What to Do About Overfeeding Fish?

One of the main reasons for fish loss is overfeeding. Health problems can occur and can be fatal when a fish consumes too much food. An example of this can be seen with Rainbow fish. Allowing these types of fish to overeat often leads to a disease known as hepatic lipidosis or fatty liver. Fish can die from this disease because it prevents their liver from functioning properly. Knowing what to do about overfeeding fish could prevent these types of serious health issues and cause them to live much longer.

  1. Recognize Habits

    • Learn to recognize the habits of your fish because this can help you avoid overfeeding them. Fish will often catch on to the fact that when they see you coming that food is probably not far behind. Because of this, the fish will swim to the top of the tank and appear to beg you for food. The problem is that fish will do this regardless of whether or not they're actually hungry. Avoid shelling out food just because a fish appears to ask for it because this will often lead to overfeeding them.

    Recognize Signs

    • A major danger associated with overfeeding fish is the extra food that does not get eaten and ends up accumulating in the fish tank as waste. Decomposed food can be very toxic to a fish and the environment of its aquarium. There are several signs that will let you know if you are overfeeding a fish. Recognize things like cloudy water, algae or mold in the fish tank because these are all signs that an excess of fish food is gathering in the aquarium. Clogged filters can be another sign that you're overfeeding your fish.

    Create a Schedule

    • Regulating how much food you allow your fish to have is the most effective way to prevent overfeeding them. The most effective way to regulate their food is by creating a feeding schedule for your fish. Most fish food has a feeding chart which is printed on the packaging. You can also allow your fish to eat twice a day if you divide the total amount of food they're suppose to have by two. Feed the fish at the same times each day with the suggested amount of food. This will allow them to eat all their food and will help to minimize a build-up of harmful leftovers.

    Watch and Wait

    • Another way to avoid overfeeding your fish is simply by watching them eat. After taking a few flakes of fish food and dropping it inside the aquarium, simply move back and observe your fish eat. Once those flakes have been consumed, add a few more and repeat the process. Soon, you will notice that your fish either avoid the food altogether or take bites only to spit the food right back out. This is your indication that feeding time is over and you should never add more food after this point.