FishProfiles.com Message Forums

How do you know if you are feeding a goldfish too much?

If there is no leftover food in the aquarium and your water quality (with frequent changes and careful monitoring) stays good, are you ok? Is it ok to feed many times a day so long as there is no leftover food, extra tons of space (imagine 1 fantail in 150 gallons) and water quality is good, or how would you know if you were feeding 'too much'?

I know what is commonly done, but where did 1-3 times a day feeding come from? Do we do that because other people do that, or for some other reason? What if you fed 5 times a day - has anybody tried it? Is it bad to max out how much they eat? Do they just get bigger or do they get 'fat'? If they are fat is that unhealthy for them, or is it good reserves? Do they get little goldfish high blood pressure or does it all turn into bigger stronger fishy?

Just curious


Melissa

Last edited by melissamorris at 15-Feb-2005 13:21

most fishes have stomach as big as there eyes. hope that helps.

I think this is a more interesting, and perhaps more difficult, question with goldfish, particularly fancies, than other fish. I hope my reasons will be clear in my answers.

Leftover food isn't the only sign. Like horses, some goldfish will eat past the point of safety and good health, eliminating leftover food but still causing potential digestive problems. Moreover, with plenty of water changes, one may never notice an uptick in nitrates (or even ammonia) that might give away the problem. Feeding many times a day is always a great idea, preferable by far to one meal a day, BUT only when we're talking about smaller quantities. If one goldfish in 150 gallons decides to eat a full day's meal every hour, leftover food or not, it's not going to be healthy for him.
But part of what makes it interesting for fancies, beyond the obvious problems caused by their squished organs and intestines, is that one can't see the fullness under the shape. Where with many fish, particularly large carnivores, it's common to "feed to satiation" by watching the belly round out, this can be impossible to see in fantails much above an inch or two in size.

1-3 is more, I think, a meeting of the ideal (constant tiny amounts of food) and people's schedules. I can't feed constantly; I have class, meals, sleeping, etc. I can feed 2+ times a day.

Overfeeding for the purpose of increasing growth rates IMO isn't worth it; you'd have a healthier animal and as fast or faster growth with the right amount of a varied, extremely nutritious diet: spirulina, NLS, fresh and canned veggies, black worms, whatever.

A little fat and heft is indeed a good reserve; fish are better thought of as needing, shall we say, "robustness" that might in a human be called somewhat overweight. However, an indoor goldfish shouldn't need this and may in fact suffer ill health because of it.
On the other hand, with many fancies and all long-bodied goldfish, there is significant and ample daily exercise; this evens out a lot of the divide between a fat fish and a healthy fish.

-Molly
Visit shelldwellers.com!

I feed once a day. Weekend no food, eat the elodea instead.

On friday sometimes I give two smaller feeds.

One of my fish is 5 yrs old and have never had health probs.

Interesting thread - thanks for posting...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~ My fish blow kisses at me all day long ~~~

Goldfish like to eat all day.. Its better to stay with 2 feeding sessions. I usually feed twice unless i forget one of the meals or someone of my family forgets.

Perhaps the only concern i've got is that in summer the temperature rises about 27°C or 81°F and without any hope of decreasing temperature in the room.

Usually there's a need for a little more food at hotter seasons, while less is better in colder situations, not only because the fish can't process as much food when colder, but because the bacteria acts like this, being less capable in this situations, so overfeeding would give a greater share of ammonia.

Good Post,MM
As LM and others have already answered, most goldfish are gutzs and would eat themselves to bloat and constipation, if overfed.Usually what the fish can eat in 2/3 minutes is one way of feeding. As Wish Ga also says leave some elodea in the tank also as sometimes goldfish will go and only eat plant material and not eat much other flake food. Good quality, fresh Goldfish food is also important part of diet, fancy goldfish need a good quality fine food for their poor digestive systems and not to high in fat content. Check your fish food for fat contents and try to feed a little vegetable flake, varied diet to keep up health and vigor of your fish. Some higher fat content food can also cloud your water, so try a few different foods to see which give the better results. Good luck. Muss