Feeding fish until they bulge- hurting or helping?

[MonsterMinis]

In the long run I'm almost positive it is detrimental. As others have stated. It is simply not healthy for any creature to be obese. I've seen the effects of "power feeding" In the reptile industry, equine industry, and fish. Young animals obviousely need greater nutrition then adults do. any animal on a healthy diet that is powerfed will see signs of fat around the major organs. I've seen many a snake that has died from this haveing been powerfed to get it big quick. and I wouldn't be abit surprized to see it in fish as well. personally I look at how fish in general live, they are much like horses, constantly searching for food. then other species, I tailor it to my individual tanks. My predetors get fed 2x a day just enough to make them look abit "beefy". And get a once a month gorge where they are fasted 3 days following. where my cardinal tetras/shrimp tank get 3-5 feedings of tiny amounts of food. sundays I do not feed generally. I do not stick to my feeding religiousely but view less is more and if they miss a feeding i don't freak out. neither do they.

 

[tcarswell]

I feed until everyone gets to eat. Unfortunately, it means that I have a couple catfish that resemble beached whales more than catfish by the time everyone gets their share. Fortunately, I think that their bodies are designed for that. Discus on the other hand are a whole different ball game. Over feed discus and you risk blockage and possible death. Everyone knows overfeeding anything can cause obesity. However, its really important to note organs grow at different rates as the cells in each organ reproduce at slower or faster rates. So, if the fish is growing abnormally fast, they can outgrow a certain organ (particularly kidneys and hearts). However, in my tanks, I have to feed heavily or growth won't be a concern as there is no such thing as a hungry catfish- just missing tankmates.

I gotta quote that in my sig I love it... just missing tankmates. You own a wompok Catfish too so you know whats up. Mine managed to wolf down a red zebra so big I could see it in the Catfishes stomach

 

[Pyramid_Party]

Yeh but feeding it to the point of seeing a pot belly doesn't necessarily make it fat, the pot gut is only temporary until it can digest the food, from there it gets converted to energy etc.

You're right, a fish can get bloated in just 1 feeding. The point I am making is that its not healthy if its an everyday thing.

 

[black_monster]

I would say power feeding fish is bad.
like rallysman said, even for us humans, we are capable of over eating and the outcomes are is that people turn obese which is detrimental to our health.
or another example, people say power feeding snakes shorten their lifespan so why is it any different for fish? all fish are capable of eating more than they possibly can, but in the wild they can't so there are some factors to consider. this should be an interesting debate

 

[dingoofus]

You're right, a fish can get bloated in just 1 feeding. The point I am making is that its not healthy if its an everyday thing.

Yeh I get what you are saying 8D.

 

[Wet Whiskers]

For humans yes too much protein harms your liver or kidneys. Something I remember from cutting weight and keeping / building muscle drinking those protein shakes. Some peoples protein intake before tournaments would be so intense their eyes would start to yellow. A sign of jaundice

Very true! Kidneys suffer terribly when protein levels are too high. One of the best ways to help people and animals who are suffering for kidney problems is to reduce the intake of protein. So an animal that is overfed protein can suffer kidney damage as well as toxic BUN levels. This protein level obviously varies from animal to animal. So, not only do you not want an obese fish, protein loading a fish isn't healthy either. Here's a bit of background on BUN.

"Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) measures the amount of urea nitrogen, a waste product of protein metabolism, in the blood. Urea is formed by the liver and carried by the blood to the kidneys for excretion. Because urea is cleared from the bloodstream by the kidneys, a test measuring how much urea nitrogen remains in the blood can be used as a test of renal function. However, there are many factors besides renal disease that can cause BUN alterations, including protein breakdown, hydration status, and liver failure."
http://www.rnceus.com/renal/renalbun.html

 

[dingoofus]

I would say power feeding fish is bad.
like rallysman said, even for us humans, we are capable of over eating and the outcomes are is that people turn obese which is detrimental to our health.
or another example, people say power feeding snakes shorten their lifespan so why is it any different for fish? all fish are capable of eating more than they possibly can, but in the wild they can't so there are some factors to consider. this should be an interesting debate

Lol, why's everyone comparing fish to humans?

For one thing our organs are different and adapted differently. Also humans eat a heap of artificial foods, with excess sugars, and sweets.

 

[abortedsoul]

I would say it entirely depends on the particular species in question. If it is an animal that normally gorges, such as species found in places with wet/dry seasons or for other reasons long times between meals, I would say that it is entirely natural. If said fish instead eats small meals throughout the day/night, I would have to say that it isn't the brightest idea.

That said, with stingrays that are starving and newly imported, I always feed them a little bit extra. My stingrays don't tend to overeat, so I don't have a problem providing them with a readily available food source.

Before getting a pet, any pet (or child, for that matter), it's probably a good idea to find out what they eat in their natural environment and try and simulate that as close as possible.

 

[OzMonsterFish]

I think frequency does not matter. I am sure someone out there has over feed their fish, continuously and found out the hard way that they will eat themselves to death. I had a 1 inch electric yellow with a few larger African in the same tank. Everyday I feed them enough for the big guys without noticing that the little EY was eating all the food until one day it was on the bottom of the tank dead round like a marble.

Also, I don't think it is possible for a fish to ever be classified as obese. Obese is the state of an animal at a constant state. when powerfeeding, the fish will grow quicker.

Does anyone have any pics of an obese fish?

 

[Wet Whiskers]

Obese does not always mean you will see fat rolls, but can be hidden and occur as high fat levels surrounding the organs. The animal/person may not appear to be fat, but the amount of fat stressing the organs is a problem.

If there is a question about this here is one of tons of articles about it...

http://www.news-medical.net/?id=25076