Being the tropical fish enthusiast that I am, I have frequently observed my fish’s gluttony at its finest. Having to support their unfortunate food habit can be trying at times, but we manage.
I’m noticed that no matter of their gorging creates excess fat–bellies may bulge, but nothing is saved. My baby cichlids take on a near (you know, it’s not near, it IS) comical appearance after a feeding–they look like little ball bearings with fins. I have seen such gorging kill, however, especially in a few siamese fighting fish. It seemed that the fish literally exploded following a large feeding–scales actually popped out–before ultimately dying.
So, what mechanism is it that prevents them from storing excess calories? And how do they know when to stop? Or…do they know when to stop?
That reminds me. I need to feed my fish.
** Ruffian ** it must be different with tropical fish. We had a gold fish named, ‘Jaws’ that got huge. It looked like it was difficult to keep him afloat. His original name was ‘David’ after King David, but then he ate, ‘Goliath and Peter’ thereby getting renamed to the killer shark. He finally did die, but we fed him normally, unless there was something wrong with him. Do fish have thyroid glands?
He got buried in a shoebox, rather than the ordinary q tip box, he was too big.
They can eat themselves to death can’t they? And cichlids like Oscars and Jack Dempseys will only get as large as their surroundings. The bigger the tank the bigger the fish will get. (I’ve always thought this was so funny, almost like a plant.) I believe certain types of goldfish are the same. Perhaps they don’t get fat because they crap so much. My silly girlfriend had never owned a fish. She got a nice sized little goldfish. One day she calls me on the phone terribly upset. She says her goldfish is dying! He’s swimming along like he’s fine but he’s got this big long train of guts dragging behind him. I almost laughed until I cried. You can imagine how funny she felt when I told her he was dragging along his waste.
Needs
Well, I think there is a biological explanation. Mammals and reptiles and goldfish (which are cold-water fish) evolved the ability to put on fat in order to survive in the temperate zone where there are seasons of famine, i.e. winter. Tropical fish like cichlids live in a year-round food zone, so there would be no evolutionary advantage in putting on fat.
I had to get rid of my Oscar because of the “waste” problem. And he was in a 55 gallon tank, too. Pet store gave me $12 for him, not bad pay for 18 months of scraping out the most disgusting filters on God’s green planet…