are tank fish overeating a whives tale?

Question

we just set up a new tank with 3 freshwater fish they all seem to have different eating habits (but me being Italian) want to make sure that I do not over or under feed them - I'm used to dogs and cats and don't want to kill my kid's fish

allright - you are giving me 2 totally opposite opinions - I really need to know - so experts only please

Answer 1

A fish will not overeat itself to death. But you can over feed. Depending on the fish and how much you feed it each time... I would just feed them once a day. If you feed them too much you can mess your water up. You don't mention what kind of fish or tank or size of tank. You do mention it is for your kids so I am assuming it is a smaller freshwater tank. Both my kids have a ten gallon - one has goldfish and a pleco and the other has mollys and a pleco. About once a week I give each pleco HALF an algae tab (If I don't the plecos will suck on the fish!) and we feed the other fishies at night. Watch your fish eat a few times and get a feel for how much they are eating. Then by getting a 'cleaner' fish like a pleco you can help cut down on the extra that may fall to the bottom. They do sell plecos that are smaller like clown plecos that only get a couple inches big.
Don't fret, lol... you will be able to tell if you are over feeding because your tanks water will get cloudy and you could get a film (like oil) on the top of the water. Just make sure you do your water changes, that will help if your child is also 'helping' feed the fishies. (That is why we buy the tanks, lol to teach them responsibility... and they love feeding the fishies don't they, lol)
But as for them being pigs and dying from overeating... won't happen. But the food that they don't eat will rot in your tank and spike your ammonia and nitrite levels, which can kill your fish. Overfeeding can also lower the oxygen levels in the tank.
A really helpful site on overfeeding fish (it's a pretty quick read-I am a mom too, so quick and easy is all I can fit in time wise, lol) is: http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=16&cat=1791&articleid=3401

I really hope this helped! Good Luck!

Answer 2

what MM said is correct. feed the fish 1-2 times daily but only with enough food so that all the food is gone within roughly 2-4min. if you over feed you can build up a lot of extra food waste that can lead to problems in the tank.

Answer 3

For them most part it is a myth. Many people talk about fish eating until they pop, but nonecan ever really provide evidence.

Feed the fish all they can eat in 3-4 minutes twice a day. That's all they need... really. Fish are cold blooded animals and need far less energy to sustain themselves than people, dogs, cats and other warmblooded animals so they therefore need less food compared to their size.

MM

Answer 4

I fed my once a day and that was it. Each morning they got to eat. I do believe you can overfeed them cause they just keep eating.