Why will fish die if they are over fed?

Question

why don't the just stop eating? lol

Answer 1

Being full all the time can rapidly decrease health.

Answer 2

This is another myth that just won't die. Fish really cannot be over fed and some fish like goldfish fresh water and seahorses salt water do not have stomachs and require feedings 3 or more times per day. (Again something people do not know and think these are the "dirty" fish)

Fish do get full and will not eat when they are. If they didn't get full, what is all that stuff I suck out of the fresh water tank every week? Why are there algae blooms and cloudy tanks?it isn't all just poo.

It is true, fish will eat more if fed more however to kill a fish by feeding too much is almost impossiable.

In short, the only way fish will die in a tank if over fed is if the nitrates and ammonia spike trying to decompose the excess food and waste.

Answer 3

Fish die if they are overfed, because just like us, their stomachs have a certain limit to the food it can contain. If more food is piled in there, the fish's body will begin to malfunction. Some fish can't /just/ stop eating. A few with a lower brain intelligence, for example, some breeds of goldfish, don't know when to stop eating, because they figure the nagging pain is not worth bothering about. However, other fish, such as betas, have a nerve that alerts them when their bellies are full.

Answer 4

Most fish will stop eating before they die, that's a common myth. Think about it, if fish died from eating too much every time they were over fed then no one would have food left over in the tank and fish still alive. It would be impossible to over feed and not kill the fish, yet people over feed every day and the fish don't eat until they die. Just a myth people don't stop to think through.

But, on the other hand, fish can get fat from over eating and die from complications of that, just like people. They are not smart enough to not do this, so you have to feed them reasonably.

MM

Answer 5

Yes. The reason is that overfeeding leaves alot of un-eaten food left in your tank. This food will rot and turn into dangerous toxins which are poisonous to your fish. Also, the more your fish eat, the more excrement they produce which turns into ammonia, also toxic to your fish. Depending on how many fish you have, fedding once or twice a day, with all the food placed in the tank eaten in under 5 min. is optimal.

Answer 6

Generally when people say fish will eat themselves to death it's not that they eat until they explode. It's that the excess food leads to other problems which kill them. Build up of nitrates. Bloating leading to blocked intestinal tracks.

From a behavior stand point of fish over eating. You need to understand that in the wild fish go days, or even weeks without food. When food is available they pig out.

Answer 7

The biggest problem you have here if you are over-feeding your fish, is that all of the uneaten food will decompose and add MORE ammonia to your tank's water.

Answer 8

because they are just like you if you eat alot and dont do excersise you will get fat and like a bomb they explode and your fish will explode if you overfeed it.