Fasting: Do you ever fast your fish?

[chrisbenavides]

WaterKeeper:

The reason I thought this was that I kept hearing that people would fast their Seahorses on a scheduled basis. Then later on I started hearing and was personally told by a biologist that it was actually healthy for the fish to not eat (in one day) to clear out their intestinal tract. So I figured might as well ask the RC people to see what they do or think.

Hope we get 100 votes by the end of the weekend.
My guess: most don't nor consider it, which probably means that its probably not needed to fast. I also was thinking that it would reduce the phosphates in the tank or the algae blooms.

 

[Dan Thrash]

i dont have fish yet, but when i get some for my 12 gal nano, i plan on feeding probably once...maybe 2 times....every other day to keep nutrients down and prevent algae growth. i'm not sure i would consider that fasting. we'll see how it works...i hope i dont break down and feed them more.

 

[WaterKeeper]

Fasting Ponies?

Yikes-Seahorses have one of the shortest digestive tracts in the world. Literally, what goes in one end comes out the other--real, real fast.

Usually they require feeding 3-4 times per day if not more often as there digestive system is not very efficient. I pretty much don't worry about letting a standard reef system go without food for a week or so but the seahorse tank is always fed several times a day by someone.

 

[Swanwillow]

the reason people fast seahorses 1 day a week, is because we feed them SUCH fatty food, that they have been known to die from fatty liver disease...
and then, adding supplements like selcon and zoe just add to the fat deposits.

I don't fast them, but do feed one time a day some days iunstead, and I don't add supplements to thier food.

it kinda depends on who you talk to and what they think

 

[silverarrow27]

Feed my fish once a week or every two weeks.

 

[chrisbenavides]

Well almost 60% do the at the least fast their fish occascionally or via schedule.

 

[WaterKeeper]

I don't know Willow. It appears to me that ponies won't have much time in their stomachs to digest lipids, fatty acids or other long chain hydrocarbons. I may be wrong, as usual.

 

[mikeatjac]

Every other day. Of course my refug produces a ton of food.

 

[Swanwillow]

come now-I'm just going by what the people with horses longer than I say...

he-said she-said. its all over!!!! but, like I said, I don't fast for a day... my 'fasting' is feeding 1x a day some days a week, otherwise they get 2x a day.

but, thats a subject for seahorse keepers, and not really this thread

 

[chrisbenavides]

35 more votes to go

 

[chrisbenavides]

Bumping this if you all don't mind. I am hoping for atleast 100 votes if this is possible. You all that have voted (the past few days) don't need to read the thread. I am more looking for those who have not voted nor read this thread.

Thanks you all!

 

[JENnKerry]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6953386#post6953386 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by BTTRFLYGRL
I feed mine twice a day or they will jump out and hunt me down
My fish pace the tank, follow me around. STARE me down..they will not go unfed

I'm the same way. All my fish are very fat but healthy nonetheless. They still know how to pick from the rocks.

 

[chrisbenavides]

Almost there: don't want this thread to become extinct by they end of the day.

But, I guess we can see the point already by the voting turn out. Very split on both sides.



Thanks and vote if you haven't.

:rollface: :rollface: :eek1: :eek1: :rollface: :rollface:

 

[chrisbenavides]

So far a good 60% do in fact do some sort of fasting for there fish. This is much more common than I thought it would be. Considering an almost 100 votes, the majority here show that many do consider some fasting.

Don't know if this was all purposeful in nature, (the fasting my fish owners), but a good 30ish% do fast their fish on a weekly scheduled basis. Thats also more than I thought.

thanks for posting/voting. Almost there.

Thanks again!

 

[Swanwillow]

but you may also want to think: there are ALOT of people on here that don't feed daily in thier reef tanks in the first place-scewing the results

 

[chrisbenavides]

True. but the point is that most who are voting can go away for a day or so without feeding. In other words it won't hurt fish too much if they don't eat for a day or so.

Also, I know that probably the bigger tanks (with lots of live in it), can survive many fastings, but what about those 55g - 150g tanks? Do they compare the same as the bigger tanks in terms of self-sustainment (fasting???)

Almost there. THANKS!!!

P.S. Do you all think it helps to rid some "problem" algae when we feed much less than the average feeding?

 

[chrisbenavides]

bump

 

[chrisbenavides]

Hey everybody thanks for voting. I get we can see the point by now. Probably won't get the 100 votes that I wanted but still pretty good turn out.

Thanks for voting!

- Chris