of large oscars and a pleco. I threw in a small handfull of Hikari large pellets and saw the catfish eat at least 15 of them. He was swimming along the top, swallowing every pellet he could get. You could see the pellet shapes in its expanding stomach.

When I was young, I heard that fish will keep eating until they die from over-eating. I don't know if that's true or it's because all of the food doesn't get eaten and fouls the water, thus killing the fish. Does anyone have an answer as to whether fish can eat themselves to death?

P.S. It was just amazing to watch the catfish vacuuming up the pellets.

 

[convict94]

yes this is true with SOME fish such as goldfish but i'm not sure if its true in your case...the reason some fish do this is because they don't have something in their brain to tell them to stop eating because they are full. he will be fine in the morning. maybe he was just hungry...correct me if im wrong

 

[Dr_Shakalu]

Yeah, I'v seen him do it every night and its just amazing to see. The reason I asked was because he is in perfect health and I don't see him dying anytime soon by acting like a vacuum cleaner. The Doctor.

 

[guppy]

I have had a few fish die from gorging, pike minnows will.

 

[Mystix212]

My Bala Sharks and Clown Loaches fill up real quick on Hikari pellets. You'd think that the clowns would stop after a few dozen pellets but they just keep on trucking. The supply of pellets does not.